The Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors was established in the fall of 2002. Its members are a diverse group of people who love both astronomy and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Board of Visitors advises and assists the Department and its chair in accomplishing the Department’s mission and vision. It also serves as a bridge between astronomy amateurs and professionals; the University of Wisconsin-Madison administration, students and alumni; the State of Wisconsin; and the wider community.
The Board of Visitors:
- Acts as a sounding board and an advocate for the Department’s mission, vision and programs.
- Assists in establishing contacts and relationships between the department and pertinent organizations and individuals in the University community.
- Assists in leveraging synergies between astronomy projects and potential commercial applications.
- Assists the faculty, in conjunction with UW Foundation development efforts, to secure funding for new and forward-looking programs included in the Department’s vision.
- Advises on broad perspectives for enhancing the capability and image of the Department.
The Board also relishes adventures — intellectual and otherwise — including, in recent years, a launch of the shuttle Atlantis, trips to the WIYN Observatory in Tucson and the SALT Observatory in South Africa, and a weekend of theater, art and astronomy in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
Board Members
Dr. Andrew Afflerbach
CEO, CTC Technology and Energy
1996 Ph.D.
Board member since 2013
Dan Koellen
Retired VP Intel/Level One Communications; Principal, White Star Enterprises
1979 BS
Board member since 2007
Scott McBride
Attorney at Law, McAndrews, Held & Malloy Ltd.
1995 BS, 1998 JD
Board member since 2013
Jill Hatton
Retired Managing Director, Black Rock
Director, UW Foundation
1982 BBA, MS
Board member since 2020
Jeff Diermeier
Director,
Janus Henderson Investors
1971 BBA, 1975 MBA
Board member since 2012
Peter Livingston
Retired Owner/President, Stark/Livingston, Inc.;
Former Vice President, Research and Development, CUNA Inc.
Board member since 2006
Barbara Schaefer
Retired Observing Support Coordinator, W.M. Keck Observatory
1975 BS
Board member since 2017
Dr. John Wiley
Retired Chancellor Emeritus, UW-Madison
1965 MS, 1968 Ph.D.
Board member since 2010
Jere D. Fluno
Retired Vice Chairman, W.W. Grainger, Inc.
1963 BBA; 1968 CPA
Board member since 2002
John Lyngaas
Retired Partner, Ernst & Young
Board member since 2018
Dr. Ken Sembach
Director, Space Telescope Science Institute
1988 B.A., 1992 Ph.D.
Board member since 2017
Dr. Ed Churchwell
Professor Emeritus
UW-Madison Department of Astronomy
Board member since 2020
Senior Advisors
Russell Christesen
Past Chair
Retired President & CEO of Ebasco Systems, Inc.
1946 BS
Board member since 2002
Dr. Kenneth Ciriacks
Retired VP of Explorations, BP Amoco
1958 BS, 1962 Ph.D.
Board member since 2006
