PPSA Annual Meeting May 28:
John Fry and Slate for Election

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The Penn Professional Staff Assembly (PPSA) invites professional staff to its annual meeting and election on Tuesday, May 28 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Bodek Lounge of Houston Hall.

John Fry, Executive Vice President, will be the guest speaker and provide an opportunity for questions. While pre-registration is not required, seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. You may e-mail any questions for Mr. Fry in advance to ppsa@seas.upenn.edu no later than Monday, May 27.

Plan to arrive early so that you can sign up for the PPSA Raffle. First prize is a Handspring Visor Neo donated by The Penn Computer Connection.

The Penn Professional Staff Assembly (formerly the A-1 Assembly) serves the administrative and technical staff who fulfill the teaching, research and business missions of the University. PPSA accomplishes its mission by providing a forum for staff to express their opinions on issues facing the University and higher education. In addition, PPSA provides representation on major University committees. It serves as a supportive network to work toward achieving the University's goals and objectives and enhancing professional status of staff. PPSA also offers seminars and programs to broaden and expand staff's background and knowledge.

The PPSA Executive Committee consists of the Chair, Vice Chair, Chair-elect, Vice Chair-elect, past Chair, and six Members-at-Large. Members of the Executive Committee will be elected by all A-1 employees who participate in the election.

We are pleased to present the following list of candidates for your consideration. Be sure to vote on Tuesday, May 28.

Candidate for Chair Elect

Jack B. Lewis, Associate Director of Admissions and Recruitment, School of Social Work, Jack has served PPSA as an At-Large Board member for the past two years.

Candidate for Vice Chair Elect

Lyn Davis, Associate Director; Coordinator, University Mediation Program, Office of Student Conduct, served PPSA as an At-Large Board member for the past two years.

...for Member-At Large (choose three)

Christina Costanzo Clark, Director of Student Services in the Office of Academic Affairs, School of Nursing. She came to Penn Nursing in July of 2000 after working at Harcum College, a small private two-year school. And went on to earn a M.S.Ed. in 1998 from GSE; and currently is working on a Ed.D. She serves on numerous University committees for the School of Nursing including: New Student Orientation, Minority Retention and Success, Undergraduate Working Group, Pre-freshman Program, and Athletic Eligibility. While at Harcum, she was an adjunct lecturer in the Business Studies department teaching Principles of Management; she also has conducted leadership seminars.

Mario Ferrante began his career at the University while still attending Drexel University. His first position was as a co-op at the School of Social Work. When an opportunity to work at the School of Veterinary Medicine was made available to him, he accepted the offer and become a Local Support Provider. For the last two years at the School of Veterinary Medicine, he has been an active end user advocate and specializes in relationship management for the IT Group. During his free time he works as an assistant manager at a city restaurant. Mario likes to stay busy and use his athletic abilities by enjoying the game of golf. He hopes to someday go on tour with Tiger Woods.

Marie Gallagher, Facilities and Event Manager, Annenberg Center for Performing Arts. In partnership with the Director of Operations and the technical staff, she coordinates and manages events scheduled; and is responsible for developing sales and marketing strategies and manages and oversees the needs of the facility. She is a member of work-related organizations such as the Philadelphia Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) and the Philadelphia Chapter of Meeting Planners International (MPI). As a member of ISES, she was selected as one of three members to serve on the Nomination Committee for 2002-2003. Coming to Penn in 1990, she has served as a Staff Assistant to the Deputy Provost in the Office of the Provost, an Executive Secretary to the Director of the Twenty-First Century Project for Undergraduate Education in the Office of the Provost, and as Executive Secretary to the VPUL.

Stephanie Ives, Director of Alcohol Policy Initiatives, VPUL, through the Office of Health Education. She came to Penn in 1999 as a result of the Provost-led Working Group on Alcohol Abuse committee, which recommended that a central position was necessary to coordinate all aspects of issues related to student alcohol use. She has been responsible for directing the implementation of over 40 campus initiatives to reduce high-risk drinking and change the culture of alcohol use at Penn. In 2000, Penn was recognized nationally as a model campus in the prevention of alcohol abuse. She has a master's in higher education administration from the University of Arizona and is pursuing a doctorate at Penn in higher education.

Lowell Lysinger Jr., IT Support Specialist, Wharton Computing. He works specifically with Wharton Reprographics and the Legal Studies department. Lowell's son is enrolled in Penn Children's Center and will be going to the Penn Assisted School in September. Living in West Philadelphia in a house that he bought last summer, he is one of the staff members utilizing the Penn Mortgage Program. Before coming to Penn two years ago, he worked at Ballard, Spahr, Andrews and Ingersoll LLP and served as the IT representative to the Employee Action Committee.

Jim Riley, Senior Training Specialist with the Division of Finance. He is responsible for the delivery of end-user training programs relating to BEN applications, payroll, and other miscellaneous courses and serves on development and upgrade teams. He served on the Steering Committee of the Association of Business Administrators from July, 2000 through present, serving as Chair for one year. His initial experience at Penn was as a Drexel Co-op in the Biology Department and in 1993 he was hired by SAS Computing, and has held subsequent positions in the School of Medicine and Veterinary School. He is dedicated to making Penn a better place for his co-workers by sharing the knowledge that he has gained in his 10 years of service.

Melford F. Smith, Associate Director for Facilities, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. He is interested in volunteering for Penn the and thinks PPSA is a good organization to lend his skills.

--Trish diPietrae, School of Veterinary Medicine for the PPSA Executive Committee