The Arboretum is a UW–Madison research and learning center under the oversight of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (VCRGE). The Arboretum Director is responsible for providing leadership and implementing the mission and policies of the Arboretum. The Arboretum Committee is a standing governance committee appointed by the Chancellor in consultation with the VCRGE. The Arboretum Committee draws its membership from constituent groups and faculty/staff who have a stake in its diverse programs and operations. The Arboretum Committee advises the VCRGE and the Arboretum Director on procedures and policies regarding the use, management, and direction of Arboretum lands and facilities in order to facilitate the research, teaching, and education/outreach functions of the Arboretum in support of its overall mission.

2017–18 Arboretum Committee Members

David Drake, committee chair, Forest and Wildlife Ecology

Ellen Damschen, Zoology

Nick Balster, Soil Science

James Hurley, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Rhonda James, Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture, FP&M

Rick Lindroth, Entomology

Susan Paskewitz, Entomology

Bret Shaw, Life Sciences Communication

Kris Ackerbauer, Physical Plant, Facilities, Planning, and Management (FP&M)

Susan Carpenter, Arboretum staff representative, native plant gardenerJohn Panuska, academic staff representative, Biological Systems Engineering

Kathy Poi, Friends of the Arboretum representative, FOA board president

Gary Brown (non-voting), Lakeshore Nature Preserve Director

Annika Cederstrand (non-voting), student representative

Cynthia Czajkowski (non-voting), Neuroscience, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Biological Sciences

Karen Oberhauser (non-voting), Arboretum Director