Board of directors, 2024–2025

Kate VandenBosch, President

Kate is Dean Emerita of the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and a plant scientist whose research has addressed how plants develop and form symbioses with microbes. An early interest in plant biodiversity is rooted in her childhood exploration of the forests of western Michigan and undergraduate study at Kalamazoo College. After graduate work at the University of Massachusetts and the Harvard Forest, Kate was a post-doctoral researcher in botany at UW­–Madison, where she met her husband, Tom Frantz. One of their first dates was to Curtis Prairie to watch the woodcock’s sky dance, and they went on to volunteer on restoration projects at the Arboretum. Kate was a biology professor at Texas and Minnesota before returning to UW–Madison in 2012. Now retired, she enjoys exploring plants from a different perspective and telling their stories. As a new Master Gardener, she volunteers at UW–Madison’s Allen Centennial Garden and the Arboretum’s Native Plant Garden.

Jennifer Sereno, Vice President

Jennifer Sereno is a professional communicator committed to conservation and community sustainability. She currently serves as communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, focusing on efforts to make Wisconsin a fair and just place for all to live and work. She previously served as strategic communications manager for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and as business editor of the Wisconsin State Journal. An avid endurance athlete, Jennifer and her husband David have run the trails, skied the tracks and ridden the roads of the Arboretum for 30-plus years. A member of Rotary Club of Madison, she also serves as secretary of the Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area and vice president of The Daily Cardinal Media Corp.

Dave Kelly, Secretary

Dave is a retired program manager and alum of the UW–Madison and Thunderbird School of Global Management. Prior to retirement, he worked at John Deere Financial in Madison for twenty-three years in several capacities. Dave is a certified Wisconsin Master Naturalist who is fascinated with the natural and cultural history of Wisconsin. In addition to being a part-time barista, he volunteers regularly with the Ice Age Trail Alliance doing outreach and leading adult and youth hikes. You’ll also find him serving as an assistant naturalist at Arboretum Earth Focus Day Camp and volunteer to help with ecological restoration. He also volunteers with Madison Audubon and at Pheasant Branch Reserve focusing on bird collisions and bird monitoring. Dave was a lifelong Madison resident, living in the Nakoma neighborhood for many years. Though currently residing in New Glarus, he often visits the Arboretum to run and hike the amazing trails.

Don Miner, Treasurer

Don is emeritus Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business Services at UW–Madison. He retired in 2010. In retirement, he volunteers as treasurer of the Friends of the UW–Madison Odyssey Project and the Daily Cardinal Media Corporation. He also volunteers to keep financial records for and financially advise Beth Israel Center and the Martin Luther King Coalition of Madison and Dane County. He also does volunteer database maintenance for the Madison Literacy Network. He has a bachelor’s degree in math and computer science from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in accounting from UW–Madison. He grew up in the north suburbs of Chicago. His wife Kathy has been involved with the UW–Madison Arboretum for many years as an environmental educator, leading tours and watching over the Arboretum’s library. Don and Kathy have two married sons and two grandchildren.

Jane Albert

Jane was born in Milwaukee and moved to Madison in 1952. She graduated from West High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in English at UW–Madison. In 1974 she earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at UW–Madison. She taught fourth and fifth grades in Madison Public Schools for 32 years. She was very active in Madison Teachers Inc. and served as secretary for nine years. Upon retirement she mentored first-year teachers and tutored elementary-aged children in her home. She also became involved in the Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association where she served as secretary and social chair. She and her husband, Bill, love walking through the Arboretum. Bill was a Saturday-morning volunteer for many years helping to clear brush, gather seeds, etc. The Luncheon-Lectures Series became a favorite activity in retirement. Jane and Bill have one daughter and one granddaughter who live in Middleton – so wonderfully close!

Judy Cardin

Judy is a retired Bureau Director for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection. She has found a second career as a bumble bee and native plant advocate. Currently, she is an educator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bumble Bee Brigade program and an administrator of the Wisconsin Bumble Bee Observers Facebook page. Judy and her husband, Bob, have observed, photographed and identified thousands of bumble bees and native flowers and conducted hundreds of bee surveys for the Arboretum and other organizations. They converted their Madison yard into a native plant habitat that is a haven for bumble bees, pollinators, and other wildlife. Judy and Bob have two adult children and a granddaughter who live in the Madison area.

Nansi Jo Colley

Nansi is Professor Emerita at UW–Madison. She received her PhD in marine biology at University of California Santa Barbara for her work on coral reefs. As a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA and UC San Diego, she expanded her studies to the evolution of photoreception and eyes. Nansi is internationally recognized for her biomedical research using Drosophila (fruit flies) as a molecular genetic model for human retinal diseases. Nansi is also a yoga and meditation teacher and has taught both for over 30 years at the UW Sports Medicine Center, Madison School and Community Recreation, UW Integrative Medicine and UW employee well-being programs. Nansi is a volunteer at the Arboretum and is interested in ecological monitoring of pollinators, birds, and plant communities. She is committed to conserving biodiversity and supporting the land stewardship, education and research missions of the Arboretum.

Taylor Drogemuller

Taylor is the Adult and Community Program Coordinator at Neighborhood House Community Center, where she focuses on connecting with local farms and organizations to help people who face food and housing insecurity, particularly in the Greenbush Neighborhood. Her role also involves creating programs for adults with special needs, coordinating volunteers, and more. Since moving to Madison in 2018, she spent three seasons at Agrecol Native Seed and Plant Nursery, where she worked with the native plant seed collection and helped with preparations for the Friends of the Arboretum Native Plant Sale. Outside of work, she’s passionate about restoring a bluff prairie on her parents’ property in the driftless area. Her current goal for is to reach 100 different plant species in her prairie garden. She was the Event Coordinator for the Lake Wingra Watershed Gathering, where she represented the Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association. She has also worked as an Outdoor Educator at Upham Woods with UW–Extension. She enjoys exploring Wisconsin with her new black lab puppy named Rosie. She graduated from Winona State University with a degree in Biology with a focus on Ecology. She’s excited to bring her experience to the FOA Board.

Tiffany Highstrom

Tiffany is an attorney with Stafford Rosenbaum LLP. She represents clients throughout Wisconsin in family law and guardianship matters. As an attorney, she has consistently worked to help preserve family farms during divorce or legal separation. She is a trained mediator and arbitrator who regularly assists attorneys and litigants to resolve disputes outside of the courtroom. A graduate of Ball State University in political science and English and Marquette Law School, she is a native of Cedarburg, Wisconsin. In her spare time, Tiffany enjoys travel and is an avid hiker. She is trying to visit all the waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. When she’s not hiking, Tiffany takes master gardener classes and enjoys herb and vegetable gardening.

Mark Horan

Mark is a retired university reference librarian. Over his career, in addition to his reference work he instructed university students, developed library services for corporate executives, served as liaison to the Carnegie Institute Art Museum, and collaborated with the Arab American National Museum to create annual book awards that recognize exemplary works by or about Arab Americans. As a volunteer Arboretum restoration team leader since 2017, Mark guides groups in prairie restoration and invasive plant removal. While Mark continues to travel widely, he has settled here with his partner, Sylvia, and their 22-year-old cat, Joy, who tells them when to wake up each day! Mark’s an avid reader and enjoys taking long walks in the Arboretum. He is currently registrar for the Midvale School Community Garden.

Kim Kindschi

Kim is the retired director of the UW–Extension Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic  Development. Over his broad professional career, he has also served as executive vice president of both Wisconsin Business Development Inc. and the Wisconsin Bankers Association. He was a teacher in the Madison school district. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from UW–Madison. Kim is a longtime member of FOA; he and his family are frequent Arboretum visitors. Kim currently serves on the board of directors for the Foundation for Small Business Development, LifeStriders, and a local food pantry. He is also chair of the audit and finance committee of Wisconsin Business Development Inc.

Andrew Savagian

Andrew is an internal communications manager for the Office of Public Affairs and Communications at the Universities of Wisconsin. Prior to his role there, he spent more than twenty-one years at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, working in communications at every level of the agency.  His time at DNR fostered his love of the outdoors and environmental protection, fueled by the many years he’s lived in the scenic Madison area and the precious time he spent biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing through the Arboretum, a haven he lists among his most cherished places in the state.

Tim Norris

Tim is the retired UW–Madison Budget Director and Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration. He served the university as an executive financial manager during a career spanning three decades, including fifteen years as Budget Director. Tim and wife Maddie live near the Arboretum and can be found walking the trails for exercise and leisure most days of the week. They are avid birders and native plant and vegetable gardeners. Maddie volunteered in the Arboretum library for several years after her retirement. Tim also serves on the Madison Audubon Society Board and volunteers for several other public outreach organizations.

Staff

Donna Halleran, Business Manager

Donna is a UW–Madison alum, with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in business. Until her retirement in 2020, she worked at UW–Madison for 36 years. Her most recent position was Director of Auxiliary Operations Analysis. She and her husband, Scott, spend their free time hiking, canoeing, and following Badger Sports. They are also on a mission to visit all of Wisconsin’s state parks. They have two grown children and a two-year old granddaughter. In her role as business manager, she works with the FOA treasurer on financial issues, handles registration and support for Luncheon-Lectures and Friends day trips, and compiles the monthly e-newsletter, The LEAF. You can phone the office at 608-890-2555 or email her at staff@foamadison.org.

Allison Eyring-Green, Native Plant Sale and Events Coordinator

Allison Eyring-Green has a passion for native plants! She’s a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she earned a degree in Landscape Architecture with a focus on ecological restoration. She’s been an independent landscape designer for the past twenty years. In that role, she’s managed all aspects of the design process for residential master plans and coordinated with installation contractors and nurseries to achieve project specifications. She has volunteered as a plant expert at several Native Plant Sales and assisted with planting, seed collection and maintenance around the Arboretum Visitor Center. Allison also had professional marketing and customer service experience. In her free time, Allison explores fiber arts. Sher recently exhibited a quilt in the Arboretum Visitor Center’s Steinhauer Trust Art Gallery as part of a group show.  She can be found walking her rescue dog or hanging out with her spouse and two teenagers in Middleton.

In her role as native plant sale and events coordinator, Allison manages the online and in-person native plant sales and provides support for luncheon-lectures and trips.  You may reach her at 608-890-2555 or by email at npscoordinator@foamadison.org.