Instructors
Each instructor’s custom blend of real life and real knowledge benefits you and your career.
The Center for New Learning recruits experienced faculty who work in and study the subjects they teach.
Some faculty members teach other undergraduate classes at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, bringing the latest research and knowledge to you. Other faculty members are professionals working in the field, bringing outside perspectives to their courses.
Whether teaching online courses, distance education courses, on-campus courses or hybrid courses, each instructor’s custom blend of real life and real knowledge benefits you and your career.
Our Instructors
Lynn Brandt
Course/Subject Area: Adult Learning Strategies
Lynn Brandt graduated from UW Oshkosh with a master's degree in Counseling Education. She is a primary point of contact for prospective students who are considering returning to school as nontraditional students and applying for admission to CNL Programs, as well as a full-time adviser who is available to counsel students through the advising process. Her office is located in Dempsey 111 and she is available for appointments Monday through Friday.
Cynthia Brun
Course/Subject Area: Coaching, Mentoring and Adult Learning Strategies
Cindy has been with the Center for New Learning since Fall 2006. She comes to the Center with 25+ years of experience in nontraditional adult education. She is the Program Coordinator for the Organizational Administration Online degree and the Bachelor of Fire and Emergency Response Management degree, as well as an instructor for the Center of New Learning.
Cindy received her Bachelor degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. and her Masters degree in Continuing Adult & Vocational Education from the University of Wisconsin Madison. Her office is located in Dempsey 322.
Jennifer Buchholz
Course/Subject Areas: Leadership, Conflict Resolution, Capstone and Research Seminars
Jennifer Buchholz has been teaching for the Center for New Learning since 2006 and has been teaching on the college level since 1999. She earned her M.A. in Human Resource Development from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Organization and Management with Capella University.
Jennifer has worked as a manager in the financial services, higher education and management consulting industries. Her favorite classes to teach for the Center for New Learning include leadership and interpersonal communication classes.
Marcus Büker, Ph. D. 
Course/Subject Area: Geography, Weather and Climate
Dr. Büker is a lecturer and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geography at UW Oshkosh and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He came to UW Oshkosh in 2004, after attending UW-Madison for 15 years (undergraduate freshman through Ph.D.!).
His interests lie squarely in the meteorological realm in general and in severe storms and vortex interaction in particular. He thoroughly enjoys teaching students, as it gives him an opportunity just to "talk weather," along with kindling others' passion for learning more about meteorological processes. He also enjoys storm chasing and invites students to join him when opportunities arise. Dr. Büker also has several peer-reviewed papers published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Office: Halsey 319
Phone: (920) 424-0426
E-mail: bukerm@uwosh.edu
Michael Burayidi, Ph. D. 
Course/Subject Area: Geography/Urban Planning
Michael Burayidi is Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Professor Burayidi obtained his Ph. D. in Urban and Public Affairs (Urban Planning & Economic Development) from the University of Louisville, KY in 1994. He has been teaching at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh since September of the same year where he also is Coordinator of the Urban and Regional Studies program.
Professor Burayidi is author of four books including Downtowns: Revitalizing the Centers of Small Urban Communities (Routledge 2001) and Urban Planning in a Multicultural Society (Praeger 2000). He has also authored numerous peer review journal articles in professional journals including the Journal of Planning Theory and Practice, and the Journal of Planning Education and Research.
Professor Burayidi has been a consultant for the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, several private and public organizations and communities in the Fox Valley.
Kay Chitwood
Course/Subject Area: Presentations in the Virtual Workplace, Liberal Studies and the Web
Since 2005, Kay has been the Director of Learning Innovations and the Director of the Wisconsin Online Resource Center at Fox Valley Technical College. There, she leads statewide initiatives of the Wisconsin Online Resource Center, a repository of over 2,200 learning objects.
Kay received her master's degree in Educational Media from the University of Northern Colorado. Since 2001, she has presented nationwide on a variety of topics, including developing learning objects, building online repositories, establishing curriculum processes for faculty, identifying assessment strategies and integrating technology.
Angela Williamson Emmert
Course/Subject Areas: English and Humanities
Angela Williamson Emmert earned a masters degree from University of North Dakota in 2001. She currently works for University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, teaching writing and literature courses including composition, multicultural literature, women in literature, the body in literature and violence and aggression in literature and film.
Scholarly work includes encyclopedia articles and a conference presentation addressing issues related to multiculturalism. Angela also wrote a master thesis focusing on the literature of the Vietnam War. Outside of work, she enjoys her garden, her chickens and her young children very much.
James Frascona
Course/Subject Areas: Occupational, Leadership, Human Resources Management and Organizational Behavior
Working with non-traditionals has been one of the most rewarding work experiences of Jim's life. The motivation and sincere interest in the course material has been unparalleled in his 10 years of teaching, and he enjoys being a facilitator. He learns as the students learn, and it's just a lot of fun for him.
Jim's professional experience is a combination of human resources management and social work. He worked in the human resources field for about 12 years, then went back to school to and obtain a Masters in Social Work. He also has an MBA degree, and worked in the mental health field for a two years. Then, Jim found a way to combine his backgrounds in business and the social sciences as a teacher for CNL.
Jeanine Hanisch
Course/Subject Areas: Leadership and Writing
Jeanine was employed by Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac as manager of the Personal Development Center and was involved with the development and worldwide offering of Mercury’s leadership program. She now teaches adult students at the university level, channeling her knowledge and experience in leadership to courses that focus on that critical area. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees through the University of Wisconsin.
Ann Jadin, Ed. D.
Course/Subject Area: Research Seminar
Susan Kirkham
Course/Subject Area: Communications
Susan Kirkham graduated from UW Oshkosh with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, emphasis in Human Resource Management and Organizational Communication. Her graduate degree, from Silver Lake College (Manitowoc, Wis.), focused on Management and Organizational Behavior. She has over 15 years of experience managing all facets of the HR function.
Most recently, her experience includes teaching at the college level. She joined the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2004 and is teaching classes for the Center for New Learning and the Department of Communication (College of Letters and Science). She is a resourceful teacher who is passionate about the education and learning of traditional and nontraditional students. She, herself, is a committed lifelong learner.
Office: Arts & Communications, S115
Phone: (920) 424-4420
E-mail: kirkhams@uwosh.edu
Bill McConkey, Ph. D. 
Course/Subject Areas: Organizational Administration, Political Science and Public Administration
Dr. Bill McConkey teaches Leadership and Organizational Studies and Political Science courses at UW Oshkosh. Dr. McConkey received his BS and MS degrees in the Social Sciences from Illinois State University in 1964 and 1965. He received his Ph.D. from Florida State University in 1994, at the age of 52.
He has worked for several government agencies, including the Executive Office of the President of the United States, the Florida Senate’s Committee on Higher Education and for the Governors of Illinois and Alaska. He has owned and operated his own communication research and consulting firm for over 30 years and has also managed or consulted to over 150 political campaigns.
Dr. McConkey has been a university instructor for over 15 years and has published both fiction and non-fiction works. He is married and has seven daughters and step-daughters and 10 grandchildren. He and his wife share their home near Baileys Harbor, in Door County, with their Schipperkes. They also own a farm in Tennessee. His favorite things to do are public speaking, cooking, walking with his dogs, hunting, fishing and writing.
Greg Olson, Ph. D. 
Course/Subject Area: Communications
Greg Olson earned his Ph. D. in Communication at the University of Minnesota in 1988. He began teaching in the communication department at UW Oshkosh in 1996, where he has taught fundamentals of speech communication, argumentation and debate, communication methods in secondary education, the rhetoric of the Vietnam War, advanced public speaking, persuasion and small group communication.
Greg was promoted to senior lecturer in 2003 and was awarded a University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Distinguished Teaching Award in 2004. His publications include the book Mansfield and Vietnam: A Study in Rhetorical Adaptation (Michigan State University Press, 1995). Currently, Greg is finishing his second book, Landmark Speeches on Vietnam for Texas A & M University Press. His office is located in the UW Oshkosh Arts and Communication building, S133.
Lee Prellwitz
Course/Subject Areas: Budgeting, Data Analysis and Project Management
Seth Rankin
Course/Subject Area: Geography
UW Waukesha County
Phone: (262) 521-5490
E-mail: seth.rankin@uwc.edu
Marsha Rossiter, Ph. D.
Course/Subject Areas: Leadership and Capstone Seminar
Office: UW Oshkosh - Nursing Education Building, 621
Phone: (920) 424 - 0339
E-mail: rossiter@uwosh.edu
Coy Sabel
Course/Subject Areas: Writing, Human Resources Management and Organizational Behavior
Coy Sabel has been teaching adult non-traditional students since 1998. She has taught for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and Marian College in Fond du Lac. Courses taught include writing, composition, research, management and leadership. For each class, Coy attempts to address all learning styles with a lot of hands-on activities and real-world applications.
She has spent 20 years in the business sector in various positions: Business Research Analyst, Communications Manager and, most recently, Training & Development Manager.
When Coy is not teaching, she enjoys spending time reading and writing.
Michael Skowronski
Course/Subject Area: Mathematics
Office: UW Oshkosh, Swart 233
Phone: (920) 424-7347 (or call 424-1333 and leave a message)
E-mail: skowrons@uwosh.edu
Brian Smith, Ph. D.
Course/Subject Area: Religious Studies
Brian Smith holds advanced degrees in Political Science (Ph.D. Yale, 1979), Religion (Master of Divinity, Woodstock College, 1970) and Ethics (Master in Sacred Theology, Union Theological Seminary, 1971). He has done research in Latin America, including Chile and Colombia, on religion and politics and the role of non-governmental organizations in socioeconomic development. He has taught briefly at Fordham University and Georgetown University and for seven years in the Political Science Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1980 – 1987).
He was a member of the Jesuit Order in the Catholic Church for 21 years and served as a priest for nine years, including one year in Chile (1975).
Angela Westphal
Course/Subject Area: Communications