Senators & Areas

The Staff Senate is composed of several types of senators, both voting and non-voting. Voting members include area, at-large, and affinity group senators, while non-voting members consist of liaisons, special appointees, and emeritus participants. To be eligible for election as a senator, staff must have served in their role at DU for at least six months. Each area is represented by three senators, with areas grouped based on similar staff headcounts. Area senators are elected to staggered two-year terms, ensuring that one or two seats in each area are up for election every year.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee may hold special meetings and act on behalf of the Staff Senate when timely action is needed.

Detric Robinson, Ph.D., President
Ross Logan, Vice President
Adela Smith, Treasurer
Maggie Heyduk, Secretary

Area Senators

Senators regularly communicate staff needs, feedback, and concerns to the Senate, establish ongoing channels for information sharing and feedback, inform staff about their role and available resources, and support Staff Senate events.

Area 1

Units
Athletics

Senators  
Josh Boone (June 2026)  
Kacie Dohrmann (June 2026)  
Angel Field (June 2025)  

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

Area 2

Units
Facilities Planning & Management   
General Counsel   
Enterprise Risk Management

Senators  
Jason Jackson (June 2026)  
William "Bill" Scott (June 2026)  
Alistair Wallace (June 2025)

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

Area 3

Units
Advancement  
Student Affairs & Inclusive Excellence  
Chancellor's Office  
Financial Affairs  
Internal Audit

Senators  
Gloria Bokenkamp (June 2025)  
Meg Dimsa (June 2026)  
Jon Kraus (June 2026)  

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

Area 4

Units
Information Technology 
Morgridge College of Education 
Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science 
DU Agency Organizations

Senators 
Ross Logan (June 2026) 
Tamara Tabb (June 2026) 
VACANT (June 2025)

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

Area 5

Units
Kennedy Mountain Campus, Wellness & Recreation 
University College 
Financial Services–Controller 
Institutional Priorities 

Senators 
Melissa DeWitt (June 2025) 
Alexandria Vasquez Parnell (June 2026) 
Liam Westwood (June 2026)

Email contact (to all 3 senators

Area 6

Units
Graduate School of Social Work 
Enrollment Division 
Human Resources & Inclusive Community 
Conference & Event Services 
Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Senators 
Chico Dimas (June 2025) 
Maggie Heyduk (June 2026) 
Adela Smith (June 2025)

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

Area 7

Units
College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences 
Sturm College of Law 
University Financial Services 
Housing & Residential Education 
Office of Graduate Education 

Senators 
Aleesha McDowell (June 2025) 
Detric Robinson (June 2026) 
Darlene Squires (June 2025)

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

Area 8

Units
Daniels College of Business 
Centers & Institutes 
College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics 
Office of Internationalization 
Registrar's Office

Senators 
Christine Hood (June 2025) 
John Maly (June 2026) 
Audrey Townsend (June 2025)

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

Area 9

Units
Ricks Center for Gifted Children 
University Libraries 
Provost's Office 
University Academic Programs 
Campus Safety 
Newman Center for the Performing Arts

Senators 
Virginia Pitts (June 2026) 
Shelby Wones (June 2025) 
VACANT (June 2025)

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

Area 10

Units
Fisher Early Learning Center 
University Health & Counseling Services 
Josef Korbel School for International Studies 
Graduate School of Professional Psychology 
Division of Marketing & Communications 
Office of Research & Sponsored Programs

Senators 
Abigail Girard (June 2025) 
Gergana Kostadinova Law (June 2025) 
Jon Stone (June 2026)

Email contact (to all 3 senators)

At-Large Senators

At-Large Senators communicate staff needs to the Senate, support Senate events, fill in as needed, and coordinate with at-large senators related to their responsibilities.

Jackalynn Mayfield (June 2025) 
Jeremy Wu (June 2025) 
McKenna Andreas (June 2026) 
Katie Schroeder (June 2026) 
Sarabeth "SB" Wolbrom (June 2026) 
Graham Zulu (June 2026)

Email contact (sends to all at-large senators)

Affinity Groups Senators

Affinity Group senators identify and discuss ways for the Staff Senate and Affinity Groups to align interests and advocate for staff, periodically meeting to promote shared priorities and bring recommendations to the Senate.

Queer University Employees (QUE) 
Dr. Stevie Lee 
On-Campus Resources | University of Denver (paulytheprayingpup.com)

Staff of Color Association (SOCA) 
Dr. Waltrina DeFrantz-Dufor 
SOCA Home | University of Denver (paulytheprayingpup.com)

Senators Emeriti (non-voting)

Senators emeriti participate in continued advisory roles to the body or to honor exemplary service, appointed by a majority vote.

Nicole Holland (named emerita February, 2024)

Liaisons (non-voting)

Liaisons enhance and allow for regular communication and collaboration between the Staff Senate and other shared governance bodies.

Jeff Banks, Vice Chancellor for Human Resources
Dean Saitta, Faculty Senate
Representative, Undergraduate Student Government
Representative, Graduate Student Government

Senate Committees

Communications Committee
Katie Schroeder, chair
The Communications committee maintains the Staff Senate website, prepares and sends out the quarterly Staff Senate newsletter, works with committees to create marketing and communication materials, and maintains social media

Elections Committee
VACANT, chair
The Elections Committee is responsible for conducting Staff Senate elections (both regular and special elections), including soliciting self-nominations and holding a University-wide election for nominated staff to become senators.

Events & Engagement Committee
Tamara Tabb, chair
The Events and Engagement Committee plans, organizes, and promotes community events, building a sense of community amongst all employees at the University. The committee may organize subcommittees for specific events like Staff Awards, Employee Picnic, etc.

University Budget, Advocacy, & Policy Committee
Abigail Girard, co-chair and Jason Jackson, co-chair
The Budget, Advocacy, and Policy Committee addresses policy issues and advocacy initiatives within the University. This committee coordinates solutions, drafts proposals, and presents recommendations on staf well-being and other topics as appropriate.

Ad Hoc Committees, Subcommittees, and University-wide Committees
Ad hoc committees and subcommittees of standing committees are formed as deemed appropriate by majority vote of the Staff Senate. Additionally, members of the Staff Senate may hold temporary or permanent positions on university-wide groups such as University Council, University Budget Advisory Committee, Policy Advisory Committee, and others as the need arises.