Alison Alcoba
Director of Personnel; Department of Physics
Alison Alcoba joined the University of Washington as the Assistant to the Chair of the Physics Department in 2013. She was promoted to Director of Personnel in 2021 and now manages the employment lifecycle for all Physics faculty, academic personnel, and staff. Prior to Alison’s service at UW, she served as an Administrative Specialist for Public Health Seattle & King County, and the Assistant to the Chair of the English Department at Central Washington University.
Melisa Anderson
Administrator; Department of Astronomy
A proud UW alumna, Melisa has been with the university since 2022. She has worked in Higher Education and Finance and Administration for over a decade, including eight years in the Office of the Provost at Pacific Lutheran University prior to joining the Department of Astronomy. She completed her master’s degree at Gonzaga University where she studied Organizational Change and Leadership.
Ed Connery
Administrator; Department of Dance
Ed is a ten-year veteran of the University of Washington with experience in both educational and operational aspects of academic programs. Most recently, Ed spent six years as the Director of Academic Services in Aeronautics & Astronautics where he supervised a team of academic advisors and managed daily operations for the department's undergraduate and graduate programs -- including student HR, supporting part-time instructors, program budgets, and scholarships. Before coming to Seattle, he completed his master's degree at the University of Wisconsin where he studied the history and philosophy of educational policy. A California native, Ed earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley where he also worked for several years as a policy analyst for the faculty Academic Senate.
Janet Germeraad
Director of Academic Services; Department of Biology
My career spans 20 years in higher education and has been dedicated to academic advising and medical research and I nurture spaces of belonging for students and colleagues. My work in advising and administration has focused on Biology and STEM programs and has been rooted in DEI practices for undergraduates and graduate students. I worked at a small environmentally focused Liberal Arts College prior to UW and hold a BA from the University of Arizona and an M.Ed. from Northern Arizona University. The PNW feels like home. I love being outside, enjoying live music and reading about natural history, science, and human development.
Mahmoud Jaber
Assistant to Meany Center's Executive and Artistic Director
Mahmoud is the Assistant to the Executive and Artistic Director for Meany Center for the Performing Arts. He has a double BA in Philosophy and Political Studies from the American University of Beirut, and an MA in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University, where he studied the application of immersive techniques inspired by Shi’i tragic theater in Virtual Reality Storytelling. Mahmoud is a published translator and has extensive experience as an interpreter. He speaks Arabic, English, French and Spanish. He is also a screenwriter and content strategist, having produced a short movie and currently working on his first TV series.
Karoliina Kuisma
Administrator; Department of Linguistics
After a career in language instruction, supported employment, and job coaching, Karoliina moved to Seattle to teach Finnish at the University of Washington. She has worked as a project and people manager in the language technology industry and returned to the University of Washington in 2021 as an administrator. She completed her master’s degree at the University of Helsinki where she studied Finnish and sociology.
Fatema Mookhtiar Charawala
Administrator; Department of Sociology
Fatema Mookhtiar Charawala is currently the chief administrator for the Department of Sociology at the University of Washington where she manages all aspects of the department including budgeting, financing, grant management and human resources.
Fatema strives to make a positive impact both at work, home, and in her community. She is the mother of two young daughters, VP of her HOA and the Treasurer of the Women’s Association at her mosque. She has more than fifteen years of experience working at the top 20 research universities including Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania. Fatema received her BA in Business Administration from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.
Kendall Nelson
Graduate Program Coordinator; Department of Anthropology
Kendall Nelson is the Graduate Program Assistant and Advisor in the Department of Anthropology. She started at the University of Washington in 2022 as an interim Administrator for the Department of Geography. Before moving to Seattle, she primarily worked in non-profit business administration. Kendall earned her undergraduate degree in Anthropology from San Francisco State University and is currently completing a Master of Science in Non-Profit Administration from Louisiana State University.
Marthadina Russell
Administrator; Comparative History of Ideas
Marthadina Russell is the Administrator for the Comparative History of Ideas Department as of September 2022. She completed her bachelor's degree at Seattle University in 2018, with a double major in International Studies and French. Before working at the University of Washington, Marthadina taught English and French in Prague, Czechia; Galway, Ireland; and Paris, France. In her spare time, if not planning another trek abroad, she enjoys reading, writing, and playing piano.
Erika Samson
Director of Academic Services; Department of Communication
Erika is currently the Director of Academic Services in the Department of Communication with over a decade’s experience in academic advising at the University of Washington. In this role Erika is focused on managing advising for prospective and current undergraduate students within the Communication and Journalism and Public Interest Communication (JPIC) majors, curriculum planning, and programming for the access, retention, and completion of student's degrees. She received her Master of Education in Leadership in Higher Education from the UW College of Education. Prior to her graduate work, Erika received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with minors in Education, Learning, and Society (ELS) and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) from UW. Outside of work her hobbies include boxing, playing pinball, and exploring new places.
Kirk L. Van Scoyoc
Academic Counselor & Graduate Program Advisor; Asian Languages & Literature
Kirk joined the department in October 2021 as the Academic Counselor and Graduate Program Advisor. He had a 33-year career as an English language instructor, most of which was in the UW’s International and English Language Programs, but started with four and a half years in Tokyo on the faculty at Obirin Daigaku (now called J.F. Oberlin University).
Kim Van Someren
Instructional Technician; Printmaking, Painting + Drawing
Kim Van Someren has served as the Instructional Technician in Printmaking + Painting + Drawing at the University of Washington School for 15 years.
She has taught Printmaking at Pratt Fine Arts Center, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Frye Art Museum, Everett Community College, the Seattle Arts Museum, Pilchuck Glass School, and the University of Washington.
Van Someren exhibits locally and internationally; her work included in private and public collections including Microsoft, New York Public Library, the University of Iowa, the University of Washington, and Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Van Someren is represented by J.Rinehart Gallery, Seattle, WA.