Leadership Team

Biography

Theresa A. Coleman-Kaiser has served as Associate Vice President for Administration since 2015 after holding several administrative and operations positions at Michigan Tech since 1999. Coleman-Kaiser currently oversees the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum, the Office of Continuous Improvement, Campus Administration and Auxiliary Services, Office of Sustainability and Resilience, and the Business Support Center within Administration.

Prior to Michigan Tech, Coleman-Kaiser worked at Grinnell College, St. Norbert College, and the University of Oregon in auxiliary services and student union roles.  Coleman-Kaiser is a Lean practitioner, a campus Lean facilitator. Coleman-Kaiser holds a Lean Bronze Certification and is a Black Belt Senior Lean Facilitator at Michigan Tech. 

Biography

Ruth Archer is the Director of Continuous Improvement at Michigan Technological University, where she manages the continuous improvement activities for the university. Archer is responsible for facilitating improvements that close the gap between current state and the university's strategic goals, fostering the continuous process of people development, and promoting collaborative partnerships and sharing Lean expertise in the state, the nation, and the global community. In addition, she teaches several courses on Lean principles, teamwork, and communication, and serves as the advisor for two student organizations--Leaders in Continuous Improvement and Silver Wings.

Archer holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, an MBA, and a PhD in Business Administration with a specialization in organizational psychology. She is the chairperson for the Americas Division of the Lean Higher Education Global Steering Committee, an examiner for Michigan Performance Excellence (MIPEx), and on the events committee for the Michigan Lean Consortium. Archer is certified in Lean Office and Service through the University of Michigan, Lean Production Systems through the University of Kentucky, and Change Management through Prosci.

Before working at Michigan Tech, Archer served in the United States Air Force, where she held multiple positions, including aircraft master technician and quality maintenance inspector, test equipment designer, aircraft electromagnetic signature collector, radar capability modeler, current and future radar engineer, executive officer, and AFROTC instructor.

Biography

Sean Connors is the General Manager of Transportation Services at Michigan Technological University. Sean currently oversees the areas of Husky Motors, campus shuttle services, parking, and permits. Prior to joining Michigan Tech, Sean worked for Lamers Bus Lines overseeing school bus operations for three school districts. In his free time, you can find him officiating youth sports or outside exploring our beautiful Copper Country.

Biography

Golf is my passion and helping others improve their game to increase player satisfaction is what I find most enjoyable. I joined the PGA as a member in 2013 and have strived to improve my instructional skillset to ensure patrons are given the best opportunity to improve. My mission is to improve golfers through evaluating proper mobility and making beneficial changes based on what a player can physically accomplish, not what a swing is supposed to look like. I am a Level 3 Certified Golf Instructor through the Titleist Performance Institute and most recently earned a Level 2 certification in Power in 2019.

The knowledge I have gained through the Titleist Performance Institute has given me the skills to evaluate player performance and offer improvements based on a process that gives my golfers the best opportunity to develop (and hit it further too!). I look forward to working with anyone looking to improve their game but am equally excited for the many opportunities we will have this summer for group instruction. Be on the lookout and sign up for our weekly clinics, golf schools, and special events!

Biography

Elka Frahm serves as merchandising operations manager, overseeing the Campus Store and University Images. She has worked in merchandising at Michigan Tech since 2013, first as office assistant at University Images, then as assistant merchandising manager.

Prior to joining Michigan Tech, Elka worked for three years at Sherwin-Williams. Overall, she has more than 20 years of customer service experience and 12 years in higher education.

Elka earned her Collegiate Retailing Management Certificate from the National Association of College Stores in 2018.

Biography

Research Description

Professor Jaszczak's research interests include theory and computational modeling of materials' properties and the physics of single-electron transistor devices. His work also includes studies of the mineralogy of natural graphite; topographic mineralogy, including minerals from the tanzanite gem mines of northern Tanzania; nanotechnology education; and assessment in STEM education.

Biography

Katie began as the Manager of Budget and Planning for Auxiliary Services in June 2023. She was previously a Financial Aid Manager at Michigan Technological University and has been employed at the University since 2019. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Michigan Tech.

Biography

Biography

Alan has a background in natural resource economics and law. He has worked to promote sustainability in higher education since 2007. His role as the first full time sustainability officer at Michigan Tech is to help create and pursue a vision for sustainability and resilience efforts across the university. In his free time, you can find him exploring outside with his family.

Biography

Matthew Weekley has had the pleasure of serving in the Residence Life/Student Affairs profession for over 20 years and is presently the Director of Housing Auxiliary Operations and Residence Education here at Michigan Tech since March 2020. Prior to joining the Husky team, Matt has served in Director and Assistant Dean roles at higher education institutions across the US overseeing Residence Life, Title IX, and Student Activities within higher education.