Cynthia Jasper, PhD
Faculty Director

Cynthia Jasper, Vaughan Bascom Professor of Women and Philanthropy, has served as Faculty Director of the UW Center for Nonprofits since 2011. 

She  currently chairs the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, and is a professor in Consumer Science.  Dr. Jasper’s research interests include giving behavior, consumer behavior and management within the retailing settings, women and philanthropy, and financial issues regarding the elderly. She is currently examining consumer issues regarding charitable giving. 

Dr. Jasper authored a publication entitled, “Women’s Leadership in Philanthropy” for the Encyclopedia of Nonprofit Organizations.  In addition, she was elected for the second year to serve as Chair of the University Library Committee, and she continues to serve as Treasurer of the American Council on Consumer Interests.

Brian Christens, PhD
Associate Faculty Director for Research

Dr. Christens joined the UW Interdisciplinary Studies Department in Fall 2009 and has been Associate Faculty Director of the UW Center for Nonprofits since 2011. 

He is a community psychologist whose primary research is on participation and empowerment in community and organizational settings. Connecting community-based research with interdisciplinary community theory, he is developing an ecological understanding of the ways that people, organizations and communities interact and change as they take collective action.

His research and writing have been published across several disciplines, and his findings have been applied to youth development, community development, and health promotion.

Jeanan Yasiri Moe, M.Sc.
Executive Director 

Jeanan Yasiri Moe has over 25 years of experience advancing community, health care access and educational interests.

As Executive Director of the UW Center for Nonprofits, Yasiri is administrative lead in integrating education, research and professional outreach opportunities within the Center.  She also teaches the interdisciplinary course “Entrepreneurship in Society” which is broadcast weekly on Wisconsin Public Television's University Channel.

Prior to joining the Center for Nonprofits and following a decade long career as a broadcast journalist, Yasiri served as Vice President for Service Innovation with Dean Health System.  At Dean she developed programs focused on advancing patient advocacy and community health initiatives specifically serving medically underserved and vulnerable populations. Included in her work was development of the nationally award winning “Dean Advocacy and Community Service” division which promoted access to economically, at-risk and linguistically challenged patients of this medical group practice serving over 600,000 patients in South Central Wisconsin.

In 2006 Yasiri established, Jeanan Yasiri Solutions, LLC where her clients have since included Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery / Morgridge Institute for Research; the Wisconsin State Department of Health and Family Services and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – New Routes to Community Health Initiative.  She has served on over a dozen nonprofit boards of directors and currently chairs the statewide “Friends of Wisconsin Public Television” board.  She was named a YWCA Woman of Distinction in 2004 for her service to the community and nonprofits in particular.  Yasiri was the 2010 recipient of the Excellence in Outreach Award by the UW School of Human Ecology.

Yasiri holds a M.Sc. in Consumer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1985) and a B.Sc. in Business and Economics from University of Wisconsin – Platteville (1983).   She earned the designation of Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives (FACMPE) in 2002.  Yasiri is the co-author of two books entitled “Putting the Patient First” and “Tackling the Uninsured Puzzle:  Collaborating for Community Care” as well as numerous articles on community health care access issues. 

Sara Lam, EdM
Graduate Project Assistant, Beckner Research Digests

Sara Lam is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at the UW Madison School of Education.

She obtained an EdM in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2004) and a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota, Morris (2003).

She is a co-founder of the Rural China Education Foundation and has served as the foundation's Co-Executive DIrector. She has also worked as a community educator in rural and rural migrant communities in China.

She was awarded fellowships from Echoing Green in 2007 and the Third Millennium Foundation in 2004.

Katherine Sydor
Graduate Project Assistant

Katherine has spent the last three years living and working in Washington, D.C., first working in the office of Rep. David Obey from Wisconsin and then in the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley from Oregon.  Before joining the Center for Nonprofits, Katherine returned to Congressman Obey’s office in light of his retirement announcement to assist in archiving 40+ years of Congressional history. 

Prior to her time in Washington, Katherine worked and volunteered in a number of local and nonprofit positions in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she also earned a BA in History and Women’s Studies, with a minor in Spanish. 

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Katherine intends to continue working on social and poverty policy and hopes to return to Washington after graduation, bringing with her the values and philosophy of the Wisconsin progressive tradition. 

Katherine is currently a Master's candidate at the La Follette School of Public Affairs focusing on social policy and tax and budget issues. You can read a recent profile of her here.

Michelle Turner
Graduate Project Assistant, Health Disparities in Infant Mortality

Michelle Turner has been a practicing social worker for over 15 years, with much of her experience in administrative social work, working with low-income women and children.  She obtained her master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago in 2000 with an emphasis in policy and management.  She went on to join Peace Corps and consequently work in international development in both Asia and Africa for several years before returning to the states to continue her career in management.  Now she is pursuing her Ph.D. to explore pregnancy and birth for at-risk women and how it may act as a catalyst for change when women are empowered throughout the process.

Jessica Collura, M.Sc.
Student Activities Advisor / Graduate Project Assistant

Jessica Collura is a doctoral student in Human Development and Family Studies whose work focuses on community leadership. 

She is a co-founder of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) UW-Madison Chapter, which collaborates with local nonprofit organizations to assist in event planning and fundraising activities while simultaneously exposing students to meaningful work in the nonprofit sector.   Jessica now serves as an advisor for AFP, helping to develop student leaders and serving as a liaison between the forming AFP student chapter and the local professional chapter.