Leadership

Craig Thompson

Vice Chancellor for University Relations
universityrelations@mailplus.wisc.edu

Craig Thompson, appointed Vice Chancellor for University Relations in September 2024, has more than 30 years of experience across local, county, state and federal government. Prior to joining UW–Madison, Thompson served as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation beginning in 2019, where he managed more than 3,200 employees and a biennial budget of more than $8 billion. Previously, he worked for the Wisconsin Counties Association for 16 years and led the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin for 12 years. At the TDA, Thompson led a successful effort to amend Wisconsin’s state constitution to protect the transportation fund. A Racine native, Thompson is a 1991 graduate of UW–Madison with a degree in political science.

Kirstin DeMartino

Director, Campus and Visitor Relations
kdemartino@wisc.edu

As Director of Campus and Visitor Relations (CAVR), Kirstin DeMartino oversees UW-Madison’s official resource for campus and community information. CAVR responds to phone calls, emails, and in-person inquiries from a variety of clientele, including students, faculty, staff, prospective students and families, visitor, alumni, and community members. Among its programs and services are the Campus Visit Program and Campus and Community Information Desks at Union South, Memorial Union, and the Discovery Building.

Brenda González

Director, Community Relations
brenda.gonzalez@wisc.edu
608-695-0308

As Director of Community Relations, Brenda González serves as UW–Madison’s primary point of contact with local community and nonprofit organizations. She is responsible for developing strategies to ensure the university is engaged with these organizations and the broader community.

Prior to joining UW–Madison, Brenda worked as the diversity manager for Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care and as a community marketing and health equity manager for Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin. On campus, she served as the health equity career development program manager with the Collaborative Center for Health Equity at the School of Medicine and Public Health. Brenda has a bachelor’s degree in social psychology from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Xochimilco in Mexico City, Mexico, and has done graduate course work in social innovation sustainability leadership at Edgewood College and linguistics and communicative disorders at UW–Madison.

Laura Phillips

Director of Congressional Affairs
lmphillips@wisc.edu
608-263-5357

Laura Phillips is Director of Congressional Affairs within UW–Madison’s Office of Congressional Affairs & Agency Engagement. Phillips has worked on Capitol Hill since 2018 advancing bipartisan legislative priorities. She has served as a policy advisor in multiple senate offices, leading on appropriations, energy and environment, housing, economic and tax policy. Phillips has held fellowship and advocacy roles at the Geological Society of America and American Geophysical Union, gaining experience in advancing science policy priorities, strengthening relationships between the scientific community and Congress and engaging researchers in the legislative process. Phillips earned her doctorate in geography from UW–Madison in 2021.

Christopher Kozina

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Industry Engagement
ckozina@wisc.edu

Christopher Kozina leads cross-campus industry engagement and serves as a senior advisor across schools, colleges, and industries at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition to supervisory accountability for the Office of Business Engagement, Kozina also supports campus-wide economic development and public-private investment initiatives. Kozina is also an Operating Partner, and portfolio company board member, with Garnett Station Partners, a New York-based private equity firm. Kozina has spent most of his career in the private sector, having worked on three continents as a Group President, President and Chief Executive, CIO, CHRO, SVP of Marketing, and Partner within global consumer goods and technology companies. He earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from UW–Madison, a Master’s in Educational Policy and Globalization from the University of Illinois, and an Advanced Business Management certification from Northwestern University.

John Garnetti

Managing Director, Office of Business Engagement
john.garnetti@wisc.edu
608-263-8664

As Managing Director of the Office of Business Engagement, John Garnetti is responsible for driving holistic, mutually beneficial relationships with industry, while raising awareness of the breadth and depth of UW–Madison. Prior to joining the university, he held director-level positions in business development and marketing for the Foxconn Technology Group, SHARP Electronics and AVer Information, Inc. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese after living in East Asia for over 10 years, Garnetti possesses rich international business, complex problem solving and multi-cultural relationship building experience. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Florida.

Crystal Potts

Senior Director, State Relations & Statewide Outreach
crystal.potts@wisc.edu
608-265-4105

Crystal Potts is the Senior Director of State Relations & Statewide Outreach for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her role, she serves as the point of contact for state government relations, including the governor’s office, state legislature, and state agencies. She also assists in the creation and implementation of a statewide advocacy effort on behalf of the university.

Crystal previously served as the chief of staff to Wisconsin State Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green). In this capacity, she also supported the legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee. Earlier, she staffed the Committee on Ways & Means in the State Assembly. Originally from the Twin Cities, Crystal is a proud graduate of UW-Madison with a BA in political science and Chinese. She lives in Fitchburg with her husband, two sons, dog, and two cats.

Carla Vigue

Director, Tribal Relations
cvigue@wisc.edu
608-265-3477

Carla Vigue leads the office of Tribal Relations, which works to foster strong ties with tribal nations and communities in Wisconsin and to build relationships with the organizations and entities they create.

Vigue, a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, previously served as director of communications, events and community engagement for the National Council of Urban Indian Health in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, she served for more than a decade as communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. Vigue also has held positions with the National Indian Gaming Association, the Wisconsin Department of Administration and the Office of the Governor. Vigue, who grew up in Oneida, Wisconsin, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1996 and a master’s degree in political science from Loyola University Chicago in 1998.