Search | Menu The Madison College Cabinet leads the advancement of the vision, mission and goals of the college.
Cabinet members focus on student success, serving the diverse communities in the Madison College District, and supporting our dynamic and vibrant college community.
Meet Our Cabinet Members
Valentina Ahedo, Interim Vice President
Student Affairs
As the Interim Vice President of Student Affairs, Valentina Ahedo oversees a variety of student support functions including, enrollment, advising, libraries, and athletics. In addition, she provides oversight for Madison College’s Goodman South and Commercial Avenue campuses, prison education programming, K-12 and workforce strategies; and the College Access Navigator unit, which works closely with our district’s 61 high schools to better serve students with the college’s career pathway options.
Having worked in higher education for twenty-five years, she is delighted and humbled to be part of an institution that commits itself to access, opportunity and success for all of its students and stakeholders. Having had the privilege of working alongside tireless advocates to expand opportunity in our communities, she is honored to continue this work, which is rooted deeply in her experience as a member of an immigrant family where she sought to make sense of the two worlds, the two cultures that she encountered daily.
Valentina has a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison, a master’s from Iowa State University and expects to earn a doctorate in education in 2025.
Rose Buschhaus, Vice President
Human Resources, Chief Human Resources Officer
Rose Buschhaus has nearly 25 years of experience working in human resources. Rose has been with the college since 2009 and has served in a variety of roles within the Human Resources department including, Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Director of Employment and Employee Relations, and as a Human Resources Business Partner.
Rose earned a Juris Doctor degree, Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Purdue University, and holds a certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).
Mel Charbonneau, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Marketing and Communications
mcharbonneau@madisoncollege.edu
Mel leads the college’s comprehensive marketing and communications efforts, overseeing the college's web and digital experience, branding and advertising, public relations and media, crisis communications, and external and internal messaging across all platforms.
Prior to joining Madison College, she spent over a decade as an entrepreneur, growing a successful e-commerce brand. Her expertise lies in crafting unified, authentic messaging and telling impactful stories that elevate brand awareness and engagement. Before this, Mel spent several years in higher education roles where she oversaw marketing, communications, alumni relations, fundraising, and event management.
Mel holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Northern Michigan University.
Cory Chrisinger, Chief Information Officer
Technology Services
cchrisinger@madisoncollege.edu
Cory Chrisinger is an experienced information technology professional with a demonstrated history of working in higher education technology services. Skilled in information security, risk management, systems engineering, network engineering, and IT leadership. Chrisinger has worked for over twenty years at a variety of institutions including University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin Colleges and Extension, and Madison College.
Cory holds a Bachelor of Science of Telecommunications Management from DeVry University, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Certification, and is a graduate of the WLDI Academy for Leadership and Development.
Cory currently serves on the WiscNet Board of directors as the Technical College representative. WiscNet is a non-profit internet service provider, providing internet and technology services to state and local government organizations, libraries, K-12 public and private schools, as well as public and private colleges in Wisconsin.
Beth Giles, Provost
bgilesklinkner@madisoncollege.edu
Beth Giles has spent her career in education at multiple levels and multiple systems. She began as a TA during her master’s degree program at Miami of Ohio and quickly realized teaching was where she wanted to spend her energy. She went on to teach middle school in both public and private schools but the most impactful experience to her was being a Milwaukee Public Schools teacher. This work drove Beth to pursue a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction. Upon her completion, she taught in the teacher education field, led teacher education efforts and ran the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Urban Education which provided UW System students with a pathway to become a well-prepared urban educator in the Milwaukee Public School District. She then led the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Office of Education Outreach and Partnerships for many years. The office provided meaningful professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers and other education professionals. After a year in policy work at the Department of Public Instruction, Beth returned to higher education becoming the Associate Dean for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at Madison College. Her love for Madison College and its mission is evident in the relationships she built with faculty, leadership and students.
Damira Grady, Vice President
College Culture and Climate
Dr. Grady has a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education from Cardinal Stritch University, a master of science in Educational Psychology, and a bachelor of science in Educational Studies with an emphasis on Youth Leadership and Adult Education. She is also a licensed professional counselor.
She served as the associate vice-chancellor of academic support for inclusive excellence and as the university diversity officer at UW–Oshkosh. Prior to that position she was at MATC – Milwaukee, working with adult education and student accommodations and served as a counselor. Prior to her tenure at MATC, she worked at Gateway Technical College as a career counselor.
She has also taught at both technical colleges and universities. Throughout her career she has been very involved in issues of equity and inclusion and has led education and training initiatives focusing on equity and inclusion.
Sylvia Ramirez, Executive Vice President
Finance and Administration, Chief Operating Officer
Sylvia has been dedicated to serving Madison College's students and the district since 2014. Prior to working at Madison College, she worked at the University of Wisconsin Colleges, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Florida.
Originally from Florida, Sylvia attended the University of Florida earning a B.A. in English, earned a master's degree at UW-Madison's La Follette School for Public Affairs, and a Ph.D. from UW-Madison's Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis program.
Mark Thomas, Executive Vice President
Chief Strategy Officer
Dr. Mark Thomas has served Madison College for the past decade, overseeing the college’s policy, strategy, finances, administration, and operations. He currently is the college’s Chief Strategy Officer. Prior roles at the college include Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, as well as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration.
Prior to working at the college, Dr. Thomas held executive leadership positions in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in Chicago and southwestern Michigan for 20 years, serving in roles such as Chief of Staff, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Budget Director. He has lectured on finance and administration at the University of Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Dr. Thomas holds a doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration from Edgewood University; graduate certificate in Education Management from Harvard University; Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago; and Bachelor of Business Administration from Western Michigan University.
Ali Zarrinnan, Vice President
Institutional Effectiveness
Ali oversees the research and data management functions of Madison College and serves as the Accreditation Liaison for Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Ali is the college’s Public Records officer, is responsible for the College’s planning process, and co-leads the Achieving the Dream initiatives.
Ali has held leadership positions in the healthcare, technology, and banking sectors. In his role prior to Madison College, he managed the Technical Project team at Bank of America in Charlotte, NC. where he was responsible for review and implementation of new workload changes in the data warehouse production environments.
He is a graduate of Schiller University in Heidelberg, Germany.