The Department of Psychology is delighted to welcome three new members to its Board of Visitors and congratulate current Board of Visitors member Caitlin Ziegler on her election to Chair of the Board.
Bill Hopkins ’83 is Professor of Comparative Medicine at the Michale E Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Prior to joining MD Anderson, Hopkins was Professor of Neuroscience at Georgia State University and Associate Research Scientist at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University. He was a Blaise-Pascal laureate at Paris-Saclay Universite (2019 to 2022) and a former fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Universite Aix-Marseille (2015).
Hopkins’ dedication to the success of the next generation of scientists is reflected in his successful mentorship of dozens of undergraduate, graduate students and junior scholars. A natural leader and innovator, Hopkins has played critical roles in the success of multiple primate research centers. Hopkins served as director of the MD Anderson Keeling Center, was a co-founder of the Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative in Iowa, and he is the co-director of the NIH-funded National Chimpanzee Brain Resource.
Gabriele Lubach is an Emerita Scientist III. She retired from research in 2020, after working for many years with Dr. Christopher Coe at the Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, UW-Madison.
Lubach’s major academic background is Anthropology, but with Psychology minors. She obtained both her BA (1976) and MA (1982) in Anthropology from Iowa State University, graduating with Distinction. She obtained her PhD in Biological Anthropology in 1990 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Her dissertation research was facilitated by a two-year NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant. Lubach continued her research at the Harlow Center for Biological Psychology until her retirement. She also lectured in the Department of Anthropology between 1990-2000. Gabriele particularly enjoyed mentoring students, many of whom were in Biology 152 or working on a Senior Thesis.
Fisnik Lumani ’17 earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin, complemented by certificates in French, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship. Lumani holds a pivotal role encompassing two critical functions at UWCU – spearheading talent acquisition and leading learning & development initiatives. While his central role revolves around leadership, he actively champions diverse recruitments, learning programs, and change management projects within the organization. His UWCU journey involved a year-long emerging leader program in 2019, and he co-founded HYPE (Helping Young Professionals Engage), an employee resource group fostering development and social connection of young professionals.
Beyond the professional sphere, Lumani became a certified practitioner by the Society of Human Resources (SHRM) and achieved a master’s in organizational leadership and change from Edgewood College in December 2020. He also contributed as a committee member for NOURISH, a young professional network aligned with Second Harvest Foodbank of Southeastern WI’s mission. Lumani‘s active participation spans various career fairs, guest speaking engagements, and advocating for a formal partnership between UWCU and UW’s SuccessWorks program.
Caitlin Ziegler ’17 first joined the Board of Visitors as an undergraduate representative and has been an active participant since, stepping into the role as Chair of the Board in 2024. Ziegler graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her favorite classes as an undergraduate were Child Psychopathology and Cognitive Development. By taking these classes for honors credit, she was able to form closer relationships with her professors and feel more connected with the department.
Two of the most important skills she learned as a psychology student are critical thinking and scientific writing, skills emphasized in Psych 225 and Psych 386. She had the opportunity to further improve both her critical thinking and writing skills through independent research in Dr. Hyde’s Adolescent Development Lab. This skill set allowed her to move through graduate school and into her career with ease.
After graduating from UW-Madison, Ziegler completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Northwestern University. She now works as a mental health therapist in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where she is director of eating disorder services. She is honored to be able to reconnect with the department each year and learn about the fantastic work of students and faculty as a member of the Board of Visitors.