UROC Staff
Jen Afamefune
Communications Specialist
612-625-8775 | [email protected]
Jen Afamefune is the Communications Specialist at UROC. She manages the e-newsletter, social media handles, internal and external communication, and flyer creation for UROC events. Jen has a bachelor's degree in Marketing Communications and African/ African American Studies from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
Jasir Johnson
Principal Office and Administrative Specialist
612-626-8762 | [email protected]
Jasir Johnson is a principal office and administrative specialist at UROC. He provides clerical support to the UROC leadership team, works closely with UROC's office manager, and helps staff UROC's front desk.
Claudette Lyng
Administrative Specialist
612-626-8953 | [email protected]
Claudette Lyng serves as the Administrative Liaison for UROC’s Leadership Team, expertly managing executive queries and operational requests. Backed by a B.S. in Healthcare Management and a robust background in the corporate and medical sectors, Claudette leverages her diverse expertise to drive center-wide efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction.
Kara Schmidt
Director of Administrative Operations
612-624-4514 | [email protected]
Kara Schmidt serves as the director of administrative operations at UROC, overseeing the day-to-day and long-range management of the UROC building, providing support and operational oversight for staff and students, and centering UROC's mission in the relationship with vendors, partners, affiliates, and the public. She holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a certificate in Ethical Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Lea Scott
Office Coordinator
612-626-8762 | [email protected]
As UROC's office coordinator, Lea Scott provides oversight to UROC's front desk management and building scheduling operations. In addition to working closely with UROC's administrative services manager and leadership team, she plays a key role in UROC’s events and initiatives. Lea holds an interdisciplinary degree in Eco-Womanist Studies from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Adriano Udani
Director of Community-Engaged Research
612-624-0435 | [email protected]
Adriano Udani leads UROC’s mission-driven work related to facilitating ethically responsible and reciprocal research partnerships between the University and urban communities to advance health and wellness, education and lifelong learning, and community and economic development. His scholarship involves participatory methods that situate people in positions of strength as idea generators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers of social problems that are experienced firsthand. Adriano’s research agenda engages immigrants through an idea called political accompaniment, which involves academic researchers, advocates, and social service providers working together to center the grounded knowledge of immigrants in efforts to pursue system-level changes. He received his doctorate in political science at the University of Minnesota and master's degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He currently serves as a co-director of the American Political Science Association’s Institute for Civically Engaged Research.
Makeda Zulu
Senior Director for Community Partnerships
612-626-9829 | [email protected]
Makeda Zulu is a connector and strategic partner working to address complex issues while transforming the way communities within and outside the University work together. She has contributed to the handbook Preparing to Engage in Equitable Community Partnerships, and has been able to illuminate the work of UROC, its partners, and leaders who each center community to guide the work. She lives her vision that self-determination linked with unified collective work and responsibility makes sustainable change. She holds a bachelor's degree in business management from Grambling State University and a master's degree from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Willow Rosin
Principal Office and Administrative Specialist
612-626-8762 | [email protected]
Willow Rosin is a Principal Office and Administrative Specialist at UROC. They provide clerical support to the UROC leadership team, work closely with UROC's Office Manager, and help staff UROC's front desk. They hold a certificate in human services from Project for Pride in Living and Normandale College.
Ryan Loesch
Principal Office and Administrative Specialist
612-393-8295 | [email protected]
Ryan Loesch is a Principal Office and Administrative Specialist at UROC. He provides clerical support to the UROC leadership team, works closely with UROC's Office Manager, and helps staff UROC's front desk. Ryan holds a degree in marketing and international business, and is currently in graduate school for urban planning.