51ÁÔĆć

Written by Al Dickenson

“I saw it as an opportunity to continue the mission and stepped up,” said Autumn Dismukes. 30% of information technology workers are women. As a student in UW-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies, Autumn Dismukes saw the challenges of being a woman in STEM and decided to tackle them head-on. Using her learned skills from the corporate world, as well as her personal experiences, she took the helm of the SOIS group: FeminIST. Autumn plans to graduate with a degree in Information Science and Technology (IST) and has agreed to discuss her experiences with and plans for FeminIST. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Tell us about yourself. What led you to 51ÁÔĆć and this program?Ěý
I’m currently a junior at 51ÁÔĆć, majoring in Information Science and Technology with a minor in Computer Science. My academic journey started a bit differently; I originally pursued a degree in business. However, after some time, I realized that path didn’t quite align with who I am. I decided to take a break from school to gain real-world experience, which led me to a role at Rockwell Automation as a Field Sales Administrator, now known as a Sales Support Specialist. In that role, I gained experience in sales, operations, and navigating the corporate world.Ěý

After a year in that role, I was promoted to Project Manager and Administrator for the Sales Enablement team. This opportunity gave me greater exposure to technical roles and initiatives that supported our account managers. Through that experience, I started to develop a stronger interest in technology and began considering a return to school. Eventually, I took a leap of faith and re-enrolled at 51ÁÔĆć full-time in the summer of 2024. 

Last fall, I attended the kickoff meeting for FeminIST, a student organization designed to create a supportive space for women in our major. I was inspired by the club’s mission, and when I later noticed there hadn’t been any new events, I reached out to Julie Walker, the School of Information Studies Outreach Specialist, to ask if the club was still active. When I learned the previous leader had graduated, I saw it as an opportunity to continue the mission and stepped up. 

What is the FeminIST group? What are some of the goals of the group?Ěý
FeminIST is a student organization dedicated to empowering women and our allies in STEM with the confidence, resources, and support needed to succeed both academically and professionally. Pronounced “femme in I-S-T”, our club’s name highlights our focus on women in the Information Science and Technology major, where women make up a small portion of the student population. This makes creating a strong, supportive community even more important.ĚýĚý

Our club aims to create a safe and inclusive space where students can connect, bond, and build meaningful relationships. We hope to help members develop both technical and interpersonal skills through workshops, discussions, and hands-on activities. Additionally, we aim to introduce students to various technical fields through networking opportunities to gain more insight, explore diverse career paths, and aid in their career development. As a newly revived organization, our goal is to provide opportunities that help students thrive in STEM and beyond. 

Can you tell us what activities you are planning for the group? In what ways do you plan on expanding the reach and scope of FeminIST?Ěý
We’ve already had a successful Spring Kickoff event on February 13th where we introduced the club, our leadership team, and welcomed guest speakers from Sentry Insurance. The speakers included a Talent Acquisition Specialist and a Software Developer who completed a co-op program with Sentry while studying IST, both of whom shared valuable insights with our potential members.ĚýĚý

Our leadership team includes Alanda Jackson, who is studying IST and English, and Dalina Jonuzi, who is pursuing IST with a cybersecurity focus. Moving forward, we’re planning a variety of activities to keep our members engaged and supported. We aim to host technical workshops, career development sessions, and networking events that connect students with professionals in the tech industry. Additionally, we hope to create social events that allow members to bond in a more relaxed setting, helping build stronger connections within our community. To expand FeminIST’s reach, we plan to collaborate with other student organizations, connect with industry partners, and increase our presence on campus through events and outreach. Our goal is to create a welcoming space that not only supports women in IST but also encourages allies to join us in fostering an inclusive and empowering environment. 

Why do you think it is so important to continue FeminIST activities now? What led you to make the jump to restart this group?
I decided to restart FeminIST because I know what it feels like to be in a space where you don’t see yourself represented. With so few women in the IST major, I often found myself feeling disconnected and unsure of how to connect with others who shared my experiences. I realized that if I was searching for a sense of community, there were likely others who felt the same way. By reviving FeminIST, I wanted to create a space where women and our allies could come together, support one another, and feel empowered in a field where representation can sometimes feel lacking.Ěý

I’m really excited about the future of FeminIST and the impact it can have on students in the IST major and beyond. My hope is that this group becomes a space where women and allies in STEM feel supported, encouraged, and connected. Whether someone is looking to build technical skills, grow their network, or simply find a community of like-minded individuals, I want FeminIST to be a place where they feel welcome. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, and I can’t wait to see how the club continues to grow and make a difference.

As our reliance on technology deepens, cybersecurity is no longer a niche concern — it’s a global priority. Through the lens of healthcare, it takes on a life-saving dimension. Zach Zenner, a Fall 2017 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies BSIST program, prioritizes patient safety.

Zach is currently a Security Architect at Aledade, a physician-enablement company thatĚýsupports primary care organizations so they can succeed in value-based care. Aledade supports more than 2,400 primary care organizations and serves nearly 3 million patients. As a security architect, Zach’s goal is to make sure all security controls are in place, close any potential gaps, and continuously improve the systems that secure and protect the personal information of patients across the country. Ěý

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What are some of the most challenging aspects of your role?
As a security professional, you want everything to be, well, secure. The downside to that is, the way to make something secure is not allowing anyone to touch it. You lock it down, nobody can get in, nobody can get out, you just have this locked up box. That doesn’t work in a model where you have customers. People have to use those systems every day. That’s kind of where engineer velocity comes in. People have to build quickly, and they need to be able to do so and safely. That’s a challenging balance, where you have to talk yourself down from saying “We absolutely have to do it this way,” and be more open to saying “Hey, we know you have to build this fast, let’s nudge it in this direction so we can do it safely.”

What are some essential tools or skills that you use regularly?
There are plenty of things we rely on in a general cybersecurity sense: intrusion detection systems, central ingestion systems for logs, EDR systems. For what I do specifically, it’s a lot of research. I research the various bits of how security might be done at other providers like Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud Platform, so we can apply that information to something that we’re building.

What do you find most rewarding about your role?
Seeing the impact. It’s amazing to know that you are actively protecting people’s information. My goal is really pointing out where we can continuously improve our security and better our systems to ultimately protect the customer. It’s deeply rewarding even outside of that perspective. Figuring out a problem is just the coolest thing, especially in cybersecurity where it’s always difficult webs to unweave, it’s like a massive puzzle that you are always building off of. It’s just so much fun to figure it out.

Was there something that sparked your interest in cybersecurity?
Doing IT technician work with UW-Milwaukee’s Tech Repair department was what sparked my interest. We didn’t just take apart computers; we chose the tools used to remediate issues like malware and viruses. This took research, and sometimes those tools didn’t take care of the issue, so we had to actually go in and figure out where the virus could be and manually get rid of it ourselves. This can be scary, you know, for a student who got struck with ransomware and is afraid of losing their research paper. So, it allowed a bunch of creative and critical thinking. But that was definitely my beginning stage into cybersecurity and then really finding my foothold in where I wanted to go with my career.

What brought you to the School of Information Studies?
I think this goes for a lot of students, but I started as a film major, which is not technology-related. I was very interested in computer graphics, so I was working heavily with computers. That’s when I started to explore the Information Science and Technology degree. I found it to be a lot more fitting for me. I learned so many skills from different areas like database administration, networking and cybersecurity. Those cybersecurity classes along with my job on campus really got me interested in the realm I wanted to focus on. Initially, everyone wants to be a hacker, but protecting is just as important.

In what ways has your experience at the School of Information Studies had an impact on your career and who you are today?
In the School of Information Studies, the instructors themselves are extremely passionate about what they are teaching. I felt like I could always have open conversations with them, as well as other students, about challenging situations. For example, if a student had a differing opinion on how to secure a system, that instructor would engage in a two-way conversation to dig deeper and flesh out those thoughts, like, maybe there are alternate ways to do this, let’s talk about it. To add to that, UW-Milwaukee really seems to value its students and what they contribute back to the community. There was a focus on both ethics and student leadership that set me up for success and solidified what I truly wanted to get out of my work.

How do you see cybersecurity roles evolving and changing over the next decade?
I anticipate we will start to see more types of positions that are larger in scope. For example, as a security architect, I think there will be larger-scope architects that then work with a bunch of other more domain-specific architects like identity and access management and product security so that you can drive a cohesive architectural vision. I also anticipate that keeping technical will continue to be a trend. There’s no role that doesn’t benefit from having a very technical mindset, but you must be able to know your audience and communicate that technical aspect properly.

Do you have any advice for current students pursuing a career in cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is certainly in demand but it can be a challenge to get into. If you want to get into cybersecurity, you have to do your best to set yourself up for success. Focus on things like going to hacking conventions, where you can network with others within the community. Open yourself up to risk, like, I’m going to jump into this and figure it out. Putting yourself out there can lead to so many opportunities. But you have to be passionate about it. There’s a learning curve, but that’s the magic of it. There’s always so much to learn, but that’s where a lot of the fun is. A problem might be tedious, but at the end of the day, you gain so much insight that you can then bring to another problem, which creates this cascading level of knowledge that you can not only better yourself with but also share with others. Make mistakes, learn from them, and challenge yourself.

By Al Dickenson

Even at one of the most storied international institutions in the world, data management serves as a vital function of optimal efficiency. Nick Roche, a May 2012 graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies, has served the NATO archives department for more than a decade. After graduating with an Archival Studies concentration, he continued to work in a variety of locations both domestically and abroad.

At present, Nick is in charge of overseeing the retention, disposition, acquisitions, preservation, declassification and access to records of permanent value generated by NATO, including paper, A/V, digitized and born-digital records. To talk about his exciting career in the archives field, we asked Nick a few questions about his work, his advice for aspiring archivists, and more.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Professional highlights

What do you enjoy most about your career?
There is a satisfaction in working with archives, knowing that what you do, and how you do it, has an impact long term. In archives, the goal is to collect and preserve knowledge and information over time. Knowing that my work might be useful to someone 20, 50 or 100 years from now is very motivating. One thing I have really enjoyed throughout my career is working internationally, meeting archivists and records managers from dozens of countries and learning from them as well.

What is the most surprising or interesting aspect of your current position?
I have been most surprised by the amount of negotiating and influence required to make things happen, even when it comes to archiving and preservation. As a student, I took for granted that everyone knew of, understood and was completely aligned with the concepts of records management and archiving. Although I learned much during my time in school, nothing had prepared me to sit across from diplomats, policymakers and military officers, and having to persuade or convince. I often tell my colleagues that advocacy is one of the most important and underrated skills.

More generally, what’s also interesting about working in the NATO Archives is the variety of tasks you get to learn and perform. Working in a small service means I have been able to use a large variety of skills – be they conservation, processing, digitization or working with unusual formats and materials. I can use all the different skills I learned during my MLIS and internships and develop them further.

What have been the most exciting and rewarding moments of your career so far?
One of our key work strands is the declassification and public disclosure of NATO records. The process is long, tedious, involved and requires numerous checks, reviews and can sometimes take months or years. But the finished product, thousands of declassified documents now available to researchers and the public, is very rewarding.

What has been the greatest challenge you have faced during your career?
The biggest challenge I encounter is the lack of awareness and understanding related to archives and their value. As an archivist, you need to be a constant, positive and sometimes loud advocate for the necessity of good records and archives management.

Your experience at the School of Information Studies (SOIS)

How did you become interested in information science & technology and/or library science?
History was always a passion, but only once I began working in the library science and archives field did I realize what I truly loved was organizing history and knowledge. My student jobs, internships and SOIS fieldwork allowed me to work in several areas (libraries, museums, archives), and I quickly focused on the records management and archives sectors.

In what ways has your experience at the School of Information Studies had an impact on your career and who you are today?
The classes I followed during my MLIS at SOIS have given me the foundational knowledge for understanding how information can and should be structured. This foundational knowledge has been a major asset in every position I have applied to, interviewed for and subsequently held. You must know what to do, of course, but why you are doing it can be equally important. Expect, on occasion, to have to defend the value of information management, the value of archives and the value of your work. The knowledge gained during my time at SOIS has given me the answers, and the confidence to express those answers.

Describe any significant experiences or relationships with fellow students, faculty, staff that helped influence your career path or shape your experience at SOIS?
Dennis Larsen’s Record Management class, and his help getting me into the ARMA Milwaukee annual conference was a very positive experience and influenced me to pursue a job in records management. I believe it led to my first post-graduation job working for a private company. Additionally, the Archives concentration, and Amy Cooper Cary who managed it at the time, was very well structured, encouraging and helpful in moving me towards a professional career.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates interested in a job such as yours? Any pitfalls to avoid, things you wish you would have done differently, or tips for success?
In order to work as an archivist in an international organization, you will need to show a passion for the field, but also similar experience, or at least international experience. Internships, even during your studies, are the best way to get that experience. NATO, for example, offers a great internship program, both for librarians and for archivists.

Beyond this, seek experiences and networking opportunities every chance you get. Every place you work at, volunteer at, or even visit, is another opportunity to better understand the field of libraries and archives.

A bit more about you

What are your proudest personal achievements?
A few years ago, I started a volleyball club because I was looking for people to play with and it was always a challenge to find matches. Now the club has 75 people, multiple league teams, and continues to be very rewarding.