As co-chairs of the University of Rochester’s new Genesee Staff Council, Caterina (“Cathy”) Caiazza and Marc Seigfred share two main goals: better communication in the present, and a solid foundation for the future.
“We’ve never had a staff council at the University before, and we see it as a great opportunity to advocate on behalf of the staff,” Caiazza says.
The council is an elected body of 30, chosen to represent all non-medical center staff at the University. It was created this fall as a partnership between Human Resources and the Office of Equity and Inclusion. Its mission is to facilitate active and direct communication between University staff and senior administration, and to provide a form for input and discussion of issues important to the staff and University.
The council recently selected Caizza and Seigfred to run it. Caiazza is from Greece, a suburb of Rochester. She joined the University in 2011 and is director of career curriculum initiatives at the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections.
“My main interest in joining the council is to partner with University leadership to enhance the experience of our committed staff and ensure an equitable future where all staff are recognized and valued for their talent and contributions,” she says. “I hope to build a strong foundation for this, where this council and future councils have an open and transparent channel of communication and information is shared in both directions.”
Seigfred lives in Fairport, a suburb east of Rochester. He joined the University in 2007 and is communications analyst lead in University IT.
“My goal in representing University staff is building sustainable communication channels between staff and other audiences at the University,” he says. “We all want to make the University the best it can be. Communication helps us understand we want the same goal and can share in the benefits and challenges of realizing that goal.”
Eleanor Oi ’13S (MBA), the University’s director of diversity programming, says Caizza and Seigfred make “a perfect pair” as staff council co-chairs.
“Their skills and experiences complement each other well,” she says. “Marc is very familiar and has experience in building and improving organizations from the ground up, while Cathy is an expert in networking and helping navigate complex organizations.”
All council members will serve two years and can run for re-election. Caiazza and Seigfred are on one-year terms as co-chairs but can be re-elected.
“University leadership has decisions to make that some groups may not like,” Seigfred says. “It’s important that staff know we have a voice at the table. We hope to broaden the conversation to ensure the perspectives of a wider audience are represented.”
If you wish to contact any members of the Genesee Staff Council, email gsc@rochester.edu or https://www.rochester.edu/diversity/staff-council/
