Three accomplished Wisconsin leaders join the Wisconsin Academy staff to lead statewide programs across disciplines
MADISON, WISCONSIN – The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters announces three new staff members to lead statewide programs that leverage the sciences and arts to increase the understanding people have for one another and the world we all share. These leaders join the Wisconsin Academy to create impactful opportunities for civil discourse, building bridges across differences and establishing common ground.
“Wisconsin is a statewhere curiosity and independent thought is valued and can bring people together,” stated Erika Monroe-Kane, Wisconsin Academy Executive Director. “This team of dynamic leaders bring deep experience working across populations, in rural and urban parts of our state. They will connect and amplify bright thinkers and creative voices from across the state, to reflect the brilliance of the state even as we confront and address our challenges.”
Wisconsin Academy is known for unique statewide programs and initiatives, including the Climate Fast Forward Action Plan, an annual fiction and poetry contest, the Wisconsin Poet Laureate program and poetry events, the James Watrous Gallery with rotating exhibitions of Wisconsin artists, an award-winning magazine, and speaker events. A current series called Finding Home explores the meaning of home and identity across disciplines.
Director of Sciences and Climate
Dexter Patterson is an educator, multimedia professional, and faculty member in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He teaches courses to help future scientists and researchers share their work with the public in impactful and creative ways. Patterson was previously on the communications team at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association. He is also the co-founder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin and develops and leads statewide programming that connects communities through birds, nature, and outdoor education, working to make the outdoors more inclusive and accessible for all. Known online as The Wisco Birder, he co-hosts the Bird Joy Podcast and is the author of Birds of the Great Lakes (Timber Press/Hachette, 2025). Patterson is in charge of statewide science programming, the Climate and Energy initiative, and lead the Academy’s social media strategy as part of the communications team.
Director of Arts and Fellows
Tiffany Rodriguez-Lee is a poet, arts advocate, and community leader in Central Wisconsin. She was the city of Wausau’s Poet Laureate, where she worked with diverse groups to make poetry accessible and to build a sense of community connection. She has been the Executive Director of the Center for the Visual Arts for the past three years and is deeply engaged with the Central Wisconsin region. In her own poetry, she celebrates her Puerto Rican heritage and the role that writing and storytelling are part of preserving culture and history. Rodriguez-Lee is in charge of statewide arts programming, including Poetry and Pi(e) and other arts collaborations, lead the Academy Fellows program and events, and oversee the James Watrous Gallery staff.
Director of Letters and Communication
Jessica Becker is a communications professional, writer, and public program expert with decades of experience working in communities across Wisconsin. She was director of communications for Wisconsin Humanities and led the organizations’ digital communication programs, including producing Human Powered podcast. She is currently co-host of Human Powered and hosts conversations with cultural leaders working to strengthen civic space through public programming in communities around the state. She founded and managed Making It Home film festival, was the state liaison with the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibit Services (SITES) to tour exhibits around rural Wisconsin and was part of the founding team of the Wisconsin Book Festival. Becker is editor of Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine, in charge of the fiction and poetry contest, letters events and programs, as well as all Academy communications.
About the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters connects, inspires, and advances Wisconsin thought and culture by fostering learning, collaboration, and connection—bringing people together across differences through common ground. Through exhibitions, publications, and initiatives, the Wisconsin Academy sparks curiosity, creativity, and dialogue across the state. The James Watrous Gallery celebrates contemporary Wisconsin artists, while Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine explores the intersections of science, culture, and the humanities. The Climate and Energy Initiative advances pathways to a sustainable future, and public talks foster meaningful connections among engaged and inquisitive people. The Academy also honors excellence through the Fiction & Poetry Awards and Fellows Awards, supports the Wisconsin Poet Laureate, and nurtures ideas and conversations that shape a better future for Wisconsin.
