Green Bay, Wis.— Jess Lambrecht has been named the new executive officer for UW-Green Bay’s Continuing Education and Community Engagement (CECE) division. Lambrecht will start with CECE Dec. 6, 2021 in a part-time capacity, with a full-time start date of Jan 3, 2021.
She will replace Joy Ruzek, an entrepreneurial leader and champion of higher education, who announced her retirement recently, after serving the division since 2009 and leading CECE since 2015.
Lambrecht takes over an especially successful and growing division. Last year, CECE saw an 18% increase in the College Credit in High School program. In addition, there was a 102% increase in the past year in all other dual enrollment programs (from 336 to 679 enrollees). This dual enrollment growth was primarily driven by the innovative Rising Phoenix program, in which high school students work on an associate’s degree while they attend high school.
UW-Green Bay Provost Kate Burns said Lambrecht is a proven innovator and collaborator who will bring her entrepreneurial spirit and vision to CECE.
“She has cultivated numerous corporate and business partnerships and implemented innovative co-op learning methods,” Burns said. “We are excited about Jess’s ability to build relationships across our local region, given her previous work in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties.”
Lambrecht has been serving the students of Wisconsin as assistant vice president for Cooperative Education & Career Readiness at Lakeland University since 2019. She has 16 years of full-time higher education experience and continuous professional growth. While at Lakeland University she assisted in the design and implementation of a credit-bearing work-based program that more than 90% of traditional enrollments engage in. Additionally, she:
- Established employer partnerships with more than 280 organizations, primarily rooted in Sheboygan and Manitowoc Counties;
- Strengthened communication to professionals through marketing campaigns, direct outreach, and webinars;
- Helped lead the effort to offer a universal curriculum of academic and career planning support in several Sheboygan County high schools;
- Supports several area workforce initiatives and grant submissions for the Lakeshore region.
Lambrecht has a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Kansas and a bachelor’s in marketing communications from UW-River Falls. Lambrecht has enjoyed perspectives from many areas of higher education, including residence life, admissions and career services.
She served as president of the Wisconsin Private College Career Consortium and provided leadership to obtain grant funds for the development of internships in the Sheboygan community. She is passionate about helping better prepare students for their future careers and providing opportunities for all individuals to learn and grow.
Originally from Woodbury, Minn. she is a resident of Kewaunee, Wis.
About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Established in 1965, UW-Green Bay is a public institution serving 8,970 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students and 95,000 continuing education learners each year. We educate students from pre-college through retirement and offer 200+ degrees, programs and certificates. UW-Green Bay graduates are resilient, inclusive, sustaining and engaged members of their communities, ready to rise to fearlessly face challenges, solve problems and embrace diverse ideas and people. With four campus locations, the University welcomes students from every corner of the world. In 2020, UW-Green Bay was the fastest-growing UW school in Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu
