Office of the Chancellor Diversity Team

We would now like to introduce to you Office of the Chancellor Diversity Team members:

Dick McMullen

My grandpa said we were "Scottish, definitely Scottish", but we've got Welsh, and German, and English, and maybe some Irish heritage too. Somehow that combination greased the skids for an I.T. career, because I am currently a supervisor in ITS. My team is in Minneapolis on the MCTC⁄Metro State campus, and we support the Human Resources systems used by the OOC and all of our campuses. If you've entered your timesheet online or submitted a Tuition Waiver claim, you've used our software. If you're in HR, you've probably used SCUPPS, which my team also supports. Don't ask me how many grandkids I have, 'cuz I've lost count.

Melinda Voss

Melinda Voss joined the Public Affairs division in 2005. Previously, she was executive director of the Association of Health Care Journalists, a group she helped found in 1997. The association was based in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. She moved to Minnesota to marry one of her best friends after 26 years as a reporter at The Des Moines Register. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Drake University in Des Moines and a master's degree in public health from the University of Minnesota. Growing up during the 1950s, she has vivid memories of the courageous civil rights workers and is grateful for the stand they took to eliminate discrimination in America.

Ka Vang

I am Hmong-American, not actually first?generation, so I consider myself .5 generation because I was born in Lao and came to the United States at age 6. I am the proud daughter of a shaman and former Secret War officer. I am on the Office of the Chancellor Diversity Team because I believe in creating a welcoming environment for all Office of the Chancellor staff. I love growing up in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood where was diverse people. My favorite Hmong dish is spicy Laab. I would be willing to share the recipe.

Jason Cavallo

I'm a married father of two. I am of Italian and German descent; my mother is a naturalized citizen from Germany. As a child my father was enlisted in the United State Air Force which gave us the opportunity to live in many places within the United Sates including such places as New York and Alaska. I graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma and I joined the Office of the Chancellor Diversity Team to gain a better understanding of the experiences our students have living and learning in the metro and greater Minnesota.

Cathy Rajtar

Cathy is 100% Polish. Her parents came to the United States after World War II, met, married and had seven kids, all who graduated from college. She grew up on the East Side of St. Paul and attended St. Casimir's Catholic Church, and St. Casmir's Grade School though 8th grade. Many of the teachers in grade school were Felician nuns who spoke Polish. The pastors of the church were Polish too, up until the late 1960's. The parish was founded by Polish immigrants in 1892, and the name of the parish comes from a Polish prince who helped poor people. Cathy speaks Polish fluently and performed songs and dances from Poland for 12 years with the Dolina Polish Folkdancers. Currently Cathy is the lead singer in a local musical group called "Mosaica" performing songs in Polish and English.