EOC Staff

EOC Director
Position Vacant - Search in Progress

Sallie Kernan, Program Counselor has worked for the EOC office at the UW-Eau Claire office since 1999. She provides outreach services to participants in Eau Claire, Chippewa, Clark, Jackson and Trempealeau counties. Prior to coming to UW-Eau Claire she worked as a vocational evaluation specialist in Minneapolis. Sallie has a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling.
kernansd@uwec.edu

Jim Dzimiela (ja mél a), Program Counselor in Rice Lake, grew up in Weyerhaeuser, so he is very familiar with the counties he serves (Barron, Dunn, Rusk, Sawyer, and Washburn) He is also a graduate of UW-Barron County for his associate's degree and UWEC for his teaching degree. Jim is an EOC success story as he returned to graduate school at the age of 42 to get his master's in Guidance and Counseling at UW - Stout. He was an EOC client and understands the needs of adult students.
james.dzimiela@uwc.edu

Rhonda Stokes, University Services Program Associate in the Eau Claire office, comes to us after seven years in the Continuing Education office and eleven years in the School of Nursing on the UWEC campus. stokesrk@uwec.edu

Nathan Koch, AmeriCorps in the Eau Claire office graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in 2009 with a BA in Religious Studies and a minor in South and South East Asian Studies.
He has spent time studying at universities and independently across the globe, including Thailand, India, Egypt and the Middle East, and Iowa.
He will be spending a year working with the EOC and other organizations in the area raising awareness and providing support for a diverse amount of situations. He aspires to continue his education with a master's degree in Community Counseling.
kochnj@uwec.edu

Abdifatah Kofiro, AmeriCorps in Rice Lake is originally from Somalia but has been in several countries including the USA, Ethiopia, Kenya and of course Somalia.
He came to the United States in November 20, 2003. He graduated from Barron High School in 2007 and moved to Minneapolis, MN afterwards to pursue a higher education. He went to Normandale Community College for one year and mostly took Required ESL classes. In 2008 he moved back to Wisconsin and started attending UW Barron County. He is seeking a degree in Public Health administration.
He will be working with the EOC and other relevant organizations in the area providing support on many different issues.

Who says a college kid has to be a kid?

You are becoming a role model for your family, friends, or fellow employees. What you're experiencing and learning, both in content and survivorship skills, is worthy of respect...and you'll get it. The tone you set by prioritizing your time and study responsibilities will become a model for others to follow.

College is the time to struggle to learn a formula or a concept…it’s supposed to be hard. That’s how you learn to think, to problem-solve. Your boss probably won’t be as lenient or as helpful as your professors.

If I end up never being a biologist, I still wouldn’t trade my life in college. I learned so much about who I am…what makes me succeed and what makes me fail. It was an exploration of me…

The best gift you can give yourself or your family is an education. When you receive your diploma, most everyone will agree the sacrifices made by you and your family were worth the effort.

You can’t turn back the clock, but you can make up for lost time.

You are seeking a degree because you have decided that this is what you need to do to have the best life possible for you and your family. You are eager to learn, and that means you will be willing to do the work, as for assistance, and stretch your limits.

As you go further in your academic career, your life experiences will serve you well.