University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Katelyn Baumann, outreach program manager for the Link Center and co-chair of Academic Staff Senate, has received a 2024 Governor’s Service Award as Volunteer of the Year (Arts/Culture).

Governor’s Service Awards honor outstanding national service members, volunteers and programs that have helped to address serious social needs in their communities. Those honored by these awards will have made significant contributions to Wisconsin through their service efforts, with their generous service impacting the lives of countless Wisconsinites.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be selected as this year’s Wisconsin Volunteer of the Year Arts/Culture by Governor Evers and serve Wisconsin through my service with Superior Public Museums, the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, and the Children’s Memorial Garden,” said Baumann. “I grew up with strong values in community engagement and public service and started engaging with and serving in the community at a young age in my parent’s special education classrooms. This passion continued throughout my undergraduate years at UW-Superior whereupon I worked for two years as an AmeriCorps*VISTA. I am proud to now be starting my 13^th year working professional at UW-Superior.”

Baumann’s commitment and tireless dedication to community engagement and public service began at a young age while helping within her parents’ special education classrooms. This encouraged her to go on to receive a receive her B.A. in international peace studies and mass communication from UW-Superior where upon she graduated summa cum laude in May 2012. During undergrad, she experienced the direct correlation between the foundations of active citizenship and her liberal arts education. Baumann discovered a passion for developing strategies to address and meet community needs through mutually beneficial partnerships.

“Our institution’s commitment to community can be seen through our mission; strategic partnerships work; Community Service Volunteer Policy for staff and faculty; and outreach offices like the Link Center, Center for Continuing Education and Lake Superior Research Institute, to name a few,” said Baumann. “Through my work, I am pleased to support our students in engaging with community small businesses, nonprofits, schools and more, through service-learning projects. These experiential learning opportunities help shape and guide a students’ experiences at UW-Superior and prepare them for their future careers.”

She started her professional career serving for two years as an AmeriCorps*VISTA through Wisconsin Campus Compact. Now as an outreach program manager in the Link Center, Baumann provides leadership, support and resources to faculty and instructors on strategically and sustainably integrating Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) into their courses.

Baumann develops collaborations with nonprofits, schools, service clubs, businesses and other groups to formulate solutions to address serious social needs in the community through AS-L partnerships. She also leads the ‘Jackets Vote program, which is UW-Superior’s nonpartisan voter and civic engagement program.

Within her role at UW-Superior, Baumann serves on the Board of Trustees with the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation and is engaged in the foundation’s changemaking. As a trustee, she co-chairs the Belonging Committee, is a member of two scholarship committees, a member of the Transformation Grants Committee, and previously Chaired the Young Leaders Fund.  

Outside of her work at UW-Superior, Baumann has been active in many nonprofits, boards and service organizations. She has been deeply involved in the creation and development of the Children’s Memorial Garden in Superior. The garden’s mission to create a garden of hope, healing, and peace for families and friends that have experienced the tragic loss of a child. It is the hope that all will feel welcome to visit this garden and remember their child’s life. The garden will be dedicated to all who grieve the loss of a child, regardless of age or reason for passing. This project began in 2014 through Leadership Superior, Douglas County. Over eight years, Baumann spearheaded these efforts, and the garden was officially dedicated in Summer 2022. Her work, with support from her small group during the early years, included securing a location with City Council approval, community outreach, a formal partnership with Superior’s Parks & Rec Department, fundraising and development, garden, installation, memorial bricks design and more.

Baumann annually hosts a dedication ceremony for the memorial bricks installed over the year. This includes the annual ‘reading of the bricks’ to bring voice to each memorial brick and create a place where all can share and support each other.

Since 2015, Baumann has served on the Board of Directors for Superior Public Museums (SPM), which includes Fairlawn Mansion & Museum, the S.S. Meteor Whaleback and the Old Firehouse & Police Museum. Baumann is president of the board of directors and is passionate about local history, tourism, and bringing community together at annual events like the Ice Cream Social, Children’s Home Easter, McDougall’s Dream, Holiday decorating, Old Fashioned Christmas, Quiet Santa and others.