Alesia Woszidlo
Academic Director
Alesia Woszidlo (Ph.D., University of Arizona) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. She is an interpersonal communication scholar whose specialty is family communication and mental health. Her research examines the family of origin and how it affects the communication patterns used in romantic and family relationships. Additionally, she actively researches the association between mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, stress, and negative affectivity), communication processes (e.g., conflict management, coping strategies, social skills deficits) and relationship quality (e.g., satisfaction, commitment, divorce proneness).
Mary Banwart
Program Director
Dr. Banwart is an Associate Professor in the Communication Studies Department and directs the interdisciplinary Leadership Studies Minor at KU. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership and communication as well as political communication. Her primary research focuses on political campaign communication and the influence of gender in political campaigns, with specific attention directed toward political advertising, campaign web sites, and mixed-gender debates.
Jaden Wilcoxson
Program Specialist
Jaden Wilcoxson is the program specialist for the Kansas Women’s Leadership Institute and Women’s Global Leadership Consortium. She is currently an MA student in Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Kansas. She plans to graduate spring 2023. She joined the KWLI in 2019 as an undergraduate program ambassador and is now excited to be a part of the administrative team.
Jenny Memmott
Program Coordinator
Jenny Memmott is the program coordinator for the Institute for Leadership Studies, the Kansas Women’s Leadership Institute and the Women’s Global Leadership Consortium. Jenny is proud to be a lifelong Jayhawk, having received her MME with an emphasis in music therapy in 2009, as well as a BA in English in 2002. She also has extensive experience working at the University of Kansas and at the University of Kansas Medical Center in various capacities, mainly focusing on faculty and professional development, qualitative research, and program development and management. Jenny is especially excited to be working again with KWLI, as she worked with the program between 2013-2015. Jenny is a native Kansan and grew up in Lecompton. She currently lives in Leawood with her husband and 6-year old twins.