Deb Gugel is a business strategist with over 35+ years of experience helping institutions attract talent, engage customers and build sales. As an academic physician recruiter at the University of Wisconsin school of Medicine and Public Health for 14 years, she organized recruitment processes and employed DEI-based strategies in the departments of Surgery and Medicine.  Deb is a presenter for UW's "Searching for Excellence & Diversity - A Guide for Search Committees" and serves on various subcommittees throughout the institution further our efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion.  

KJ Ellis began his career in physician recruitment career in 2010 in the retained search firm setting. His recruitment relationships spanned all regions of the country but always focused on communities in the Upper Midwest. His background as a recruiter and consultant for practices that ranged from independent private practice to multi-state healthcare systems has made the transition into the academic sector a comfortable one. KJ currently serves as the Faculty Recruiter with UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health’s Department of Surgery. While much of his focus within the Department is in managing the Search Committee process, he is passionate about ensuring the personal experience of each candidate is a positive one. KJ grew up in Dallas-Ft. Worth and attended Southern Methodist University. He relocated to Madison, WI with his young family in 2022. His time outside of work is spent taking road-trips with his family, DIY projects around the house, cooking and listening to podcasts.

Leigh Fredericks is a Faculty Recruiter for UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, providing recruitment support to the Department of Pediatrics, which consists of 17 sub-divisions. She enjoys all things recruitment; whether it's sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, working with providers on forecasting future Faculty hires, creating metrics to ensure equity across all applicants, or sealing the deal with finalists, she truly values being a part of each step of the recruitment process. Leigh is a Wisconsin native and enjoys raising her kiddos in the place she grew up, rooting on the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers, and loving lake life when visiting family up north. On Wisconsin!

Sheena Frydrych has experience in physician recruitment in both the academic and private sector. She currently serves as the Faculty Recruiter Lead with UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, providing recruitment support to the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She also provides support to her fellow faculty recruiter colleagues with onboarding and training support. In addition to her experience in physician and faculty recruitment, Sheena has worked in higher education, focusing on career services and admissions, and also spent one year teaching ESL in South Korea. Sheena is a Wisconsin native and grew up “up north,” and she completed her Bachelor’s degree at St. Norbert College. In her free time, Sheena enjoys the outdoors, biking, travel, concerts, and new experiences.