Our Team
2026-2027 Executive Board Members
Bridgitte Côté
President
Bridgitte is a 5th year PhD student in Marquette’s Neuroscience program. She researches how the dopamine system guides behavior, specifically in response to negative experiences. Her thesis focuses on how dopamine-sensitive cells can make us more or less sensitive to these experiences. Outside of the lab, she is passionate about scientific outreach and enjoys crocheting next to her cats Fig and Olive!
Sara Swaneck
Vice President
Sara is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Marquette University. Her primary professional interests are in forensic psychology and psychological assessment, and she currently conducts forensic psychological evaluations with Mattek Consulting, LLC. Her research focuses on health psychology, specifically examining the role of interoception, or awareness of internal bodily signals, in emotion regulation and interpersonal functioning. Through both her clinical and research work, she is passionate about understanding the connection between physical and psychological health and translating scientific findings into meaningful clinical practice.
Outside of her academic and clinical work, Sara teaches strength and conditioning classes and enjoys spending time with her partner and their dog, trying new recipes, working out, and spending time with friends. She is excited to continue supporting GWIS Milwaukee's mission of fostering connection, mentorship, and opportunities for women in STEM.
Caylin Marie Faria
Secretary
Caylin is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. With a training focus in neuropsychology, her research currently investigates the interplay between the endocannabinoid system, lifestyle behaviors, and cognitive functioning in adolescents. She works on the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study and conducts her research through Dr. Krista Lisdahl’s Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Lab. Outside of academic work, she enjoys gardening, volunteering, walking her cat (Kiyo) and dog (Paisley), and spending time with friends.
Samantha Juedemann
Communications Officer
Samantha is a PhD candidate in Marquette’s Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Water Resources Department. Her research focuses on the inactivation of viruses in water treatment using advanced disinfection treatments like UV light. She is excited to help grow the GWIS chapter here in Milwaukee. In her spare time, she likes to read, go for bike rides, and hang out with her cat, Ziggy.
Maliha Mahajebin
Communications Officer
Maliha is a 3rd year PhD student in Marquette’s Computer Science Department. Her research focuses on Human Computer Interaction, specifically how technology can be used as an advantage in support of veteran’s mental health. She is working in a combined lab with Marquette and MCW professors and looking forward to building an AI recommendation system for veteran’s mentor-mentee matching. Outside of academia, she enjoys traveling and engaging in discussions about feminism, politics, and social justice.
Haley Nyquist
Community Liaison
Haley is in her second year in the Neuroscience PhD program at UWM, in Dr. Karyn Frick's lab. Broadly, her research interests include sex-steroid hormones, memory formation and consolidation, neurodegeneration (aging, Alzheimer's disease, etc.) and glial cells. She has a passion for women's health and representation in research, and she joined GWIS to further that passion and surround herself with her favorite type of people: women in STEM! Outside of the lab, she loves to play volleyball, softball, or almost any other sport, spend time by the lake, or hang out with her two cats, Charlotte and Bennie.
Kadaia Williams
Community Liaison
Kadaia(Ka-day-uh) is a first-year graduate student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she attended Cleveland State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Neuroscience. She joined GWIS to increase student involvement at MCW and to foster relationships with other women in STEM across disciplines. She is passionate about science policy, advocacy, and science communication, and she also enjoys mentoring. Outside of her academic pursuits, she loves cozy gaming, trying new foods, and attending live shows.
Dr. Jacklynn Fitzgerald
National Liaison & Treasurer
Dr. Jacklynn Fitzgerald is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Marquette University. She received her PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2017 in Psychology with an emphasis on Behavioral Neuroscience and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in affective neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 2019. Her research is on the neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and she investigates how the neurobiological underpinnings of fear conditioning are related to symptoms of the disorder. Her work is highly collaborative and involves translating research from preclinical/rodent models to clinical work. At Marquette, she is the director of the Translational Affective Neuroscience lab.
In addition to research, Jacklynn has consistently held leadership and service positions with a focus on advancing women in science. She was previously the President of the GWIS Chicago chapter in 2015 and a National Liaison for GWIS Chicago in 2016, where she started a mentorship program.
Past Executive Boards
2025-2026
President: Sara Swaneck, Vice President: Kathryn Barber, Secretary: Shalana Atwell, Treasurer & International Liaison: Dr. Jacklynn Fitzgerald, Community Liaison: Ellie Marino, Communications Officer: Bridgitte Côté
2024-2025
President: Kaley Davis, Vice President: Laura McGuigan, Secretary: Sarah Rolli, Treasurer & International Liaison: Dr. Jacklynn Fitzgerald, Community Liaison: Julia Harris, Communications Officer: Sumaya Chowdhury
2023-2024
President: Meghan Bennett, Vice President: Kaley Davis, Secretary: Tristan Gregg, Treasurer: Mary Simons, Community Liaison: Joia Wesley, Communications Officer: Kathryn Born