Meet the Staff
Meet the Staff
Embedded Files
I'm Lynette, Director of Wallace House and also a 2010 Knight-Wallace alum. I spent the first half of my career as a print journalist, first covering Southeast Asia for Newsweek based in Hong Kong and then as a D.C.-based national correspondent covering politics and social issues. After six years in Asia and a few years reacquainting myself with the U.S., I moved to the Washington bureau of The New York Times where I covered a range of national issues including politics and policy, adoption and families, race and demographics. I moved into digital strategy and leadership - completely clueless about what that jump really meant - when I became the founding managing editor of a Washington Post venture, The Root. That dizzying start-up experience led me to apply to the fellowship to catch my breath and strengthen my business, technology and leadership skills. The fellowship helped me realize that I enjoy creating new journalism ventures. I went on to NPR where, as Director of Strategy and New Initiatives, I helped launch several new projects aimed at expanding audiences across non-radio platforms.
In 2016, I came back to Wallace House as director. The return to Ann Arbor was also a Midwestern homecoming. I was born and raised in Springfield, Ohio. I left for college at age 17 and thought I would never to come back for anything longer than a holiday visit. But life changes us in unexpected ways. Turns out Ann Arbor provided a wonderful base to be closer to my Ohio family, and to raise my children. My kids, who were 2 and 5 when I came to Ann Arbor as a fellow, will be 18 and 21 this academic year. With both kids now in college, this fall marks the beginning of the next chapter of my life. I'm not quite sure what I'll do without all the laundry, travel soccer, robotics club, band concerts, forgotten backpacks, moldy, forgotten school lunches found in the bottoms of bags and day to day chaos that has informed my life for the past two decades. But I'm excited to find out.
Maybe more travel! I had a bit of photo fun during our recent fellowship trip to the Balkans. Before the trip, I dug out a favorite old photo from my undergrad days, a grainy image overlooking the Adriatic Sea in Old Town Dubrovnik. I was 21, out making mischief with my classmate Erin, ready to take on the world. Well, somehow life allowed me to journey back to that same idyllic spot last March, the morning after we arrived in Croatia with last year's fellowship class. I recreated the photo with one of our Wallace House board members, Ferhat Boratav, former head of CNN in Turkey. So much life has unfolded in the 36 years between those two pictures. But I like to believe that my sense of adventure, optimism - and mischief - remain in tact.
Hello, Fellows. I'm the Associate Director of Wallace House, and I am excited to get to know all of you. I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, then went to college on the east coast and spent many years after that working in the Middle East-- as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jordan, as a journalist in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank, and as the director of an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and social justice leadership program called Hands of Peace. My family includes my partner Roi, our daughter Dalia (age 10), our son Lev (age 4) and our two cats, Puff and Pearl. Outside of work and especially in the summertime, my family enjoys many Ann Arbor outdoor activities-- biking on the beautiful biking trail, hiking in the Arb, swimming at Pickerel Lake, kayaking down the Huron River, picnicking at Summerfest (an annual outdoor music festival), and befriending the kangaroos at the Creature Conservancy (Ann Arbor's "mini-zoo").
I'm the Assistant Director for Marketing, Events and Engagement. This includes managing the other two programs at Wallace House - the Livingston Awards and the Wallace House Presents event series - and overseeing our marketing and communications. I came to Ann Arbor in 2009 after living overseas for 14 years to take part in the fellowship as a spouse/partner. Over the course of that fellowship year, I audited graduate classes in Southeast Asian studies, educational psychology and public health, consulted on a research project for the School of Education, joined the fellowship seminars and dinners, and traveled to South America with the class. My son, who was in fifth grade when we arrived, graduated from Michigan in May 2021.
As you’ll read, we’re a group of animal lovers at Wallace House. While working from home, I fostered five puppies, one of which now has a permanent place in my home, while the other four settled with families throughout my neighborhood. I also created a spot that I fancy as my workshop, but it’s really just a makeshift table and a hand-me-down sewing machine in a sunlit room. I spent a lot of time doing crosswords and still can’t get through the Friday puzzle.
Hello everyone!
I’m Jennifer Halseth the Financial Administrator for the Wallace House. I have over 25 years of experience in accounting and finance. I began my accounting career in the manufacturing industry and after 15 years moved to higher education at Western Michigan University and love it. I started out in the Business and Finance department and landed at the College of Aviation as the Business Manager. I hold a bachelor’s degree in business management from Davenport University.
I moved from the Kalamazoo area to be closer to my family and 3 grandchildren. In my free time, I enjoy walking, hiking, biking and spending time with family. Coffee is my favorite beverage, and the best pastime is curling up with a good book.
I look forward to meeting all of you!
Hi, I’m Alexis! I’m the Marketing Associate at Wallace House, where I help support programs and events with Melissa Riley. I earned my BBA in Marketing Management from Grand Valley State University—where I was the Business Manager at The Lanthorn—and later completed my M.S. in Marketing at the University of Michigan Dearborn. Outside of work, I’m enjoying life as a new mom with my husband, our baby, and our very enthusiastic dog.
I cannot wait to meet you all in the fall.
Hi Fellows, I'm Kate. My role is like the kitchen sink of Wallace House; I assist with every and anything I can related to the Fellowship and Wallace House itself. In short, I help with staff and guest support, program/event planning, and general house upkeep. I graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy and a minor in Linguistics from Michigan in December 2022, but I attended the University of Iowa from 2018-2020. My cats Cy, Cleo, Chidaruma, and Cecily are the lights of my life. I am currently conducting research for my master's thesis, Where Ethics and Empathy Intersect: Examining Secondary Victimization in Missing Persons Cases and True Crime Media. Talk ethical true crime to me!
Makena Buck
Makena Buck
Project Coordinator
Hi! I’m Makena. At Wallace House, I coordinate logistics for interviews, events, fellow onboarding and more!
I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan in May 2024. Last summer, I attended NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute, where I spent an exciting month living in and exploring NYC. This September will mark my one year at Wallace House and I can't wait to see what this new year has in store for us.
I am excited to welcome you to Ann Arbor soon!
Report abuse