08 Feb The long game: Over 25 years, Shiva Bidar has moved UW Health toward greater equity

By Brennan Nardi, Blueprint 365

Playing the long game is one of Shiva Bidar’s many superpowers.

A stalwart among Madison’s business and political leaders for more than two decades now, Bidar’s steady influence on the public and private sector’s role in developing sustainable models of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)  hasn’t always drawn headlines. Instead, what it’s garnered is results.

In an era when employee tenure—the median number of years a person has been with their current employer, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—was 4.1 years in January 2022, Bidar’s 25-year career as a DEI advocate at UW Health and since 2021 the UW School of Medicine and Public Health underscores her lifelong commitment to her work: supporting communities of color and positive outcomes for the individuals she serves. Mix in her 12 years of service on the Madison Common Council, plus dozens of boards and committees, and you begin to paint the picture of a true public servant. Read more …