Leadership Team
Meet the VirtualUW Project Leadership Team. If you have any questions for the Leads, feel free to contact us!
Ryan Wenzel
Project Manager
Minecraft name: EnderCat8
LinkedIn: Link
Ryan is a junior at UW-Madison studying business (Marketing, Operations Management, and Supply Chain Management) with a certificate in computer science. Ryan founded the project in March 2020 in order to create a virtual community for everyone who could no longer be on campus in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic (learn more here). Ryan serves as the primary contact for the project and works to keep everything organized and running smoothly.
Dylan Nysted
Lead Developer
Minecraft name: Djnysted
Dylan is a sophomore at UW-Madison studying Computer Science. Dylan utilized actual Madison topographical data to generate the campus Minecraft map using the Terra 1-1 mod. Nowadays, Dylan helps builders in-game and monitors the project Discord. Outside of Minecraft, Dylan enjoys playing Mario Maker 2 on Nintendo Switch and Destiny 2 on PC. Dylan is also working on building Bascom Hall.
Chris Bravata
Lead Developer
Minecraft name: Apolytero
Chris is a freshman at UW-Milwaukee studying Design & Visual Communications, with plans to transfer to UW-Madison for the Spring 2021 semester. Chris has played on many Minecraft servers since middle school and has a lot of building and development experience, including managing super-builds like a Minecraft Survival Games map. Chris helps builders in-game and monitors the project Discord. Chris is also working on building his favorite campus spot, Memorial Union.
LinkedIn: Link
Matt Ciolkosz
Lead Developer
Minecraft name: unixadmin
Matt is a UW-Madison alum ('18) who studied Computer Science. Matt has extensive experience serving on Minecraft server staff teams and developing plugins. Matt leads our developer initiatives for improving the server and making sure all the technical stuff is as optimized and efficient as possible. In addition, Matt serves as an administrator on Cubeville, a family friendly survival Minecraft server.
Now Recruiting
Attention builders, there are still openings on the Lead Team. Are you interested in stepping up and helping with the project even more? If you would like to learn more, please direct message Ryan on the project Discord!