Alumni Success Stories
A UW-Eau Claire education is a springboard to success. Just follow the links below to learn more about some of the recent achievements of UW-Eau Claire alumni.
Karen (Haas) Alexander '67 receives the Family Caregiver Award from the Alzheimer's Association Wisconsin chapter at its May 2008 conference in Milwaukee.
Barry Anderson '00, a UW-Eau Claire music education graduate, is acting in the Broadway musical "Legally Blonde" in New York. He has a supporting role, but, as understudy, was thrust into the starring role July 26, 2008, when the leading man went home sick.
Kathy Anderson '82, a UW-Eau Claire elementary education graduate, recently joined the Northeast Bank Insurance Group in Auburn, Maine. Full story.
William Baillargeon '82, a UW-Eau Claire history graduate, has been named by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to take over a vacant district court seat in Allegan County, Michigan. Full story.
Craig Beemer '82, a UW-Eau Claire business finance graduate, is the owner of the River Oasis Cafe in Stillwater. The cafe previously had been under the same ownership for nearly 20 years and has been in operation for more than 50 years.
Jane Berenz '82, a UW-Eau Claire special education graduate, has been chosen as the new superintendent of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagen (Minn.) School District. Full story.
Reggie Bicha '92, a UW-Eau Claire social work graduate and secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, is a recipient of a Commissioner's Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Full story.
Karen Bunde Gleisner '76, a UW-Eau Claire art graduate, is switching careers and wins a gingerbread house contest she entered as part of her coursework in a bakery production program.
James Butman '80, a UW-Eau Claire business finance graduate and an executive at Madison-based TDS Telecommunications Corp., has been elected treasurer of the national trade association for the competitive local telecom industry (COMPTEL). Full story.
Sue Caley-Opsal '94 (MS), a professor of anatomy and physiology at Illinois Valley Community College, received IVCC's 2008 Faculty Excellence Award.
Susan Caya '08 (MA), who received a UW-Eau Claire master's degree in history, is curator of interpretation and collections at Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien.
Phil Cook '05, a UW-Eau Claire music graduate, and other members of the band Megafaun were interviewed in a "Quit Your Day Job" posting on stereogum.com
Marilyn (Clark) Cuellar '71, a UW-Eau Claire business education graduate,
received the Best of Show-Drawing award at the annual Uptown Art Fair, held in Minneapolis Aug. 1-3. The Uptown Art Fair is a juried national show featuring the work of artists from across the nation.
Paul Dankers '98, a UW-Eau Claire music graduate who is music director at the Snowmass Chapel in Snowmass Village, Colo., recently starred in a production of "Forever Plaid" as part of the Winter Culture Series he established. (Photo by Stewart Oksenhorn of The Aspen Times) Full story.
Darrell Doepke '81 finds a unique way to celebrate his dual loyalty to the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.
Tony Duran '88, took the March 20, 2008, People magazine cover and inside photos of entertainers Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony and their newborn twins. See cover photo.
Gregory Effertz '85, a UW-Eau Claire accounting and information systems graduate, has been named chief financial offier of Verisae, a web-enabled, clean technology software and services company.
Michael Effinger '80 was named chief financial officer of Infusion Software of Gilbert, Ariz., in March 2008.
Bethine (Hagen) Ellie '90, a UW-Eau Claire English and journalism graduate, reunited with a student she taught several years ago at Siping Teacher's College in China. Full story.
Kevin Flanagan '79, a UW-Eau Claire accounting graduate, has joined the consulting firm MorrisAnderson as managing director of its Milwaukee office. Full story.
Bruce Fox '83, a UW-Eau Claire music education graduate, has received a Fulbright Teacher Exchange grant to teach in Wil, Switerland.
Richard Frenette '74, a UW-Eau Claire mathematics graduate, has been named executive director of the Wisconsin State Fair. Full story.
Paul Gilbertson '78 and his wife, Chris, are co-founders of the nonprofit organization With Wings and a Halo - R.E.A.C.H. a Child.
Mark Green '83, a UW-Eau Claire English and political science graduate and former U.S. congressman for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district, is the U.S. ambassador to Tanzania.
Adam Griggel '07, a bacterial meningitis survivor who lost his right leg to the infection, in early 2008 was nearing completion of the Police Academy program at Chippewa Valley Technical College.
Ruth Gullerud '71 has served as executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of West Central Wisconsin since 1984, and this year she led the organization's first Wissota Winter Classic ice fishing contest on Lake Wissota.
Carrie Hamm '99, a UW-Eau Claire psychology and American Indian studies graduate, is pastor of Chetek United Methodist Church.
Marlin Hardinger '00, a UW-Eau Claire political science graduate, is a U.S. Foreign Service officer working with a reconstruction team in Helmand, Afghanistan, helping civilians create a local government structure that will assist with restoring order to the region.
Briana Hardyman '05, a UW-Eau Claire theatre arts graduate, is touring as part of the country music duo Good Souls. She and fellow performer Dave Isaacs recently completed their first, self-titled album.
Cindy Hartin '88, a UW-Eau Claire marketing graduate, recently joined the Angelo State University Small Business Development Center as a business development specialist. Full story.
Karen Hebert '81, a UW-Eau Claire marketing graduate who also received a master of business administration degree in 1988, has been appointed to the board of directors of Eau Claire's Sacred Heart Hospital. Full story.
Mary Hilfiker '67, a UW-Eau Claire history graduate, Ray Hilfiker '65 (history) and Alice Hilfiker Butler '67 (elementary education) were recently featured in the magazine Mammoth Tales, a publication of the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation.
Sean Hogan '08, a UW-Eau Claire mass communication graduate, is a member of the Eden Prairie-based indie-rock band The New Monarchs, whose song "Kiss Me At the Gate" was featured during a "Gossip Girl" episode on The CW. Full story.
Monica Holtz '75, a UW-Eau Claire journalism graduate, has written the children's book "Emily at the Zoo." Learn more.
Thomas Hughes '85, who received a master's degree in school psychology from UW-Eau Claire, has been named superintendent of schools for the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District. Full story.
Tom Jekel '75, a UW-Eau Claire journalism graduate, has been named publisher of The Times-Reporter in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Full story.
Harry Kaiser '79, a UW-Eau Claire economics graduate, has been named the Gellert Family Professor of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University.
Ann Knox-Bauer '88 has been appointed a Taylor County (Wis.) Circuit Court judge.
Bob Knuth '90 is the marketing art director at The Second City Theatre in Chicago, as well as producing director and resident scenic director at Circle Theatre, also in Chicago. He was featured in an April 2008 (Chicago) Daily Herald article.
Mark Kuula '93, a UW-Eau Claire information systems graduate, has started an online business selling lead-free fishing lures and sinkers.
Wade Labecki '87, a UW-Eau Claire business education graduate, has been named deputy director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Full story.
Shawn LaPean '83, a UW-Eau Claire political science graduate, is director of dining at the University of California-Berkeley.
Dan Larson '03 is named to the football coaching staff at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.
Barbara Lee '85 (MSN) is director of the National Farm Medicine Center of the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation.
Mary Ellen Leicht '83, a UW-Eau Claire management graduate, has been named acting director of the National Junior College Athletic Association. (Photo by Sandra J. Milburn of The Hutchinson News) Full story.
Jacob McDonald '07 is a GIS technician/cartographer with the Antarctic Geospatial Information Center, creating maps for all operations at the McMurdo and South Pole stations in the Antarctic.
Kevin Meinholz '07, a 2007 UW-Eau Claire communication and journalism graduate, has been named the university's sports information director for Blugold athletics.
Dawn Mrozinski '05 is fundraising coordinator for Angel Space, an Eau Claire facility where the terminally ill can stay and receive medical care during their final days.
Travis Myren '97, a UW-Eau Claire political science and economics graduate, has been appointed director of Dane County's Department of Administration. Full story.
Alyce Nelson '75, a UW-Eau Claire special education graduate, has retired after a 34-year career in education, with her last 19 years spent at Afton-Lakeland (Minn.) Elementary School. Full story
Lindsay Olson '10, a UW-Eau Claire geography graduate, has joined the marketing and technology departments of Applied Data Consultants Inc. as a project analyst. Full story.
Graydon Peterson '03, a UW-Eau Claire music graduate, is a member of the Twin Cities jazz quintet Frankhouse. Full story.
Ray Petkovsek '73, a UW-Eau Claire accounting graduate, has been named president-elect of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants. See a recent feature on Petkovsek in the WICPA publication "On Balance" and an earlier feature story from that same publication.
Roberta (Davis) Poirier '74 was honored Jan. 31, 2008, as a “real hero” by the Chippewa Valley chapter of the American Red Cross.
Paul Prissel '86, a UW-Eau Claire communication arts graduate who's a criminal prosecutor in the Los Angeles district attorney's office, stars in and is executive producer of the online TV show "Chapin Circle." Full story.
Nick Prueher '98 and Joe Pickett '99, both UW-Eau Claire communication-electronic media graduates, are hosts and curators of the traveling "Found Footage Festival." Full story.
John Raymond '09, a UW-Eau Claire music graduate, will perform at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis Dec. 28 as part of the Young Lions Showcase.
Full story.
Horacio Rozanski '90, a UW-Eau Claire business administration graduate, has been named an executive vice president at the strategy and technology firm Booz Allen Hamilton. Full story.
Amy Rubenzer-Wilder '99, a UW-Eau Claire art graduate, has won the logo design contest for the Chippewa Falls Oktoberfest celebration for the second time. Full story.
Dana Saar '73, a UW-Eau Claire management graduate, is running as a candidate for the Maricopa County (Ariz.) Community College district governing board. Full story.
Richard Saykally '70 is the inaugural International Solvay Chair in Chemistry.
Karyn Schauf '79, a UW-Eau Claire elementary education graduate, has received the UW-Barron County Foundation 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award. Full story.
Ben Seidman '07, a UW-Eau Claire theatre arts graduate, is the resident magician at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Visit his Web site.
Steve Shimon '78, a UW-Eau Claire biology graduate, co-owns Peaceful Pets, a pet funeral and cremation service based in Richfield. Full story.
Ken Smemo '57 retired in December 2007 after a 46-year teaching career at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Lisa Stark '79, a UW-Eau Claire art graduate and Eau Claire County Circuit Court judge, is among 13 applicants to become the next federal judge for the western Wisconsin district based in Madison. Full story.
Kevin Steiner '82, who received a master of business administration degree from UW-Eau Claire, has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. Full story.
Luke Swanepoel '02, a UW-Eau Claire history and political science graduate, is legal attaché to Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the apostolic nuncio to the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations.
Denise Sweet '85, a UW-Eau Claire English graduate who also received a master of arts degree in English in 1987, was featured in the Dec. 2 Erstwhile Luddite article "Charmingly Discharming: An Interview with Denise Sweet." Full story.
George Utphall '75, '91 (MEPD) retired in spring 2008 from his position as choir director at Eau Claire's Memorial High School, where he taught for 19 years.
Dale Varsho '96, a UW-Eau Claire kinesiology graduate, is field manager and director of operations for the Eau Claire Express Baseball Club. Full story.
Justin Vernon '04, a UW-Eau Claire comparative studies in religion graduate, performed with his band, Bon Iver, at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo by Andi Stempniak of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram) Full story
Justin Vernon '04, a UW-Eau Claire comparative religions graduate known in music circles as Bon Iver, appeared Sept. 8, 2008, on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Read reviews of Vernon's music from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, as well as a feature article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Chad Wade '05, a UW-Eau Claire economics graduate, has been hired as assistant city attorney/labor relations manager for the city of Fond du Lac.
Michael Wagner '00, a UW-Eau Claire entrepreneurship graduate, has been hired as vice president of marketing for Catch the Best, an on-demand applicant tracking software company in Kirkland, Wash.
Troy Ward '85, a UW-Eau Claire physical education graduate, has been named assistant general manager of the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros.
Gerald (Jerry) Weiner '68 retired in January 2008 after a successful banking career that included terms as president and CEO of several Wisconsin financial institutions.
Colleen Willard-Holt '79, a UW-Eau Claire special education graduate, has been appointed the inaugural dean of the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Shelly (Kraus) Winemiller '91 was honored by Rochester Women magazine with the 2008 Extraordinary Rochester Women award, in part for her work as founder and director of the Rochester, Minn., Bella Voce Young Women's Choir.
Kyle Zander '08, a UW-Eau Claire sociology graduate, and Zac Barnes '07, a Latin American studies grad, are members of E.C. Bikes, an informal community group that repairs old bikes and donates them to people in the community who can't afford to buy their own. Full story.
UW-Eau Claire alumni Gina Livingston '07 (Spanish), Rebecca O'Brien '08 (biology and Latin American studies) and Christopher Piper Nielson '08 (political science) were accepted into the highly selective Teach For America program, a nationwide organization that recruits top college graduates to teach for two years in public schools that are difficult to staff. Full story.
