Four members of the Business Badger community are among the recipients of the 2025 Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) awards.
The recently announced recipients of the Distinguished Service Award and Forward Award include John Oros (BBA ’71), Ted Kellner (BBA ’69), Jere Fluno (BBA ’63), and Kyle Nakatsuji (MBA ’11, JD ’12).
“It’s no secret that the Wisconsin School of Business has some of the most accomplished, tenacious, and service-minded alumni in all of the country, and these award recipients are proof of that,” says Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy, WSB’s Albert O. Nicholas Dean. “From successfully building a company from the ground up, to finding creative and impactful ways of giving back to the university, each award recipient truly embodies the ethic and values of the Business Badger community in their own unique way. On behalf of everyone at WSB, I congratulate these passionate alumni on their well-deserved recognition.”
Oros and his wife, Anne (BA ’72), are recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, which honors individuals who have had an extraordinary impact on the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Among other efforts, Oros—operating partner at private equity firm J.C. Flowers & Co.—is recognized for championing student mentorship through programs like Badgers in Finance. He serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, including the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association Board of Directors, and is the past chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board at WSB. Among other philanthropic initiatives he has supported, Oros is one of the Wisconsin Naming Partners, a group of passionate alumni who joined together in 2007 to invest $85 million in WSB to preserve the school’s name for 20 years.
Read more about John and Anne Oros’ achievements.
Kellner and his wife, Mary (BSE ’68), are also recipients of the Distinguished Service Award. After earning his business degree at WSB, and being inspired by professors like Frank Graner (PhD ’48) and James A. Graaskamp (PhD ’65), Kellner launched Fiduciary Management, Inc., which grew into one of the Midwest’s leading investment firms. Kellner is recognized for strengthening the UW–Madison community, mentoring student-athletes through summer internships offering experience in finance and operations, and providing transformational support to campus projects and philanthropic initiatives, including the record-setting All Ways Forward campaign. Kellner is also a member of the Wisconsin Naming Partnership.
Read more about Ted and Mary Kellner’s achievements.
Fluno—whose distinguished career at W.W. Grainger, Inc. spanned three decades—is also a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. He is recognized for his significant contributions to UW–Madison through philanthropy, advocacy, board service, and relationship-building. Fluno has worked on every major UW–Madison fundraising campaign since the 1970s, and played a pivotal role in helping the university acquire land for Grainger Hall. He later provided the lead gift for the Fluno Center for Executive Education, while also working closely with WSB leaders to shape the center’s mission around lifelong learning and alumni engagement.
Read more about Jere Fluno’s achievements.
Nakatsuji is a recipient of the Forward Award for his outstanding exemplification of the Wisconsin Idea. As CEO and co-founder of Clearcover, a digital auto insurer, Nakatsuji works to deliver affordable, convenient, and customer-centered experiences. Under his leadership, the company has raised more than $560 million in funding. In 2021, his story of entrepreneurship, overcoming the odds, and disrupting the highly competitive insurance industry was featured in Update magazine and WSB’s Trusted to Lead campaign. Nakatsuji also mentors students and entrepreneurs through UW–Madison’s Creative Destruction Lab.
Read more about Kyle Nakatsuji’s achievements.
The 2025 recipients will be recognized throughout the year and into Spring 2026 at various alumni and supporter events. See the full list of award recipients and learn more about their stories.
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