Class Notes

Rittenberg passed away in December 2025, leaving behind a legacy of academic excellence, professional integrity, and deep love for his family, students, and colleagues. A beloved presence at WSB for 40 years, Rittenberg taught courses in accounting and auditing, inspiring thousands of students with his enthusiasm and deep sense of ethics. He also served as chair of WSB’s accounting department for 11 years, and in 2005, was named one of the nation’s 100 most influential people in finance.

Markos is proud to say that his company has survived for 125 continuous years in the wholesale and retail business with many iterations. His daughter Khouri is working with the team to update the company’s infrastructure to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Kraemer is using the knowledge, skills, and mindsets he learned at WSB in social services and community building roles, working in hospitality, international relations, and policy analysis.

Cain will soon be celebrating his 11th anniversary of managing the Midwest office of Fairfield Capital Group, LLC, which consults with middle-market companies that need equipment leasing or financing services.

Bye is excited to announce that The Kellogg Legacy: The Final Story, the fifth and final novel in The Developer series, was published in July 2025.

Peppard deciphered a thousand-year-old English riddle during the COVID-19 pandemic. The task required him to analyze the properties of English hardwoods, ancient bloomery iron sword-making, and Anglo-Saxon criminal law. Peppard says that it was remarkably rewarding work, but not easy!

Blahnik was inducted into the Goodwill Industries International Hall of Fame. He served Goodwill Industries of Kentucky as president and chief executive officer for 30 years. During his career supporting people with disabilities and individuals overcoming systemic barriers, he was also recognized as an Outstanding Kentuckian for his service across the state.

Weber was recognized as one of the top 100 board directors by the National Association of Corporate Directors in 2025. These awards honor the directors and governance leaders whose actions elevate board performance, strengthen trust in corporate leadership, and set the standard for thoughtful oversight and responsible stewardship.

Skurski recently retired and is enjoying traveling with his wife of 40 years, Diane. For the last 31 years, he’s lived in the northern suburbs of Chicago and previously worked in international capital markets. He held roles in foreign exchange trading and trading risk management at Bank of Montreal, Bank of America, and Northern Trust Company.

Moore started the George Moore IV Recovery Foundation after his 28-year-old son died of an opioid overdose in 2016. The foundation, which helps raise awareness to parents about the youth opioid epidemic in Wisconsin, has mounted over 400 naloxone kits in 70 school systems and businesses. It also provides rehabilitation assistance, information for legislators, and naloxone training to all Universities of Wisconsin fraternities.

McCosky retired in May 2024 from General Datatech, LP in Dallas after 12 years as a major accounts manager. Previously, he worked in sales at Cisco Systems, Inc., and held roles at Oracle Corporation, Unisys Corporation, and A.B. Dick Company.

Kral recently retired from Kral Ussery LLC to redirect his attention to personal aspirations. Over his 38-year career, Kral has been blessed to have worked with hundreds of organizations, many through leading accounting firms. He looks forward to splitting his retirement time between his Nevada and Wisconsin residences, and keeping busy with hiking, tennis, softball, and golf.

Kleiber is excited to celebrate 23 years and over 2,600 events at Mr Treasure Hunt, a team-building event business he founded in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since the first hunt in 2002, Mr Treasure Hunt has helped thousands of corporate groups, friends, families, and school communities explore iconic neighborhoods, uncover hidden gems, and strengthen bonds through the joy of discovery.

Hansen leads sales for food service, industrial, and retail channels at Olymel.

Byce has been promoted to associate dean of Lewis & Clark Law School’s animal law program. Since joining the Center for Animal Law Studies in 2018, Byce has served as assistant dean and executive director, playing a key role in significantly increasing the program’s resources, broadening its curriculum and degree offerings, and cementing its reputation as a global leader in animal law education.

Kearney has been appointed chairman of the Minneapolis-based law firm Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., where he specializes in mergers and acquisitions and leads the firm’s private equity practice.

Fry is proud to share that Gentreo, the life and estate planning platform she co-founded, received the Dealmakers Boston Social Impact Award. The award honors companies creating lasting social impact through innovation and engagement, recognizing Gentreo’s work to make estate planning more affordable, accessible, and user-friendly.

Wishnia was named managing partner of Lowenstein Sandler LLP, a national law firm with over 400 attorneys. Wishnia has served on the firm’s executive board and as its hiring partner, while being a key architect of the firm’s strategic plan. Wishnia will continue to lead the firm’s mortgage and structured finance practice, while assuming full managing partner responsibilities.

Harper has joined Peakhill Capital as vice president, financing, where he supports the firm’s expanding U.S. platform. Based in Chicago, he focuses on originating and structuring commercial real estate debt and equity transactions, including those backed by principal capital. Harper brings prior capital markets experience and looks forward to reconnecting with UW–⁠Madison alumni.

Baldiwala recently joined Direct Supply Inc. in Milwaukee as president of the direct supply manufacturing business unit and group vice president of supply chain. A partner-owned enterprise, Direct Supply’s mission is to improve the lives of seniors.

Maas was recently honored by BizTimes Milwaukee as a Notable Leader in Commercial Real Estate.

Spiel and her husband, Mike, welcomed a daughter, Kayla June, on March 5, 2025. Kayla surprised her parents by arriving four weeks early, ready and eager to enter the world at 7 pounds, 2 ounces! In July 2025, Spiel began a new role at SC Johnson.

Campbell is the founder and CEO of Work Ready Partners, a San Diego company building trust infrastructure for early-career hiring. In May 2025, Campbell earned his doctorate in education leadership and innovation from New York University, where his studies focused on bridging the gap between industry and K-12 education. Previously, he led global education strategy at Intel and Lenovo for nearly two decades. 

Berg Ramsey is the founder and CEO of Fresh Test, a women-led pharmaceutical company producing the first organic, dye-free diagnostic glucose beverage and colonoscopy prep. Now a leading diagnostics brand, Fresh Test has earned accolades like the Mom’s Choice Award and Chase Ink’s Entreprenista 100. Berg Ramsey lives in Southern California with her husband and two kids.

“I’m excited to share that I’ve been promoted to Director, Corporate Strategic Partnerships at Adobe! I’ll continue working on product partnerships at the intersection of creativity and GenAI, now with a broader scope and even greater scale. Onward 🚀”

Sharif spent nearly seven years at Google in New York City, where he helped startups integrate cloud technology and AI. He then traded corporate stability to launch his own venture, Automagical Apps. Founding a company while welcoming his first child has been, in his words, “difficult, fulfilling, and adventurous!”

Fiore was the 2024 recipient of the National Academy of Medicine’s Lienhard Award, which is given annually to honor a member whose lifetime achievements resulted in exceptional contributions to improving U.S. health care.

Deshpande is transforming global cancer care through his co-founded venture, ArbudaUSA. By bridging the gap between patients in underserved regions and leading oncologists from world-renowned hospitals like MD Anderson, Apollo, and Ascension, ArbudaUSA is driving international collaboration and improving patient outcomes.

Singh and her husband, Justin Ponder, transformed a historic Milwaukee mansion into Uplifting Mansion, a social enterprise hub with event spaces, an art gallery, offices for small businesses, and short-term rental opportunities. In the first year, they’ve hosted over 100 events and have been featured in numerous publications. Their children, Zephaniah and Zion, help manage operations, making it a family legacy.

Brunken had a fantastic 2025! He and his wife welcomed their fourth child in May. He says that family life keeps them busy with activities and sports throughout the year, including Scouts, soccer, and hockey. Brunken also earned the Wealth Management Certified Professional and Retirement Income Certified Professional designations through The American College.

Park has relocated to London after 12 years in New York City to take on a new role as head of tax – North America at Ocado Group. Focused on building and scaling a modern tax function, Park brings experience across public accounting and industry, including technology, banking, and fintech. Park says he would love to reconnect with alumni in the United Kingdom.

Hoege helps leaders tackle their toughest people, culture, and change challenges as a Madison-area executive coach, business advisor, and former C-suite executive. Hoege is excited to share that she has earned her Professional Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation, a globally recognized, advanced credential held by fewer than 25,000 coaches.

Nelson is now senior vice president, external affairs at InnovAge, where he oversees state and federal government affairs. Before his current role, he spent eight years at Magellan Health as vice president, national government affairs.

Eggert has been promoted to corporate banking director, senior vice president at Old National Bank in Milwaukee. In this role, he leads the corporate banking division for the state, overseeing a team that partners with middle-market and corporate clients. Eggert also remains active in the Badger community.

Ritter sold his company, Shurclean, LLC, to his son, Thorin. Ritter has also started another company, ShurFly Aviation, LLC, and is now semi-retired.

Reese has joined Telix Pharmaceuticals as director, business strategy and process excellence. After eight years in industry and strategy consulting, he most recently worked at Accenture, leading two engagements and contributing to 11 engagements across growth, sustainability, and public service. He recently completed the Master of Public Policy program at Duke University and is excited to align his career with improving outcomes for patients with cancer and rare diseases.

Johnson became the vice president of integration management at Advocate Health in August 2025. Her family also welcomed their third child, Hailey, in October 2025.

Morrison recently relocated to Nashville to pursue an opportunity as a chief of staff/strategic project manager for a manufacturing and kitchen equipment supplier in the quick-service restaurant industry. Morrison says she would love to connect with other Nashville Badgers.

Turner continues to work at the intersection of arts, faith, and community, holding a position at the Center for Healthy Minds at UW–Madison. She is a single mom and seminarian who remains actively engaged in Madison and faith-based communities. In a time of distraction and division, Turner leads with inclusion and love of others.

“I’m happy to share that I’m expanding my career portfolio by starting a business. In addition to my work as a procurement strategist and leader, I have launched Wedgewood Consulting LLC! Wedgewood Consulting has been created to assist with business formation, business strategy, and the protection of both. It wasn’t a hard decision to launch my business. The demand for help became too great to ignore. Let my steps encourage you – you can do it. Don’t compete with others (there’s only one you); just start!”

Yerges began his career at Adyen in late 2023 as an analyst before assuming the role of onboarding specialist – platforms for the company in 2025. In February, Yerges began a new role as a regulatory product compliance specialist at Adyen, where he ensures the company’s financial product offerings are in line with regulatory requirements.

Fink accepted a position as real estate advisory analyst at Kroll in New York. This position involves analyzing national and global real estate markets, conducting financial analyses on public and private entities, and evaluating key industry trends to support strategic advisory. Her work involves financial modeling, in-depth market research, and direct client engagement to deliver data-driven insights.

Medina pursued product development and design following a brand management internship at Procter & Gamble. He created MANN, a marketplace for men that makes it easy to look, smell, and feel good. Medina credits UW–Madison with helping him build momentum across a range of interests and giving him room to explore his creative work.