The Wisconsin Business Alumni (WBA) Board has added eight new members in 2021-22 as the group continues its mission of building and enhancing connections between the alumni community and the Wisconsin School of Business. Board leadership also changes as chair Taura Prosek (BBA ’93) and vice-chair Matthew Teichner (BBA ’09) begin their one-year terms.
“The board works in areas focused on engagement, lifelong learning, philanthropy, and more. We are a diverse group of alumni coming together around an aligned purpose to better serve our alumni community across the globe,” says Prosek.
The board provides national representation, with its 31 members hailing from nearly every region of the United States. Board members represent different ages, races, degrees, and career paths—ranging from entry level professionals to senior executives in industries as varied as technology, finance, and real estate.
The board fulfills much of its work by dividing into committees with specific goals. Two new committees formed this year include a committee to help inform a redesign of the biannual alumni publication Update magazine and a regional engagement committee. These committees join the already established philanthropy and board recruitment committees.
“I am very passionate about facilitating connections with people, helping the School achieve its strategic goals, and paying it forward to the generation of alumni to follow,” says Amy Jo Pedone (BBA ’96), one of eight new WBA Board members. “I hope to establish and implement new regional engagements to connect Business Badgers by partnering with local WAA Chapters.”
In addition to accomplishing important goals through committee work, board members participate in two in-person meetings and two conference calls during each year of their four-year term. As ambassadors for the School, board members also engage in many virtual and in-person events in an ongoing commitment to connect with WSB and fellow Business Badgers.
In addition to volunteering their time, board members understand the importance of financial support and commit to achieving 100% giving participation each year. Board membership is through application.
Recent accomplishments by the board include:
- Procuring 102 peer-to-peer gifts totaling just under $10k during the 2021 Day of the Badger Campaign
- Hosting virtual networking chats with alumni
- Helping to build a lifelong learning framework for alumni
- Providing valuable feedback on Roadmap 2025 strategies
The eight new board members contributing their unique leadership experiences to the WBA Board are:
- Kelsey Breslau (BBA ’10), director of marketing, SAP America Inc., Middleton, Wisconsin
- Alexandra Kirk (MBA ’17), development manager, Jamestown LP, Atlanta Georgia
- Jenni Le (MBA ’20), managing director, gener8tor, Madison, Wisconsin
- Adam Moskowitz (BBA’12), senior vice president, chief administrative officer, human resources, Wells Fargo, Clarksburg, Maryland
- Amy Jo Pedone (BBA ’96), owner, master chocolatier, Valenza Chocolatier, Inc., Costa Mesa, California
- Nathan Radue (MBA ’19), senior manager, project management, Wixon, Inc., Menomonie, Wisconsin
- Eric Ruedinger (BBA ’04), general manager, anesthesia & respiratory care, GE Healthcare, Madison, Wisconsin
- Anna Zhang (BBA ’17), assistant vice president, private equity, GIC, New York, New York
View the full roster of the 2021-22 Wisconsin Business Alumni Board.