Alumni Awards
The Wisconsin School of Business is proud to recognize alumni and other individuals who have achieved impact in their careers and their communities through demonstrated leadership, service, and other accomplishments.
Distinguished Business Alumni Award
This award honors an individual with an exceptional career who has made far-reaching impacts in their community, their industry, and at UW–Madison. The award is intended for late- and post-career professionals.
WSB Impact Award
This award recognizes an individual who has volunteered their time and talent to advance the Wisconsin School of Business, and has demonstrated service to the school through engagement, board service, or a corporate partnership.
Submit a Nomination
Honor a deserving individual by nominating them for an alumni award. A committee will review all nominations and make selection recommendations to school leadership.
Meet Our 2024 Recipients
Get to know our alumni award recipients and learn more about their careers, professional achievements, and service to UW–Madison and the Wisconsin School of Business.
Distinguished Business Alumni Award
Dan Kelly (BBA ’84, MBA ’85)
Chief Underwriting Officer, American Family Insurance (retired)
Ricky Sandler (BBA ’91)
Founder, CEO, and Chief Investment Officer, Eminence Capital, LP
WSB Impact Award
Amy Jo Pedone (BBA ’96)
CEO and Certified Master Chocolatier, Valenza Chocolatier, Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Alumni and friends of UW–Madison are eligible for WSB’s alumni awards. Please see each award description for specific eligibility criteria.
We accept nominations from all WSB and UW–Madison alumni, plus their friends and family members. We also accept self-nominations.
Start by choosing the award for which you’d like to submit a nomination. Once you select an award, questions will appear; they will vary by award, but will generally ask about the nominated individual’s background.
The nomination form may not save your responses if the window is closed before submitting. Consider typing your responses in a Word document and pasting them into the nomination form when ready. The more detail in your responses, the better, and consider including links and attachments to supplement your nomination.
Think news stories, blog posts, press releases, bio pages—anything that speaks to the background and impact of the nominated individual.
If we have questions about your nominee, or need more information, we want to be able to reach out to you.