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Alumni in Action

Business Casual: November 2022

An informal but informative newsletter for WSB alumni and friends

By Wisconsin School of Business

November 14, 2022

alumni lift up Bucky Badger in the Grainger Hall courtyard
Bucky soars over Business Badgers having fun at the 2022 Homecoming Bash hosted at Grainger Hall. It was a perfect day for the annual event, with sunny skies and 70-degree weather. Guests feasted on a tailgate-style meal, played lawn games, and enjoyed catching up with fellow alumni! Photo by Paul L. Newby II

The Briefing

red and white icon of Bucky Badger head

A fireside chat with Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin
Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy, WSB’s Albert O. Nicholas Dean, welcomed the new chancellor of UW–Madison to Grainger Hall during a fireside chat last month. The two discussed topics such as leadership, experiential learning, and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dean Samba and WSB faculty and staff also helped onboard Chancellor Mnookin as a true Wisconsinite with some iconic UW–Madison trivia! 

red and white icon of delivery truck moving forward

New research on food delivery
Food delivery has become a much-loved convenience for many of us, but it doesn’t always work out so well for restaurants. Allen Li, WSB’s Michael and Mary Sue Shannon Professor and an associate professor of operations and information management, examines the partnership between restaurants and digital food delivery platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats. His research focuses on two questions: Do restaurants truly benefit from these partnerships, and what can be done from a policy perspective to protect local restaurants?

red and white icon of prize ribbon

WSB’s Pamela Boneham named 2022 ‘Shero’ by Goldie Initiative
Congrats to Business Badger Pamela Boneham (MBA ’81) on receiving the ‘Shero’ award, presented annually to a woman executive whose achievements inspire the next generation of female commercial real estate professionals. Boneham, who sits on WSB’s James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate advisory board, was recognized for her leadership roles in the institutional real estate industry and her commitment to mentorship.


The Ticker


red and white icon of a backpack

Back to School

Do you know your fellow Business Badgers?

WSB’s alumni network is not only large in number, but its members span far and wide. Can you guess just how large and just how far? Take this short quiz to learn more about your alumni community. (Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter for the answers.)

  1. How many living alumni does WSB have?
  2. What two Midwestern metro areas (not in Wisconsin!) boast the largest number of WSB alumni?
  3. In how many different countries do alumni reside?

red and white icon of a checklist

Tip Sheet

Employee motivation: A fixed trait, or something managers can influence?

In WSB’s most recent EdgeUp webinar, The Leader’s Role in Employee Motivation and Engagement, featured speaker Vicki Kampmeier with WSB’s Center for Professional and Executive Development highlights these tips for improving and maintaining employee motivation and engagement:

  • Ask employees for their feedback
  • Engage employees in setting individual and company goals
  • Let employees know you care
  • Be transparent
  • Learn what makes each employee tick

EdgeUp is a collection of tailored resources for WSB alumni seeking to advance their careers through various professional development opportunities such as webinars, research, and courses. 


Alumni Opportunities

December 6: Save the date for WSB in MKE, an in-person networking event for alumni in the greater Milwaukee area

Update Magazine: Watch for the next issue of Update magazine to be available in December

Past Events: Watch previous EdgeUp webinars, Badger Executive Talks, or The Business of… events

Job Search Resources: Online tools and videos to help plan a career move now or in the future

Quiz Answers:

  1. WSB has 45,593 living alumni.
  2. Chicago and the Twin Cities are the two Midwestern metro areas with the largest number of WSB alumni. Significant populations of Business Badgers also live in Madison, Milwaukee, New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
  3. WSB alumni reside in 86 different countries.

About Business Casual

Every other month, alumni and friends of the Wisconsin School of Business will receive insider updates with news about our alumni, faculty, students, and programs. If you want to share Business Casual with friends, they can sign up at go.wisc.edu/wsb-biz-cas.

Questions or comments? Email businesscasual@wsb.wisc.edu


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