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Alumni in Action

Meet the 2020-21 Wisconsin Business Alumni Board

By Alumni Relations

September 10, 2020

2020-21 Wisconsin Business Alumni Board

Eight new members join the Wisconsin Business Alumni (WBA) Board for 2020-21 as the group continues its mission of building and enhancing connections between the alumni community and the Wisconsin School of Business.

The 31-member board includes some of the School’s most dedicated alumni and supporters. Board members represent different WSB degrees, as well as diversity in ethnicity, age, and geographic location. As active WSB ambassadors, the board is critical in helping the School attract resources such as expertise, contacts, advice, and charitable gifts to maintain the strength of the School’s alumni network.

“The board provides a unique opportunity to engage with the dean and leadership at the Wisconsin School of Business,” says Jason Makowski (MBA ’18). “It’s energizing to learn about strategies to grow and direct the School, and then have the opportunity to provide feedback and recommendations that are taken seriously.”

Board members serve four-year terms, travel to two in-person meetings a year, and participate in two conference calls a year. In addition to volunteering their time, board members understand the importance of financial support and commit to achieving 100% giving participation each year. This year, the board will continue to fulfill its mission and make impactful contributions despite the disruptions of not being able to gather in person.  Board membership is through application.

“Contributing my time, energy, skills, and money in an impactful way is very important to me,” says Singari Seshadri (MBA ’96), one of eight new WBA Board members. “The opportunity to serve WSB stood out to me, given the special place it holds in my heart and the profound impact the School had for me. And I know that I can make a meaningful difference with my background, skills, and network.”

Recent accomplishments by the board include:

  • Writing more than 200 thank-you notes to recent donors
  • Peer to peer fundraising for Day of the Badger that contributed to more than $320,000 raised for scholarships
  • Leading users of WSB’s LinkedIn Elevate ambassador platform, helping to deliver more than 300,000 impressions of WSB content across LinkedIn
  • Advising and serving as sounding board for Alumni Relations and other School initiatives (e.g. Professional MBA, Update magazine editorial review, Roadmap 2025).

Board membership is a commitment, but a worthy one, Makowski says.

“The chance to engage and give back to the University and the School of Business is something I’m incredibly passionate about,” Makowski says. “This institution has given me a lot and opened many doors. The board gives me the chance to extend these same benefits I’ve received to others.”

The 2020-21 Wisconsin Business Alumni Board

Matt Billings (MBA ’13), Senior Sourcing Manager, Microsoft (Seattle Area)

Danielle Boyke (MBA ’12), Preconstruction Coordinator, C.D. Smith Construction (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin)

Tim Bratland (BBA ’89), Vice President, Transformation Management and Project Management Offices, Post Consumer Brands (Twin Cities)

Connor Braun (BBA ’16), Financial Analyst, ManpowerGroup (Milwaukee)

Brian Chambers (BBA ’01), Partner, Pamlico Capital (Charlotte, North Carolina)

*Meredith Frese (BBA ’09), Vice President, CBRE (Chicago)

Jake Gotta (BBA ’08), Senior Analyst, Spyglass Capital Management (San Francisco Bay Area)

Punkaj Gupta (BBA ’01), Associate Director, Field Reimbursement, Alkermes (Milwaukee)

Angela Hamilton (BBA ’95), Senior Client Partner, Korn Ferry (Minneapolis)

Marni Hirschfield Gomez (BS ’03), Senior Account Manager, Ocrolus (New York)

*Jasmine Kennedy (BBA ’18), Senior Anlayst, Accenture Consulting (New York)

Brian Kline (MBA ’14), Senior Program and Fiscal Administrative Specialist, UW Natural Resources Institute (Madison)

Jonathan Kuether (BBA ’08), Senior Manager, Bain & Company (Chicago)

Catherine Kurtz (BBA ’17), Portfolio Management Analyst, CA Ventures (Chicago)

Jennifer Levenhagen (BBA ’95), Regional Vice President-Professional Services, Salesforce (St. Paul)

Sarah Louko Jones (BBA ’02), Assistant Vice President CNA Insurance (San Francisco Bay Area)

Jason Makowski (MBA ’18), Senior Vice President-Business Solutions Director, Associated Bank (Milwaukee) (board chair)

Brian Miller (BBA ’02), Partner BDO USA, LLP (San Francisco Bay Area)

Lisa Paradowski (BBA ’00, MAcc ’01), Managing Director, Deloitte (Chicago)

*Jason Popp (BBA ’92), President, BonMot Inc., (Chicago)

Jeffrey Powers (BBA ’92), Vice President-Sales, OUTFRONT Media (New York)

Taura Prosek (BBA ’93), Director- Business Development, Stewart Leadership (Madison) (vice chair)

Andrew Quinn (BBA ’11), Co-founder, PathWell, (New York)

Arash Rassouli (BBA ’02), Vice President, Enterprise Development, Impac Companies (Irvine, California)

Matthew Reese (MBA ’07), CEO, J&A Real Estate Appraisals, Inc. (Seattle)

*Emil Sanchez (BBA ’88), President and CEO, Raynor Door Authorities LP (Madison)

*Singari Seshadri (MBA ’96), Head, Stanford Venture Studio (San Francisco Bay Area)

*Jamie Shah (BBA ’07), Vice President-Operations, Chem-Impex Int’l. Inc. (Chicago)

*Rodrigo Stabio (MBA ’19), Product Marketing Manager, Microsoft (Seattle)

*Matthew Teichner (BBA ’09), Principal, Golub Capital (New York)

Shira Weiner (BBA ’09), Director of Human Resources and Operations, American Oversight (Denver)

*New board member for 2020-21


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