Janet Zeaiter
MBA ’14
AVP Region Manager for Pennsylvania and West Virginia
Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance
Jean Robert Petnkeu
BBA ’17
Marketing Manager, East Market Area
Ford Motor Company
Annika Olsen
BBA ’21, MS ’22
Senior Associate Data Solutions Consultant
Spaulding Ridge
Alexandra Kirk
MBA ’17
Senior Vice President, Development & Construction
Jamestown
Why she’s among the 8 to Watch: At Fortra, Stephens Joy leads a seven-person HR team that supports many of the cybersecurity firm’s more than 2,500 employees around the globe. She’s risen quickly in her career, working in talent acquisition and compensation roles before growing into total rewards, which she describes as “the stuff that makes you want to take a job and makes you want to stay.” That means she’s working to expand access to wellness services, coaching, and other employee-centered perks beyond just salary and benefits. “It’s a space that makes such incredible impact on people’s day-to-day lives.”
Simply the best: As an undergraduate, Stephens Joy began working at Costco and quickly noticed how well the company cared for their employees. Seeing the significant role human resources played in that ignited a spark and inspired her to pursue an HR-focused MBA. After doing some additional research on programs, the decision to come to Wisconsin was easy. “You want the best,” she says.
Impact of a WSB degree: Collaborating on cross-functional teams during her MBA program prepared her for daily meetings with employees at all levels, including the C-suite, who each bring unique needs and priorities to the table. “My job is to find resolutions that make everyone happy in some capacity, and I learned how to do that at Wisconsin.”
Busy, but balanced: Outside of work and parenting, Stephens Joy maintains an active volunteer schedule with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and serves on the board for Louisville Urban League Young Professionals. She is also a certified life coach who helps busy women like herself find breathing room amid packed schedules. “Everyone likes to say they’re booked and busy. I want my clients to be booked and balanced.”
Why he’s among the 8 to Watch: Inspired by his favorite nurse—his mom—and driven to make a difference, Gilberg pivoted from an exciting financial career in 2017 to launch Elder Care Homecare. The concierge senior care service places skilled nurses and caregivers directly into clients’ homes for personalized care. The model led to quick success: The company has now expanded its sought-after services across the New York metropolitan area, becoming one of the fastest growing home care agencies in the U.S.
Impact of a WSB degree: A New York native, Gilberg came to WSB to pursue the school’s top-ranked real estate program before pivoting to finance. He credits WSB’s vast array of classes and internship opportunities with building foundational knowledge across disciplines and shaping his career path.
Lots of hats: Today, Elder Care Homecare has over 2,000 specialized employees—but it wasn’t always that way. “In the beginning, I was the marketer, salesperson, finance guy, scheduler, HR, and nurse David,” he says. “Covering almost every role allowed me to have a better understanding and passion for what I’m doing.”
Raising the bar: By delivering a higher standard of care, one that truly values both clients and caregivers, Gilberg’s fast-growing company has caught the attention of competitors eager to replicate his business model—and he’s perfectly fine with that. “It might be negative for my business, but overall, it’s elevating the entire industry and helping families, which is really what matters.”
Advice for caregivers: No one is ever fully prepared to care for an aging loved one. When the time comes, Gilberg wants caregivers to know they’re not alone. “Everybody goes through this in some way. It’s extremely challenging, but you don’t need to do it all on your own. Help is out there.”
Why she’s among the 8 to Watch: From her first internship to her latest leadership role, Zeaiter has made lasting impacts across the independent agency sector of the insurance industry. At Liberty Mutual, she’s launched and marketed new products, built a field support team from the ground up, and earned the company’s President’s Award in 2019 for leading the successful execution of a $230 million book transfer—one of the largest in company history.
Impact of a WSB degree: Zeaiter credits WSB risk and insurance staff and faculty, including Joan Schmit (BBA ’78, MBA ’79) and James Swanke (BBA ’80, MBA ’81), with going the extra mile to help launch her post-MBA career. “They really used their own professional networks to build my connections as I was branching into the industry.”
On the move: After graduation, Zeaiter joined Liberty Mutual’s leadership development program, where she spent two years crisscrossing the country, working on personal and commercial insurance consulting projects. Her career eventually led her to Cincinnati, opening the door to new leadership opportunities, including a promotion to a brand-new AVP role in early 2025. She’s now tasked with profitably growing the Safeco brand in her region. “That means advocating for our agents, getting the right product, and getting the right pricing for us to be successful in market.”
Getting her feet wet: A former collegiate swimmer, Zeaiter now competes in open-water swimming events throughout the country, including an extremely chilly and choppy eight-mile swim around Mackinac Island in her home state of Michigan.
Change agent: While women make up a majority of the insurance workforce, Zeaiter notes they remain underrepresented in top agency roles, something she’s working to change through her advocacy efforts, resource groups, and mentorship opportunities.
Why he’s among the 8 to Watch: Petnkeu is leading Lincoln’s transformation into a rising automotive powerhouse. In seven years, he has taken on roles of growing responsibility, driving growth and empowering his team. Previously, he oversaw the brand’s East Coast sales operation, contributing to the reinvention of the iconic American brand, which hit 100,000 U.S. sales in 2024 for the first time since 2007. “It’s been a great challenge and a tremendous ride for a brand that is over 100 years old. We’re still here today, and we’re continuing to write our history.”
Impact of a WSB degree: When navigating complex situations with clients or dealers, Petnkeu draws on a key lesson learned from WSB: “I’m keenly aware of the fact that I don’t have all the answers, but I work with the right folks to identify the root cause and help solve the problem, and that comes from my experience at the school.”
“Be a learning machine. Real learning starts when you get out there in the game.”
—J.R. Petnkeu (BBA ’17)
Paying it forward: Originally from Cameroon, Petnkeu immigrated to the U.S. as a child in pursuit of better educational opportunities, and now feels a deep responsibility to uplift others. At Ford, he’s passionate about helping his team achieve professional success, build confidence, and develop as leaders. “I always tell them that my job is for them to take my job, and hopefully go past me in the organization.”
Parlez-vous français: A fluent French speaker, Petnkeu has woven the language throughout his everyday life—from journaling in French each morning to watching French shows on Netflix.
Advice to students: For Petnkeu, earning a degree and starting a full-time position is just the beginning. “Be a learning machine. Real learning starts when you get out there in the game.”
Why she’s among the 8 to Watch: As an early member of the analytics team at Spaulding Ridge, a global leader in business transformation delivering technology solutions, Olsen has been a driving force in the company’s success. She established best practices, defined success metrics from the client perspective, and laid the groundwork for key projects and major milestones. Now, she fosters meaningful client relationships and mentors the next generation of developers. “I get to help other people learn how to be good developers and managers, which is what I’m passionate about.”
Coming full circle: After earning her undergraduate degree in international business and marketing from WSB, Olsen enrolled in WSB’s Master of Science-Business: Analytics (MSBA) program to hone her skills in technical decision-making. She toured Spaulding Ridge through one of the program’s career exploration trips and later landed an analyst developer position. She now hosts that same tour that she took as a student and is actively involved in recruiting at the company—opening the door to new analysts and developers, including Business Badgers like herself.
Empowering female voices: Outside of her professional responsibilities, Olsen is part of Women Elevate, an employee resource group at Spaulding Ridge. She serves as a mentor and creates space for women to speak freely about their passions, career aspirations, and perspectives.
Impact of a WSB degree: A self-described evangelist for the MSBA degree, the double Business Badger credits her WSB education for preparing her to tackle any problem thrown her way. “The MSBA program gives you a tool kit of ideas and solutions to solve real-world problems. It teaches you how to learn for the future.”
Why he’s among the 8 to Watch: At health care platform Doximity, Kornetzke leads a 40-person team that licenses and deploys new clinical workflow tools, from patient communication and on-call scheduling services to AI-powered productivity software, to help today’s hyper-busy physicians. “We build things that ultimately help doctors take better care of patients.”
A lifelong love: Growing up in the shadow of UW–Madison, Kornetzke knew exactly where he wanted to attend college. He studied finance at WSB before being recruited to P&G in Cincinnati, where he’d maintain his lifelong Badger pride by serving as the city’s Wisconsin Alumni Association chapter president.
“We build things that ultimately help doctors take better care of patients.”
—Aaron Kornetzke (BBA ’11)
Call the doctor: While earning an MBA, Kornetzke landed a position at Doximity: best known at the time as a medical networking platform. Over the years, Kornetzke helped expand the company’s scope, including building out a robust telehealth platform that saw significant growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Impact of a WSB degree: Kornetzke says WSB’s approach to business education—one that’s rooted in humble, roll-up-your-sleeves Midwestern values—helped shape his personal “player-coach” leadership style. “I lead the team and set the goals, but like to be in the trenches with them doing whatever needs to be done.”
Never stop learning: In a rapidly changing world, Kornetzke emphasizes the importance of treating learning as a skill to be developed. It’s advice he’d offer to anyone, from a colleague to his young children. “If you can cultivate that hunger to learn, you can stay at the forefront of any change that comes your way.”
Why she’s among the 8 to Watch: A former architect, Kirk is passionate about design and thoughtful placemaking, guiding her to develop with intention at real estate investment company Jamestown. With a hand in leasing, redevelopment, and acquisition, she oversees real estate projects at every stage: from blueprint to skyscraper. “I love the idea that I get to shape where you live, where you work, where you have fun, and help you live your passion.”
A warm welcome: Seeking to pivot from architecture to business, Kirk was drawn to WSB’s welcoming culture and commitment to advancing diversity in business. These values are reflected in its long-standing partnership with the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, which awarded her a fellowship. “It was as if I was already a part of the network. Wisconsin really had open arms to me before I was formally accepted.”
Impact of a WSB degree: Beyond gaining practical experience in real estate law—skills she applies daily to review equity agreements, tenant leases, and contracts—she is grateful for the real-world opportunities WSB provided. One pivotal experience was a case competition where she met her future boss at Jamestown, leading to an internship that set her career in motion.
Sustainable specs: Kirk was a key player in developing the first locally sourced mass timber project in Atlanta, which is now the largest southern yellow pine building in the Southeast. She says this project reflects the company’s vision for sustainable, uniquely designed buildings that incorporate wellness features like eco-friendly rooftop decks.
Offering time and talent: In addition to serving on the Wisconsin Business Alumni Board, she serves on boards for Atlanta organizations that assist with food insecurity and provide people with sustainable, affordable environments. “These organizations really connect with my passion for spaces, places, and people.”
Why he’s among the 8 to Watch: Foster is making waves at FreshFin, a fast-growing restaurant brand with locations in Wisconsin and beyond. Leveraging his operations expertise, Foster handles daily responsibilities—like working with team members, customers, and vendors—while focusing on big-picture strategies including marketing, system improvements, and business growth.
The path to FreshFin: While earning his MBA, the former engineer met his current business partner (the other co-founder of FreshFin), who shared the ins and outs of the business. The chance to join the company from the ground up spoke to the Montana native’s lifelong passion for the restaurant industry, one that began in high school when he’d bike to a local sandwich shop at 5 a.m. for work.
Charting new waters: After he joined FreshFin, he and his business partner immediately got to work, opening three new Wisconsin locations in just over a year and four more locations in subsequent years. In 2025, he’ll open a FreshFin location in the Chicago suburbs and launch a brand-new brunch restaurant near Milwaukee.
Impact of a WSB degree: In addition to gaining foundational knowledge in marketing, accounting, and lean startup methodology, Foster expanded his expertise in business development through the Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship course. “The MBA program really launched me into being able to open and run multiple businesses.”
It’s about the team: Foster strives to create opportunities for his team and cultivate a satisfying work environment by continuously developing new systems and resources—like an enhanced internal training platform. “Any time we open up a shop or are able to scale and provide more opportunities for our team, that always feels like a big reward.”