MILWAUKEE – More than 20 individuals and organizations will be honored at the UW-Milwaukee Alumni Association Awards Evening on Oct. 9, 2015, at Pier Wisconsin in Milwaukee. The 19 individual recipients, two corporate partners and one alumni chapter were chosen for awards based on their outstanding professional achievements, civic involvement and partnerships with the university, according to Adrienne Bass, associate vice chancellor of alumni relations. Awardees represent the impact UWM has made in Milwaukee and across the U.S.
“The 2015 UWM alumni awardees are a distinguished group of UWM alumni and friends who display the broad talent and altruism fostered by a UWM degree,” said Bass. “The nomination pool was deep, which is why I am excited to announce the awardees today, as they represent UWM’s talented, successful and generous alumni and university friends.”
For tickets and information about the Oct. 9 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Alumni Association Awards Evening, visit uwm.edu/alumni/awards/.
Here is a complete list of 2015 UWM Alumni Awards recipients.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Robert Cialdini, ’67 BS Psychology. Resides in: Tempe, Arizona.An internationally-recognized social psychologist, Robert Cialdini is best known for his 1984 publication on persuasion and marketing, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” which sold more than two million copies and appeared on the New York Times Business Best Seller List. Since retiring from Arizona State in 2008, Cialdini continues to do research, write and lecture throughout the world. He serves as president of Influence at Work, a consulting firm that trains executives for corporate clients, including Google, Microsoft and Coca Cola Corporation.
Distinguished Alumni Service Award
Gregoria Karides Suchy, ’45 BS Music Education. Resides in: Pasadena, California.
A UWM professor of music theory and composition for more than 53 years, Gregoria Karides Suchy influenced the life of nearly every UWM musician to graduate before 1999. Her academically rigorous yet supportive approach is the basis of the hundreds of “Suchy Stories,” fondly recalled by grateful alumni. Suchy was a pioneer in experimental music at a time when female composers were not well accepted. She was the first to create an electronically produced ballet and composed “Greek Rhapsody” for the 2010 Boston Marathon Concert.
UWM Foundation Alumni Achievement Award
Guy Mikkelsen, `69 MSW Social Work. Resides in: Phoenix, Arizona.
As the Arizona administrator of federal block grants for the Department of Economic Security, Mikkelsen established the Arizona Long Term Care System, the Association of Arizona Food Banks and the Arizona Refugee Resettlement Program. During his 29 years as CEO of the Foundation for Senior Living, he shaped a culture of competent, caring service and lifted the organization out of debt, adding $48 million in assets. Throughout his career, Mikkelsen applied his faith-filled passion for public policy and social justice to improving the lives of the community’s most vulnerable citizens.
Community Service Awards
Kenneth Munson, ’84 BA Political Science and History; Community Care CEO. Resides in: Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Working for the City of Milwaukee for more than a decade, as well as for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kenneth Munson established himself as a dedicated public servant. An active advocate for UWM, Munson is committed to securing the future of UWM, serving on the Foundation’s board of directors and on the Zilber School of Public Health’s campaign cabinet.
Mark Sabljak, ’79 MA Communication; Publisher, Milwaukee Business Journal. Resides in: Milwaukee.
Mark Sabljak has shown commitment to community projects and causes throughout his career. Recently he has focused on education-related activities as co-chair of the GMC’s education committee and served on the UWM School of Education’s board of visitors. In addition, he works with Milwaukee Succeeds, UW-Waukesha, Marquette University, the YMCA of Greater Milwaukee and the Waukesha Area Business Alliance. Sabljak was a founding co-chair of the Mosaic Partnership program and was instrumental in helping establish Celebration of Teachers and Teaching with the Education Deans Group of Greater Milwaukee.
Rebecca Schultz, ’87 BS Nursing, ’95 MS Nursing; Integrative and Holistic Family Nurse Practitioner, Aurora Health Care Family Practice Center; adjunct clinical professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and Aurora University of Wisconsin Medical Group. Resides in: Milwaukee.
Rebecca Schultz has contributed to the well being of the community in many ways. She brings a high level of care and expertise to her patients, teaching medical residents, leading Aurora Health Care’s efforts in integrative medicine, working with the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and teaching students at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Schultz has selflessly helped, nurtured and mentored those she has cared for, worked with and taught. Her enthusiastic “lead by example” attitude inspires all those around her to perform at their highest levels.
Honorary Alumni Award
Leonard Goldstein. Resides in: Truro, Massachusetts.
Leonard Goldstein has a long record of service devoted to preparing UWM students for productive careers in business and for responsible citizenship. He joined the Lubar School of Business as an executive-in-residence more than 20 years ago after retiring as chairman and CEO of Miller Brewing Company. He has touched the lives of hundreds of UWM students through lecturing, sharing valuable insights, linking students with members of the business community and offering career guidance to graduate and undergraduate students, especially those from under-represented populations.
GOLD – Graduate of the Last Decade Awards (undergraduate degrees)
Nicholas Blish, ’07 BS Health Care Administration; HR & Benefits Specialist, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin. Resides in: Greenfield, Wisconsin.
Nicholas Blish is an officer of the College of Health Science’s Alumni Chapter and member of the college’s Health Informatics & Administration advisory board. Blish regularly mentors students, helping them to turn internships into paid employment at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Paola Felix-Encarnación, ’11 BS Community Education, ’11 BA Spanish; Program Manager, City Year – Milwaukee. Resides in: Milwaukee.
Paola Felix-Encarnación affects the lives of local youths through City Year, helping at-risk and under-represented students obtain their high school degrees. She keeps a strong connection to UWM and serves as a board member of the Latino Alumni Chapter.
Hemad Fadaifar, ’08 BA Communication; Marketing Director, Persian Rug Gallery; Owner, Movida Restaurant. Resides in: Milwaukee.
Hemad Fadaifar is a businessman, restaurant founder, entrepreneur, philanthropist and world traveler. Most recently, Fadaifar won a Dos Equis “Stay Thirsty” grant, which allowed him to spend the last year traveling the globe, documenting his journey.
Paul Imig, ’10 BA Journalism and Media Communications; beat writer, Fox Sports Wisconsin. Resides in: Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
Paul Imig holds one of the most prestigious sports writing jobs in Wisconsin: Green Bay Packers beat writer, with stories appearing on MSN.com and with mentions on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Imig has also been a guest on Time Warner’s Roundtable.
Martha Phillips, ’06 BS Nursing; ER/trauma travel nurse. Resides in: Bellingham, Washington.
Martha Phillips is a dedicated nurse and humanitarian, often working in impoverished communities. From the Kayenta, Arizona, Navajo Indian Reservation, to her recent work in Sierra Leone with victims of the Ebola virus, Phillips exemplifies the selfless nature of nursing.
GOLD – Graduate of the Last Decade Awards (graduate degrees)
Ammar Alkhalidi, ’11 PhD Mechanical Engineering; Assistant Professor of Energy Engineering at German Jordanian University; research associate at UWM. Resides in: Swaileh, Amman, Jordan.
Ammar Alkhalidi is involved in several research projects at UWM, with a primary focus on water and wastewater problems that pose major challenges in his native Jordan.
Nathaniel Piotrowski, ’05 MUP Urban Planning; Community Development Director, Village of Brown Deer. Resides in: Shorewood, Wisconsin.
As the community development director in Brown Deer, Nathaniel Piotrowski works on urban design review, addresses transportation issues and conducts comprehensive planning. He serves as president of the UWM Urban Planning Alumni Chapter.
Kristen Roche, ’11 PhD Economics; Assistant Professor and Director, MBA Program at Mount Mary University. Resides in: Milwaukee.
Director of Mount Mary’s MBA program, Kristen Roche researches myriad issues pertaining to women in the workplace, entrepreneurship and self-employment/business ownership. She serves as board president of the Women’s Center in Waukesha.
Stephanie Sikinger, ’11 BS Criminal Justice `09, MS Criminal Justice; Crime Analyst, Intelligence Fusion Center-Predictive Intelligence Center, Milwaukee Police Department. Resides in: Milwaukee.
A civilian crime analyst, Stephanie Sikinger helped to create Milwaukee Police Department’s placed-based policing strategy. She teaches at UWM and runs the Intelligence Fusion Center’s analytical intern program.
Sylvia Wilson, ’04 MS Administrative Leadership, ’11 PhD Urban Education; CEO/Co-founder, Young Milwaukee Media Group, LLC. Resides in: Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
A 2014 Student Startup Challenge winner, Sylvia Wilson is the CEO and co-founder of Young Milwaukee Media Group, which manages three digital platforms including MKEGrind, offering career options, pathways, and resources to youths.
DeVona Wright Cottrell, ’06 Executive MBA; Director & Associate General Counsel, Robert W. Baird & Co. Resides in: Milwaukee.
DeVona Wright Cottrell gives back to her community by serving on an array of boards – including the UWM Foundation and Milwaukee Collegiate Academy – and offers pro bono legal counsel to her church.
Panther Pride Volunteer Award
Josie Osborne, ’89 BFA Art; Painting and Drawing; Lecturer, Department of Art and Design, UWM’s Peck School of the Arts. Resides in: Milwaukee.
Josie Osborne is one of the most prominent figures in the Milwaukee fine arts community and is known statewide for her work with arts organizations and teaching institutions. Her service to the greater community, and to UWM specifically – now as director of the First Year Program in the Department of Art and Design – is unparalleled. She reviews grant proposals for the Wisconsin Arts Board and serves on numerous other advisory boards for galleries and arts organizations. Osborne serves on the executive board of the UWM Alumni Association’s LGBT+ Chapter.
The Lubar Alumni Chapter
Formed in 2011, the Lubar Alumni Chapter is composed of devoted alumni volunteers who desire to provide connections and networking opportunities to fellow alumni throughout the region. The chapter also established a scholarship to benefit non-traditional students studying business. The chapter functions so effectively that it has become a model for other UWM alumni chapters. Last year, the chapter’s signature dinner program highlighted the school’s benefactor, Sheldon B. Lubar. The 2015 dinner featured UWM alumnus Paul Baniel, vice president of finance and administration for the Green Bay Packers, who spoke on his experience “From UWM to the Packers.”
Corporate Partner Awards
The Corporate Partner Award recognizes corporations or non-profit organizations that have a significant impact on the campus and/or on the lives of alumni and students by assisting in the advancement, growth and/or development of UWM. This year’s Corporate Partner Awards go to two distinguished community partners:
GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare has developed a partnership with UWM that has redefined how business needs can come together with university expertise to better serve the community and create opportunities for people. The development of the Center for Advanced Embedded Systems in the College of Engineering & Applied Science has opened new doors of collaboration. This partnership is fostering research projects to solve business problems, delivering specialized technical education and helping build a pipeline of talent in southeastern Wisconsin. GE Healthcare has expanded this relationship to include having employees judge and provide vital feedback at the annual student research poster competition as well as serving as a partner in education.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)
MMSD is one of the School of Freshwater Sciences’ most significant partners. They have sponsored and collaborated with faculty and students to conduct cutting-edge water research that increases understanding of Milwaukee’s watershed, reduces the impact of human activity on the environment and increases the safety and health of the public. MMSD also partners with the College of Letters & Science to advance Innovative Weather, a program developed to precisely forecast weather conditions to reduce the impacts of storms and mitigate the risk of flooding. Several UWM students have benefitted from participation in MMSD internships as well.
About UWM
As Wisconsin’s only public urban research university, UWM has established an international reputation for excellence in research, community engagement, teaching and entrepreneurism. UWM educates more than 28,000 students on an operating budget of $546 million, an amount that does not include federal financial aid passed through to students. The Princeton Review named UWM a “2015 Best in the Midwest” university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews. An engine for innovation in southeastern Wisconsin, UWM’s economic impact is more than $1.5 billion per year in Wisconsin alone.