Six new members join Wisconsin Alumni Association board of directors

Six leaders from around the country are lending their talents and enthusiasm to support the University of Wisconsin–Madison and its graduates as new members of the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) board of directors.

"We’re grateful that these accomplished alumni are giving their time and energy to help strengthen how WAA connects UW graduates to their alma mater and to each other," says Paula Bonner MS’78, WAA President and CEO.

New WAA board members include:

• Hilton H. Augustine Jr. ’82, president and chief executive officer of Global Management Systems Inc, Washington, D.C.;
• Nancy Ballsrud MBA ’75, a resident of Minnetonka, Minn., who serves as vice president of Cargill’s administrative division and regional treasurer for Latin America;
• Bill McCoshen ’87, vice president of Capitol Consultants, a Madison firm specializing in government relations and public affairs;
• William Raaths ’69, chief executive officer of Great Northern Corporation, headquartered in Appleton, Wis;
• Vasudevan Rajaram PhD ’78, environmental engineer at Techknow Engineering LLC, Chicago;
• Jeff Wiesner ’83, a Waukesha resident whose professional career has been spent with Accenture.

Current board member Douglas K. Griese, of Troy, Mich., a sales manager for industrial filtration firm Donaldson Company Inc., has been named chair of the board of directors. Griese earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from UW–Madison in 1975. He served six years as president of the Detroit alumni chapter, receiving a Sparkplug Award for exceptional service to alumni, the university and WAA. Griese, who has been a member of the WAA Board since 1989, succeeds Regina Millner of Madison as the board’s chair.

As members of the WAA board, these alumni partner with the association’s executive leadership and staff to drive the strategic thinking and direction of the independently financed, nonprofit organization.

WAA board members review and approve policy, oversee WAA finances, and serve as ambassadors for UW–Madison and WAA by strengthening relationships with campus and community leaders in Wisconsin and around the world.

Current board members also include:

• Valarie King Bailey ’82, Chief Executive Officer, OnShore Technology Group, Inc., Chicago;
• Theodore (Ted) Beck MBA’76, President and CEO, National Endowment for Financial Education, Denver;
• Donna Beestman MA’68, president and founder of Career Success Strategies, LLC, Madison;
• Dan Burrell PhD’92, dean of liberal arts and sciences at Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee;
• Sharon Chamberlain ’65, president and founder of Chamberlain Research Consultants, Madison;
• William Chapman ’82, director of investor relations and external relations, W.W. Grainger Inc., Chicago;
• Brian Christensen ’84, managing director for Phoenix-based consulting service Protiviti, Inc.;
• Peter Christianson ’71, JD’77, (2nd Vice Chair) partner, Quarles & Brady, Madison;
• Kun Young Chung, MBA’85, PhD’88, visiting scholar at UW–Madison’s School of Business and former dean of Keimyung University in Korea;
• H. Margo Edl, member of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine’s Board of Directors (ex-officio);
• Christa Eilers ’92, a Madison resident and former associate attorney at Michael, Best & Friedrich;
• David Florin ’92, president of Hiebing, a Madison-based marketing communications firm;
• Reed Hall ’70, (1st Vice Chair) executive director, Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield;
• Camille Haney ’69, president of the Haney Group, a public affairs firm in Madison;
• Tim Higgins ’77, president of Chiropractic Services Network Inc., Appleton;
• Jack Kaiser JD ’76, practicing partner at Schrage & Kaiser Law, Eau Claire;
• D. Cecil Martin ’99, co-captain of the 1999 Rose Bowl team, former NFL player, and featured speaker with Oppenheimer & Co., New York;
• Regina Millner JD’85, MS’91, (past Chair) founder of RMM Enterprises, a real-estate consulting firm in Madison;
• James Moran ’53, LLB’55, attorney with Holland & Hart and director of the University of Colorado Hospital Authority, Aspen, Colo.;
• Casey Nagy MA’89, special assistant to the Chancellor, UW–Madison (ex-officio);
• John Oros, ’71, president and chief operating officer for the Enstar Group, New York; and chair of the UW Foundation Board of Directors (ex-officio);
• Renee Ramirez ’83, director of finance for Gray Mare Preschool, Waukesha;
• Judi Roller, associate dean of UW–Madison’s College of Letters and Science (ex-officio);
• Anne Schierl ’53, MD’57, a Stevens Point, Wis., resident who participates in numerous community boards;
• Jay Sekelsky ’81 MBA’87, principal and senior portfolio manager, Madison Investment Advisors, Middleton;
• Ross Widmoyer ’00, buyer with Target Corporation, Minneapolis;
• Andrew (Sandy) Wilcox, president of the University of Wisconsin Foundation (ex-officio); and
• Jeanan Yasiri MS’85, principal with Jeanan Yasiri Solutions LLC in Madison, and lecturer for UW–Madison’s School of Human Ecology.

Founded in 1861, WAA offers UW alumni and friends a wide variety of services, including the award-winning On Wisconsin magazine, career services, international travel opportunities and lifelong learning events.