Outstanding MBA/MSIS Graduates
2012 Outstanding MBA Graduates
(view snapshots from the 2012 Graduate Banquet)
Tammy Karcz
Tammy graduated with her MBA in the fall 2011 semester. She currently works as a Senior Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Analyst for Integrys Energy Group in Green Bay and has 15 years of progressive professional work experience in the accounting field. Tammy earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in Managerial Accounting and Business Administration minor from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay in 1996. She then earned her CPA designation in January of 2001.
Giving back to the community has always been important to Tammy, even through her busy years as a graduate student. She has served for the past six years as the treasurer and executive committee member of the Northeastern Wisconsin Arts Council, where she uses her financial expertise to help prepare an annual budget to achieve the mission of supporting, fostering, and promoting the arts. She has also been a member of the Wisconsin Public Service Choir.
Tammy will soon take on the role of President of the Fox Valley/Central Wisconsin Institute of Internal Auditors Board of Directors. Her short-term goal is to obtain a higher position within the SOX Compliance department, eventually working her way up to Manager of SOX compliance as this is the area of accounting she most enjoys.
Kelli Karpinski
Kelli graduated with her MBA degree in spring 2012. She currently works as the Marketing and Communications Director for the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce and has 20 years of progressive professional business experience. Kelli earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Journalism and an English Literature minor from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire in 1991 where she graduated with honors.
A variety of area organizations are fortunate to have Kelli as a volunteer. She has put in hours as a Junior Achievement (JA) classroom consultant since the late 1990s and has been teaching fourth grade students at Roosevelt Elementary the JA curriculum about the economy and entrepreneurism for the past six years. For nearly 10 years, Kelli has used her marketing expertise helping Cerebral Palsy of Mideast Wisconsin. She also serves as a community representative on the Governance Committee of the Woman's Fund where she helps develop board and committee orientation strategies, periodically reviews bylaws and recommends new board and committee members.
In the short-term, Kelli plans to use her MBA skills and knowledge to enhance her current position at the Chamber of Commerce and will pursue teaching on a part-time basis. In the long-term, Kelli would like to pursue a higher-level position in marketing and communications either at a corporate level or within the chamber of commerce industry.
Valerie Swanborg
Valerie completed her MBA degree in spring 2012. She is a Senior Plant Accountant at Ecolab, Inc. - Equipment Operations in Beloit, WI, and has 15 years of progressive professional work experience. Valerie earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Managerial Accounting from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in 1997. She passed the CPA exam while working in a public accounting firm shortly after graduation.
Working for Ecolab, a publicly owned global organization headquarters in St. Paul, MN, has broadened Valerie's accounting experience, which includes assisting the Operations controller at the plant, performing internal SOX audits, and maintaining documentation of SOX control procedures.
Valerie enjoys contributing to her community in a number of ways. She serves on the Ecolab Peer Review Board for the Visions for Learning Committee, which distributes corporate funds provided to support education in her local area. She was the Finance chairperson for The Empty Bowl Fundraiser this past February and has been asked to serve as Co-Chair for the next year's fundraiser.
Implementation of accounting functions in Enterprise Resource Planning systems is a special interest for Valerie. Her long-term goal is to eventually move into a Controller or Finance Manager role.
2011 Outstanding Graduates
Matt Sohrweide
Paul Fredelake
Gary Borgardt
2010 Outstanding Graduates
Lori Borchardt
Bryan Hochstein
2009 Outstanding Graduates
Andrea Koch
Michelle Lipschultz
Tim Styka
2008 Outstanding Graduates
David J Blondheim, Jr
Bill Micksch
Nick Olesczak
2007 Outstanding Graduates
Nicole Doebert
Michele Fogette
Keith Summers
2006 Outstanding Graduates
Cory Boettcher
Diana Buechel
Joseph Fikejs
