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The director of Wisconsin’s state courts, a multi-platinum award-winning music producer and a pediatric nurse practitioner are among the eight recipients of alumni awards from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

The Alumni Association presented four 2008 Outstanding Young Alumni awards and four Distinguished Alumni awards, at an Alumni Awards Banquet Oct. 17, an event that serves as a prelude to Oct. 18’s Homecoming parade, pregame celebration at Tent City and football game.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest award that alumni can receive from the UW Oshkosh Alumni Association. Individuals nominated for the award must have attended UW Oshkosh, and must be active in their professional field and widely recognized for their career accomplishments. Recipients of the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award include:

  • Trevy A. McDonald ’90, of Chapel Hill, N.C., is the principal and founder of Reyomi Global Media Group, a college professor and a motivational speaker. Her novel, Time Will Tell, made the cover of Publisher’s Weekly. She earned a Master of Arts in radio, television and motion pictures and a doctorate in mass communication research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she teaches in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
  • Timothy C. Mulloy ’76, is senior vice president with the Liberty Mutual Group of Boston, Mass., a Fortune 100 company, and general manager of the Wausau Insurance Signature Division in Milwaukee. A U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, Mulloy began his career in 1976 with Wausau Insurance in group sales.
  • Gordon J. Veldboom ’66, who owns Oostburg Concrete Products in Oostburg, developed his family’s small construction company into one of the largest poured-wall and masonry contractors in Wisconsin, which currently employs more than 150. He also owns a development and investment company that has developed 12 subdivisions and more than 400 residential and commercial lots in the Oostburg area.
  • A. John Voelker’87, of Madison, was appointed Wisconsin’s director of state courts by the State of Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2003. As the chief non-judicial officer of the state court system, he has the authority and responsibility for the overall management of Wisconsin’s unified judicial system.

The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes the professional accomplishments and future promise of alumni who graduated in the past 15 years. Recipients of the 2007 Outstanding Young Alumni Award include:

  • Theresa (Crogan) Krajnak ’95, of Milwaukee, is a sales development executive with Home Box Office (HBO. Krajnak manages all point-of-sale tactics and point-of-sale client relations for the Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications call centers in Wisconsin. In January, she led the consumer test launch of HBO on Broadband for Time Warner Cable-Wisconsin, the only location in the country to try out this new product.
  • Michele Polfuss ’96, of Milwaukee, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner for the NEW KIDS Program, part of the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition in Milwaukee. The program promotes pediatric nutrition, exercise and weight management. In 2003, she authored a $114,900 grant to address pediatric obesity, and later developed a reliable, cost-effective program with the help of a multidisciplinary team.
  • Cheryl L. Stinski ’94, of Appleton, founded and owns Alternative Resolutions, a mediation and consultation practice in Appleton. As a mediator, trainer, coach and author, she serves on the mediation rosters of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Postal Services and the Wisconsin Special Education Mediation System.
  • Rubin L. Whitmore II ’07, owner and manager of Bliss Enterprises in Milwaukee, has produced and directed more than 100 film projects, ranging from documentaries to music videos. He has received 17 certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards from the Recording Industry of America, and his productions have aired globally on networks such as BET, MTV and VH1.

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