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Two University of Wisconsin Oshkosh business grads who have created waves of positive change in their communities are set to receive alumni awards during Homecoming 2018.

The UW Oshkosh Alumni Association will present Cecelia Jensen, of Phoenix, Arizona, with a Distinguished Alumni Award; and Katrina Schiedemeyer, of Oshkosh, an Outstanding Young Alumni Award in recognition of their impact on their communities and dedication to making the world a better place.

Jensen, a 1985 accounting major, worked for a public accounting firm for eight years before she and her husband Jeff founded MedEfficiency Inc., a medical product company focused on wound care products.

With a gift for numbers and strategic planning, Jensen served in a myriad of roles for MedEfficiency: president, chief financial officer and even the director of marketing and sales.  She was instrumental in grant writing and budgeting, garnering over $2.2 million in grants to develop various medical products designed to improve medical care in today’s healthcare system.

In 2007, the company launched a product that simplified diabetic wound care and was instrumental in reducing amputation rates. The product has been used in 500 wound centers nationwide and also has saved limbs and lives in Australia, Europe, Japan, the Middle East and South America. The Jensens sold their company in 2012 for over $14.5 million.

Since 2012, Jensen has taken a step back from the corporate world to focus on her four children and pursuing philanthropic and volunteer opportunities:

  • Giving back to education, Jensen served on the Evergreen High School Education Foundation and the Evergreen basketball boosters (Evergreen, Colorado).
  • In tandem with her husband, Jensen donated the cornerstone gift to her high school (Oconto Falls) to name the new football stadium in honor of a former teacher and mentor.
  • As active agents of change, Jensen and her husband co-chaired the Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine Capital Campaign in Miami, Florida, where they donated the lead gift in the campaign resulting in endowed scholarships for the university.
  • Inspiring the next generation, Jensen and her husband established new research scholarships at Midwestern University in Phoenix to expand educational opportunities for podiatric medical students.

UW Oshkosh gave Jensen the opportunity to follow her dreams. She credits the accounting club as a place where she learned perseverance and developed leadership skills to build and use networks to create career and business opportunities.

“When you graduate at the age of 23 as an accountant and then spend so much of your career as an entrepreneur and wearing so many different hats, it is amazing to look back and reflect on the twists and turns along the way,” Jensen said. “UW Oshkosh laid the foundation for my career, and I thank all those who supported my efforts and gave me that launch pad so many years ago.”

Schiedemeyer, a 2017 supply chain management major, has dedicated her early career to developing lifelong community partnerships, promoting student success and cultivating workplace joy.

As the senior manager of global quality and continuous improvement, Schiedemeyer, has led Oshkosh Corporation in leveraging the voice of customer  and continuous improvement to enhance the manufacturing process and customer experience. Her success earned her the opportunity to present at the Next Generation of Customer Experience (NGCX), a conference which brings together senior-level customer experience executives from across all industries to discuss the latest customer experience strategies across all channels and touch points.

Hard work and determination has merited Schiedemeyer a six-sigma green belt, a quality engineer certification with The American Society for Quality and designation as the youngest certified project management professional (PMP) in Wisconsin.

In addition to career commitments, Schiedemeyer has found time to participate in several community activities. She is founder of Girl Talk, an organization dedicated to mentoring adolescent females; and Bedtime for Kids, an organization that donates bedtime items (pajamas, books, pillows, blankets) to underprivileged youth.

Schiedemeyer also volunteers at the Aurora Medical Center surgical recovery unit, provides economic training and education to youth through the Junior Achievement program and is the youngest member of the board of directors of Mali Rising Foundation.

“The UW Oshkosh academic program is world class. My professors set me on the path for success, and I have been fortunate to apply what I learned in the classroom every single day,” she said.

Alumni Honors
Jensen and Schiedemeyer will be among those honored at UWO’s Alumni Awards Celebration on Friday, Oct. 19 at the Alumni Welcome and Conference Center. The cost is $30 per person and includes dinner. For more information or to RSVP for the event, please call (920) 424-3449 or send an email to alumni@uwosh.edu.

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