The following Class Notes were received recently in the UW Oshkosh Alumni Office:

’67 James O’Laughlin (BBA), of Omaha, Nebraska, retired in 2010 from Morgan Stanley after 35 years as vice president and financial consultant.

’73 Judy (Vandehey) Ebert (BS), and ’77 (MSE), of Pickerel, was initiated into Delta Kappa Gamma during Nu Chapter’s November meeting in Shawano.

’73 Patricia (Steiner) Kramer (BSN), of Oak Creek, retired from Froedtert Medical College of Wisconsin OB-GYN Clinic, where she was a registered nurse doing prenatal assessments and telephone triage until 2016. She now enjoys crocheting, quilting and machine embroidering.

 ’73 Philip Rasmussen (BS), of Wauchula, Florida, retired from Hardee County Florida Schools after 44 years, where he served at the elementary, middle and high school levels.  He coached football for 28 years and was named District Teacher of the Year in 2007.

’73 Ronald White, of Chicago Heights, Illinois, is the director of juvenile services for the Chicago Heights Police Department.

’75 Trinette McCray (BS), of Milwaukee, is the author of Vital Spirit, Vital Service: Spirituality that Works (Judson Press 2014). McCray earned her master’s in religious education and doctorate in ministry. She is ordained clergy with American Baptist Churches USA.

’75 Patrick Pazdernik (BS), ’76 (BS), and ’81 (MS), of Jamestown, North Carolina, spends his time giving back to his community by teaching and sharing his work experience with college students, following 28 years with Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

’76 James “Jim” Zeirke (BS), of Sussex, is happily retired and started the Society of Amateur Theologians, a group for men to meet weekly and discuss theology. Zeirke also is a motorsports chaplain, serving Slinger Speedway and the Dirt Kings Tour. Jim and his wife recently welcomed their first grandchild.

’79 Michael Buyze (BS), and ’94 (MBA), of Appleton, is a healthcare entrepreneur with more than 35 years of experience and expertise in acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, functional medicine, clinical exercise physiology and nutrition. Buyze operates East Wind Healthcare in Appleton and Fond du Lac.

’79 Vicki (Johnson) Hellmann (BS), of Appleton, is looking forward to retirement following decades of on-air work with Woodward Radio Group.

’80 Suzanne (Aldrich) Banks (BSN), of Muskego, is the senior clinical informatics educator at Advocate Aurora Health. Banks was proud to tour the state of the art nursing lab at UWO.

’84 Linda (Stengel) Manthey (BA), of Kenosha, is an acupuncturist, massage therapist and herbalist at Partners in Health.

’86 Beverly Hillard (BBA), of Calumet City, Illinois, retired from the Illinois Department of Human Services/Medical Field Operations Central Office as a human service casework manager. Hillard has more than 20 years of public service with the State of Illinois.

’86 James Van Lanen Jr. (BBA), of Two Rivers, was inducted into the Wisconsin Disc Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. Van Lanen is the tournament director for the Silver Cup Disc Golf Super Tour held annually in Manitowoc. The Van Lanen family owns and operates the Lighthouse Inn in Two Rivers.

’87 Teri (Russell) Frailing (BS), of Menomonee Falls, retired after 30 years as a classroom teacher for the School District of Menomonee Falls.

’89 Mohd Yaziz Mohd Isa (MBA), of Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, is Dean of Bank Rakyat School of Business and Entrepreneurship at the Universiti Tun Abdul Razak.

’90 Pat (Zietlow) Miller (BS), and ’00 (MS), of Sun Prairie, authored two new picture books Remarkably YOU and When You Are BRAVE.

’91 Julie (Utzig) Keller (BBA), of Appleton, is executive director of the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region. Keller was formerly employed by the St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation.

’92 Theresa (Ellickson) Groskopp (BBA), of Winneconne, is a certified nutritionist and founder and president of Natural Healthy Concepts.

’93 Christopher Powless (BS), of Oneida, has more than 30 years of employment with the Oneida Nation, including 15 years in the Tourism Department where he conducts tours, educates about the Oneida culture and serves as videographer.

’94 Jeffery Baker (BS), of Horicon, is manager at Buzz’s in Freedom, a newly renovated bar and grill, where he worked throughout high school.

 ’96 Keith Kiupelis (BS), of Slinger, is the school resource officer for the Green Lake and Princeton School District. Kiupelis worked more than 20 years in law enforcement with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.

’97 Sandra White (BS), of Larsen, owns The Natural Boutique, in Neenah, formerly known as Botanical Indulgence. Working with plants and plant chemistry has been White’s passion for many years, which led to her interest in essential oils, teas and herbs.

’00 Dean Gazza (MBA), of Suamico, is the Kimberly Area School District’s director of buildings and grounds. Gazza was formerly the director of parks, recreation and facilities management for the City of Appleton.

’00 Keri Harke (BA), of Oshkosh, is the Deputy Clerk-Treasurer for the City of Green Lake Clerk’s Office, following 18 years as a career development adviser for the Green Lake County Job Center in Berlin.

’00 Jennifer Ruetten (BBA), of Oshkosh, was promoted to network administrator for Winnebago County. Ruetten’s relationship with the county began 20 years ago with a UWO student internship in their finance department.

’01 Maiyoua Thao (BS), and ’09 (MSE), of Appleton, is the president and CEO of Thao Enterprises, including Long Cheng Marketplace, in Appleton. Thao has received several awards for her citizenship and successes in business.

’01 Craig Trost (BA), of Madison, is communications director with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Trost is the former political director for Congressman Mark Pocan and deputy director of the Evers Inaugural Committee.

’05 Matthew Stolen (BBA), of Portland, Oregon, is director of compliance for Kingsview Asset Management, ranked seventh on Financial Advisor Magazine’s list of fastest-growing independent advisory firms.

’05 Joshua Thurmer (BBA), of Mukwonago, is the director of information technology for Cousins Subs Inc. He also coaches hockey and baseball.

’06 Ashley (Hatley) Caruso (BS), of Oak Creek, is chief development officer for Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast following roles as the director of major giving and interim chief development officer. Caruso was formerly in philanthropy with Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-All Saints Foundation in Racine, Children’s Memorial Foundation in Chicago and Black Point Historic Preserve in Lake Geneva.

’08 Paul Boettcher (BSE), of Wausau, is a special education teacher.

 ’12 Lori (Shaw) Unger (BSN), of Milwaukee, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Watertown Regional Medical Center and Directions Counseling Center. Unger has 18 years of experience in behavioral health.

 ’13 Emily McFarland (MPA), of Watertown, is a manager at the Wisconsin Office of Inspector General, working to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the multiple programs administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services

’14 Kassondra “Kassie” Batchelor (BS), of Owen, is the senior assistant athletic director for compliance and student services at UW-Green Bay, where she has worked for five years.

’15 Aaron Ashman (BBA), of Greenville, is a materials supervisor with Pierce Manufacturing, where he oversees more than 60 employees. Ashman is thankful UW Oshkosh provided him with the education to be successful in his career.

’17 Grant Kopitzke (BS), of St. Francis, is a graduate mathematics student and teaching assistant at UW-Milwaukee.  

’17 April Stern (BS), of Kewaskum, is completing her master’s degree in the physician assistant program at Carroll University and will graduate in May.

’18 Haylee Geib (BS), of Menasha, will begin medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus in July.

’18 Aliza Catoe (BFA), of Milwaukee, teaches at Longfellow Public School, a K3-8th grade bilingual school, in the Milwaukee Public School District.

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