The following Class Notes were received recently in the UW Oshkosh Alumni Office:
’61 Lou Marohn (EHS) and Pat (Long) Marohn ’62 (EHS), of Glenview, Illinois, hosted a UW Oshkosh alumni reception event at Grandpa’s Place in Glenview in August.
’63 Mary Boss (EHS), of Oshkosh, is retired after a 30-year career as a realtor. Boss also is a former speech and English teacher for Winneconne middle and high schools and Fox Valley Technical College.
’67 Charles Bradley (EHS), of Kenosha, retired in 2007 from teaching at Tremper High School but continues to coach cross country after 51 years. Bradley and his wife, Ruth, are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
’71 David Tolpingrud (B), of Oshkosh, a member of the UWO Alumni Association Board of Directors shares his Titan pride with many, including his granddaughter Joelle.
’73 Laurel Striebel-Marchinowski (EHS) and MA ’84, of Neenah, teaches band to grades 4-8 at St. John’s Catholic School in Little Chute. Striebel-Marchinowski has taught band for over 40 years in the Fox Cities.
’73 Phil Rasmussen (EHS), of Wauchula, Florida, is a retired, self-employed citrus grower and cattle and property manager.
’80 Sandy (Warner) Bevels (EHS), of Salisbury, North Carolina, retired from Rowan-Salisbury Schools after 29 years as an exceptional children’s teacher.
’81 Laurie (Simonson) Krasin (LS), of Fond du Lac, received the UW System Outstanding Contributor Access Award for her role in advancing the UW Colleges and UW-Extension restructuring project.
’85 Don Becker (LS), of Delafield, celebrated 30 years in the advertising business. Becker has spent the last 22 years as president of DBA Marketing Communications.
’87 Mike Heller (LS), of Waunakee, is a sports talk show host on The Big 1070 in Madison.
’88 Steven Francour (LS), of Oshkosh, picked up his 500th win as a 30-year veteran college tennis coach. Francour is in his seventh season with the Lawrence University women’s tennis team.
’91 Paula McNiel (N), of Greenville, received the Edward M. Pension Distinguished Teaching Award at the UW Oshkosh convocation. McNiel is a leader in the public health field and active in community engagement initiatives related to health promotion and aging.
’93 Timothy Rosenthal (EHS), of Beloit, has been a music educator for 25 years in the Beloit Turner School District. Rosenthal earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis and is currently a doctoral candidate at UW-Madison.
’94 Chad Dombroski (B), of Lutz, Florida, is moving back to Wisconsin to work as the business development manager for Jacobus Energy.
’95 Shelly (Disch) Mogensen (MBA), of Marinette, is chief credit officer at Stephenson National Bank and Trust. Mogensen joined the bank in 2005 as a commercial credit assistant and is a former recipient of the Stephenson National Bank and Trust Award of Excellence.
’95 Stacy Strandberg (LS), of Hartland, participated in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course in Baja California. Strandberg is a biology teacher at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School in Milwaukee.
’95 Catherine (Schmidt) Williams (LS), of Necedah, will exhibit her collection of Profiles on Paper at The Drury Gallery at Portage Center for the Arts. Williams focuses on charcoal or ebony pencil portraits of people via live sittings and reference photos.
’96 Melissa (Albright) Bublitz (B) and MBA ’02, of Neenah, received the Edward M. Penson Faculty Award at the UWO convocation. Bublitz is a faculty member in the UWO College of Business.
’97 Laura Knappen (MBA), of Oshkosh, retired after 20 years of service to UW Oshkosh. Knappen most recently served as director of user services in Information Technology.
’98 Catherine Caspary (N) and MSN ’03, of Fond du Lac, is a nurse practitioner and regional director at Optum Clinical Services. Caspary also is a volunteer nurse practitioner at Church Health Services, a free clinic in Beaver Dam.
’98 Patrick De Bruin (EHS) and MS ’05, of Appleton, is a high school mathematics teacher at Little Chute High School.
’01 Christine Arendt (MSN), of Neenah, Wisconsin, is an advanced practice nurse practitioner specializing in endocrinology at Fox Valley Surgical Associates.
’02 Jessica (Bobholz) Jacobson (EHS), of Cedarburg, is a special education teacher at Readfield Elementary School in New London.
’02 Nathan Russell (EHS), of Portage, will be recognized for his musical contributions to the community at the annual Portage Center for the Arts’ Autumn Arts Dinner. Russell worked as an audio engineer at Woodland Studios in Nashville and owns and operates his own music teaching studio, Portage Soundworks.
’03 Thomas Xiong (LS), of Appleton, assistant director of UWO Admissions, received the UWO Inclusive Excellence Award, which recognizes individuals who have created a campus climate that values diversity, safety, equity and respect.
’06 Kristi Romberg (MSE), of Friendship, was nominated for the prestigious 2019 Herb Kohl Fellowship Award. Romberg has taught alternative education at Westfield High School for 13 years and coaches cross country.
’08 Jacquleine Trebiatowski (EHS), of Omro, and spouse ’05 Paul Trebiatowski (B) celebrated 12 years of marriage. Jacqueline has taught at Carl Traeger Elementary for 10 years and received the 2017 UWO Integrative Teacher of the Year Award.
’09 Laura Lenss (EHS), of Wrightstown, is a special education teacher at West De Pere High School. Lenss educates with a facility dog from Canine Companions for Independence to promote a positive environment for her students.
’10 Kimberly Krejcarek (LS), of Green Bay, is the creative services producer for WLUK-TV Fox 11. Krejcarek produced a 30-minute television special to commemorate WLUK’s 65th anniversary this September.
’10 Daniel Mahn (LS and EHS), of Green Bay, has been teaching for 10 year, the past five at Westfield High School. He is pursuing a master’s degree in educational administration with a concentration in principal and curriculum director licenses.
’11 Kylie Hodges (EHS), of West Hollywood, California, is the UWO Los Angeles Alumni Chapter leader. Hodges will return to campus on Oct. 8 to speak on the power of connections and relationships when navigating a career.
’11 Daniel Kovach (EHS), of Washburn, is a math interventionist in the School District of Bayfield. Kovach has 20 years of teaching experience.
’11 Lori (Hoover) Palmeri (LS), of Oshkosh, is the Oshkosh mayor. Palmeri is a former deputy mayor and common council member and was recognized in Si Se Puede’s 2019 list of Wisconsin’s most powerful Latinos.
’11 Jessica (Maltbey) Stickel (MSE), of Prescott, Arizona, spoke at the UW Oshkosh Head Start Kick-Off event. Stickel opened her own business eight years ago, Inspired Freedom, which provides life coaching, wellness, goal setting and other supports.
’12 Joe Ackerman (B), of Appleton, is a senior commercial lender at Wolf River Community Bank in Hortonville. Ackerman has seven years’ experience in the finance industry.
’12 Renee Anderson (LS), of Fond du Lac, received a UWO Outstanding Performance Award. Anderson was a returning adult student and graduate of both UW-Fond du Lac and UW-Oshkosh. Since 2010 she has worked as an executive assistant in the Dean’s office and more recently the Office of the Assistant Chancellor for Access Campuses at the Fond du Lac campus.
’12 Jaquelyn (Nefstead) Frombach (N), of Medford, is the chief nursing officer at Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua hospital. Frombach also provides nursing leadership at Marshfield Clinic centers in Wausau, Weston, Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids.
’12 Ryan Zak (EHS) and MS ’16, of Oshkosh, is the dean of students at Berlin Middle School.
’13 Kara (Hopfensperger) Baumgartner (EHS), of Freedom, is an elementary math coach in the Kaukauna Area School District. Baumgartner previously worked in the Seymour Community School District.
’13 Tyler Morey (MBA), of Minneapolis, Minnesota, participated in the Comrades Ultramarathon (54 mile race) in South Africa, representing his company, Balega, while raising $4,000 for The Ethembeni School. He was the fourth American in the race. Morey was a member of the UWO cross-country and track and field teams as a student.
’14 Eliza Farrow (LS), of Oshkosh, received the UWO Queer Faculty/Staff Award. Farrow has been the program assistant for the UWO Women’s Center since 2014, is a Tier 1 SAFE trainer, serves on the LGBTQ+ Resource Center advisory board, designed the new Ally March logo, and led the launch of Level Up! Feminist Gaming Initiative.
’14 Beth Krage (MSN), of Caledonia, Minnesota, is director of nursing at Gundersen Tweeten Care Center. Krage previously worked as a registered nurse and clinical nurse leader at Gundersen Healthcare System in La Crosse.
’14 Rebecca Viaene (EHS), of Appleton, is a counselor at New London High School. Viaene has been a social worker for five years.
’15 Michelle Cecil (LS), of Delaware, Ohio, is engaged to be married in 2021. Cecil is a residential life coordinator at Ohio Wesleyan University.
’15 Casey Despres (B), of Waupun, is the executive director of the Waupun Area Chamber of Commerce. Despres will continue to serve as farmer’s market manager of the Downtown Farmers Market.
’15 Danica Kulibert (LS) and MS ’17, of New Orleans, Louisiana, is in a doctoral program in Tulane University’s Department of Psychology.
’15 Deanna VanderWielen (LS), of Appleton, received the UWO Outstanding Performance Award. VanderWielen supports the College of Business professional development program and advises Alpha Lambda Delta.
’16 Natalie (Strzalko) Demler (EHS), of Oshkosh, is a national account specialist with Amcor, managing the Hormel Foods national account and also involved with Amcor’s employee engagement committee. She is married to Jake Demler ’11 (LS).
’16 Daniel Kobin (LS), of Durham, North Carolina, is the content photography manager at soccer.com for Sports Endeavors Inc.
’16 Brenna McDermot (LS), of Fond du Lac, is a freshman English teacher at Omro High School. While at UWO, McDermot was an editor for the Advance-Titan student newspaper.
’16 Emily Olson (EHS), of Oshkosh, is a grade school counselor at Clay Lamberton Middle School.
’16 Andrew Pflanzer (LS), of Brooklyn, New York, married Lydia Ramsey in August. Pflanzer is a development manager of individual giving at the Marshall Project, a nonprofit organization focused on criminal justice.
’17 Abigail Boville (LS), of Tampa, Florida, and Jeff Clapper ’18 (LS), of Manitowoc, are engaged to be married. Boville is a health fitness professional with MetLife.
’18 Kylie (Bennett) Dawes (B), of New London, a certified public accountant and senior associate with Baker Tilly, was recently married.
’18 Josie Greeninger (EHS), of Kimberly, is a first-grade teacher at Westside Elementary School.
’18 Jaclyn Halsey (OCE), of Eagle River, is a paraprofessional in the Northland Pines Middle School special education department. Halsey and her husband, Ryan, own Halsey’s Fab Shop.
’18 Brenna Martyn (EHS), of Edgar, Wisconsin, was hired as an eighth-grade U.S. history teacher at Berlin Middle School.
’18 Bridget Pendergast (B), of Chicago, Illinois, is a campus recruiter for Northwestern Mutual.
’18 Melanie Van Asten (LS), of Kaukauna, is a school social worker at Greenville Elementary School.
’18 Brianna Vande Wettering (MS), of Greenville, is a second-grade teacher at Greenville Elementary School. Vande Wettering has seven years of teaching experience.
’19 Colin Daniels (LS), of Oshkosh, is a realtor with Adashun Jones Real Estate. Daniels received an associate’s degree from the UWO Fox Cities campus and a bachelor’s degree from the UW Oshkosh campus.
’19 Devon Feldt (MS), of Waupaca, is a teacher at the Chain Exploration Center, a charter school with a focus on project-based learning.
’19 Alexandra Holt (B), of Winneconne, works at Holt’s Diamond Jewelers and plans to become the third-generation owner of her family’s business.
’19 Nicole “Nikki” Glaeser (EHS), of Valders, is a second-grade teacher at Valders Elementary School.
’19 Sarah Michels (EHS), of Milwaukee, is a middle and high school special education teacher in the Markesan District Schools.
’19 Cody Moon (EHS), of Ripon, is physical education teacher in Green Lake School District.
’19 Tia Tennessen (EHS), of Sherwood, is a second-grade literacy and special education teacher at Sunrise Elementary School in the Kimberly Area School District.
’19 Caitlin Vyskocil (EHS), of Brantwood, is a kindergarten teacher at Phillips Elementary school.
’19 Jacob Westerman (B), of Elk Ridge, Maryland, joined Phil Whitebloom ’80 (B) at the UWO Titan football game at Salisbury University in September. Westerman is a sales representative for ENENSYS TeamCast, Inc., and Whitebloom is the vice president of sales for the Americas.
’19 Grace Zaplatynsky (LS), of Schaumburg, Illinois, is a community news editor for the Summit-Tribune, a branch newspaper for the Globe Gazette in northern Iowa.
ABBREVIATION KEY
COLLEGES
• B — Business
• EHS — Education and Human Services
• LS — Letters and Science
• N — Nursing
• OCE —Online and Continuing Education
GRADUATE DEGREES
• DNP — Doctor of Nursing Practice
• EdD — Doctor of Education
• GMBA — Global Master of Business Administration
• MA — Master of Arts
• MBA— Master of Business Administration
• MPA — Master of Public Administration
• MS — Master of Science
• MSE — Master of Science in Education
• MSN — Master of Science in Nursing
• MST — Master of Science in Teaching
• MSW — Master of Social Work
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