Fall 2009 Dinners On Wisconsin!

Welcome to Dinners On Wisconsin! Select from the list below of alumni volunteers in a variety of career fields who have generously donated their time and culinary skills to help you connect with the working world. This is your chance to ask one-on-one questions, get tips from experienced alumni, network and get a free meal!

Register now for Dinners On Wisconsin!

Once you've filled out the registration form, you're all set. But remember that space is limited and these dinners will fill quickly, so don't wait! If you have questions, please e-mail us at dinners@uwalumni.com.

Are you interested in learning about the marketing and promotional aspects of University of Wisconsin athletics? At this dinner, you’ll have the opportunity to speak with an assistant marketing director from the UW athletic department who works in conjunction with the men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the football team. His duties include the development and implementation of marketing and ticket sales programs, managing interns and much more. If you’re interested in sports, marketing, or both, this is the dinner for you!

At this dinner, you’ll hear from the City of Madison’s recycling and public information coordinator. He is involved in many aspects of municipal government, including policy and program planning, public relations, program management and interagency environment initiatives. If you’re interested in good food, and what the city of Madison is doing to save our planet, this is the dinner for you!

This host went back to school as an older adult to pursue a degree in pharmacy, and after working at an independent pharmacy for 12 years, she made the switch to Walgreens. If you’re interested in pursuing a degree in pharmacy, and hearing firsthand the differences between working at an independent versus corporate pharmacy, this is the dinner for you!

This 6-8th grade science and math teacher at St. James School in Madison would like to share her experience as an educator with you. If you’re considering applying for the School of Education, and hearing firsthand what its like teaching secondary school in Madison, this is the dinner for you!

This real estate program graduate works primarily on housing finance and development. As part of the dinner, you’ll get a tour of his latest 50-unit, mixed-income development constructed in 2007. He currently is employed by Nakoma Development LLC as a real estate manager. If you’re interested in the real estate development business, and what it's like to manage properties, this is the dinner for you!

This alum has always believed in pursuing his passion. So when he graduated, he started his own company, ExchangeHut.com. He then pursued his passion for coaching college basketball which took him to New York and South Dakota. Now, he enjoys working as a church consultant. If you’re interested in learning how to pursue what you’re most passionate about, this is the dinner for you!

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is the designated patent management organization for the UW responsible for patenting and licensing inventions that arise from UW research, and returning revenue to benefit further research. If you’re on the cusp of perfecting a new invention, or are simply interested in hearing more about what goes into patenting and licensing for research, this is the dinner for you!

This host is the former Director of Consumer Products Research for the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Ga. She has also worked for numerous other companies in research and development and consumer research including General Mills, Pillsbury, ConAgra and Procter & Gamble. The co-host worked as an electrical project engineer for AC and DC motor drives manufacturer and in the Appleton newspapers. Drive applications he encountered were in the steel, paper, printing, plastic films, machine tools and other industries. From 1975 to retirement, he worked as an electrical project engineer at Appleton Papers in Appleton, Wis., primarily on the purchase, installation and start-up of power distribution and process equipment.

This UW alum currently works as Program Director for Teach for America in Chicago. In addition, this host supports and develops high school science corps members during their two years in the classroom, after being one himself, teaching chemistry and biology. If you’re at all interested in Teach for America, this is the dinner for you!

This UW graduate is a self-employed consultant with fond memories of his years at Madison. Hear about his favorite professors, spending time at the Union and how the UW better prepared him for his master' degree than his peers who went elsewhere. If you’re interested in discussing the UW, consulting and being self-employed, this is the dinner for you!

This husband and wife team both graduated with nursing degrees from the UW. They've held multiple hospital and insurance/corporate nurse case management positions. So, if you’re interesting in pursuing a nursing degree and would like to hear about all of the opportunities that come with being a nurse, this is the dinner for you!

This alum taught kindergarten in Madison from 1999 to 2004, did some consulting work, and then taught in Mexico for two years. She is currently a kindergarten teacher for the Madison Metropolitan School District at Glendale Elementary. If you’re interested in education, and teaching abroad, this is the dinner for you!

At this dinner you'll meet an alum who worked as an engineer for 10 years before becoming a physician. He currently works for Madison Anesthesiology Consultant as a managing partner. His wife is a recovery room nurse at Meriter Hospital, although she initially worked for the DNR. So, if you’re interested in anything from engineering to anesthesiology or nursing to the DNR, this is the dinner for you!

Learn more about careers in higher education including international student advising and study abroad advising. This dinner will be co-hosted by two UW alumni who work as study abroad advisers at UW-Madison. Hear more about how you can turn your study abroad experience into a career in international education.

This alum is the president of his own company, and an inventor with an eye for business. His product development work has spanned a wide range of industries, from space research to networking software to draft beer. Find out what mark the host has left on the food industry, as well. If you’re interested in learning about what it takes to make an idea come to life, this is the dinner for you!

Currently serving as principal at Sugar Creek Elementary in Verona, this educator says his favorite part of the UW was his class in Russian language. If you’re interested in learning about Madison area schools, being a principal or learning Russian at the UW, this is the dinner for you!

Majoring in education and minoring in history, this alum now loves what she does. Being a bilingual, first-grade teacher is a lot of work, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. She can talk to you about what Education classes she enjoyed and recommend her favorites, her experience with the Early Autism Project or what it means to be an educator in social justice!

Sit down for dinner with two 2008 J-School graduates working at full-service advertising agencies in Madison. One alum currently is a public relations specialist at Kennedy Communications. The other host is a junior account executive at Waldbillig & Besteman. Both can offer insights into the exciting world of advertising and public relations, as well as provide advice on approaching the job hunt and life in Madison as a young professional.

After graduating from UW-Madison in 2007 with degrees in political science and journalism, this graduate went on to drive the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile for Kraft Foods. His experiential marketing tour took him to over 250 cities in 25 states. After one year, he decided to take a position with Kraft in Madison, Wis., where he works from home as a sales and marketing representative. The co-host graduated UW in 2008 with a dual degree in mathematics and communication arts. Upon graduating, he began working at Epic where he implements health care software around the country. By creatively using his experiences and background to identify his strengths, he was able to find work in a growing and exciting field in a city he loves!