Stephanie Harvey ’92 has been very successful. After a career in sales, she went on to establish Independent Surgery Center, LLC, in Chippewa County, which specializes in eye surgeries. Today she is the CEO of the center and serves on the board of the Wisconsin Surgery Center Association, chairing its legislative committee.
She is also on the national board of the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society, where she is a liaison to the group’s president’s council and a member of its education and communication committee.
Harvey’s willingness to accept leadership roles and serve others was already evident during her college years at UW–Madison and in her work with the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB).
“My WASB experience was really beneficial for me,” she says. “So much of my campus life revolved around that group. My student board activities are some of my fondest college memories.”
Harvey’s work with WASB exemplified her attitude about the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
I realized my education at UW–Madison was just the beginning of a lifetime of learning.
“I like to give back, and I like to help others,” she says, “but I also get so much enjoyment out of just being connected to the university. I love that sense of belonging — and I want others to feel that, too.”
That attitude has continued to influence Harvey’s service to UW–Madison. She has served as president of the WAA: Chippewa Valley Chapter, establishing a sponsorship program that ensures long-term support for UW student scholarships.
“I give back because I remember how the university opened my eyes to the world,” she says. “It was more than just the classes I took. I realized my education at UW–Madison was just the beginning of a lifetime of learning.”
Harvey’s affinity for the UW is hard to match. Her older sisters went to Wisconsin, and Harvey watched their college experience from afar and could see the fun they were having. As far as she was concerned, UW–Madison was her only choice. In fact, when she was applying for colleges, she didn’t consider any other schools.
“I applied early and took my chances,” she says. Harvey even met her Badger husband at a UW–Madison alumni event.
What she loved most about her education was the diversity in cultures, the chance to meet students from all around the world, and the wide variety of majors and activities.
“At UW–Madison,” she says, “you can become anything you want to be.”
