Moraine Park Technical College has named the late Nancy Steinke of Fond du Lac its 2017 Distinguished Alumnus.
Nancy Steinke graduated from Moraine Park in 1975 and received a diploma as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and then obtained her state licensure. She grew up in Fond du Lac and was a 1969 graduate of St. Mary’s Springs Academy. Continue reading
We love hearing from MPTC alumni! Here, 1974 Alumni Don Charleston shares the interesting journey his career took after Moraine Park. If you would like to share your MPTC alumni story, connect with us here!
Moraine Park Technical College has named the late Nancy Steinke of Fond du Lac its 2017 Distinguished Alumnus.
Nancy Steinke graduated from Moraine Park in 1975 and received a diploma as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and then obtained her state licensure. She grew up in Fond du Lac, and was a 1969 graduate of St. Mary’s Springs Academy.
As she gained experience in her profession, Nancy was granted licensure as a Nursing Home Administrator. She worked at Rolling Meadows Nursing Home, was the Administrator at Calumet Homestead Rehabilitation Center in New Holstein and the Christian Home & Rehabilitation Center, Inc. in Waupun. For more than a decade, she was a partner and eventually became sole owner of Touchstone Living Center in North Fond du Lac.
Nancy genuinely loved her profession and provided loving and compassionate care to her residents and comfort to countless families in need of help.
Apart from her passionate work of helping others through her profession, she also actively supported her community in many other ways. Nancy was a member of Holy Family Catholic Community, the Elks Lodge
B.P.O.E. #57, Eagles Aerie 270, Fond du Lac Yacht Club, Weight Watchers and the Windhover Center for the Arts (now THELMA). She was a real estate broker, had owned a CURVES franchise in Waupun and was a volunteer at Walleye Weekend and the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. She also served on the board for the Hospice Charity Open.
Nancy also supported her alma mater by regularly attending Gourmet Dinners, an event designed to raise money for student scholarships and emergency financial assistance, and by hiring Moraine Park health professionals, office help and culinary graduates.
Even after her passing, this support has continued. After she passed away on February 22, 2016, her family and friends established the Nancy Steinke Nursing Scholarship for Moraine Park nursing students.
While her degree is Graphic Communications, Loni Meiborg, who graduated in the Class of 2002, has worked in the marketing and advertising field for more than 15 years. Currently, she’s the Marketing Leader at 1st National Bank, where her top priorities include delivering information to clients, developing materials that aide in financial success, and cultivating an easy-to-use environment for the bank’s products and services.
Making things clear and concise to her clients is important to her. She loves being able to make a positive impact on how 1st National Bank does business with clients.
Moraine Park helped Loni cultivate relationships with new and interesting people; skills she uses every day in her work. Continue reading
Moraine Park scholarship recipients had the opportunity to meet donors who are helping make their education more affordable. Scholarship luncheons held in Beaver Dam and West Bend, allowed donors to connect with students who are benefiting from their generous gifts and hear how the scholarships are making a difference in their lives. Continue reading
Students who received Moraine Park Foundation scholarships were given the opportunity to meet and thank their donors at a scholarship luncheon held at Park Terrace Restaurant on the Fond du Lac campus on Tuesday, October 4. The annual event, held at all three campuses, allows donors to connect with students who are benefiting from their generous gifts and hear how the scholarships are making a difference in their lives. Continue reading
Martin Ciriacks of Maribel, Wis., graduated from Moraine Park Technical College in 1984 with a degree in the Machine Tooling Technics program. He grew up in Hartford, Wis., and is a 1982 graduate of Hartford Union High School.
Upon completing his degree at Moraine Park, Martin found employment in his field and enjoyed positions at various Tool and Die Shops in the Germantown and Menomonee Falls area. During this time, Martin enjoyed fostering and training many apprentices from Moraine Park.
Since earning his degree from Moraine Park more than three decades ago, Martin has become a highly regarded plastic injection mold-building specialist, starting, growing, owning and selling several successful businesses in the manufacturing industry. He has also won several national awards, including becoming a three- time National Leadtime Leader Award winner.
Today, Martin is owner and president of Phoenix Tool LLC, a plastic injection mold-building company, located in Maribel, Wis. He founded this company in 2010. Phoenix Tool specializes in complex and intricate multi-cavity plastic injection molds delivered in demanding time frames.
Prior to that, Martin started and developed M&M Tool and Mold, Inc., from 1995 to 2007. It was then acquired by a private equity firm from Minneapolis, Minn. He also owned R&R Clamp LLC from 2007 to 2013 and Splitter Machine LLC in Denmark, Wis., from 2012 to 2014.
In his community, Martin has coached junior Little League and Little Leagues in Maribel for roughly a decade and has served as Chairman of the Finance Council at All Saints Catholic Church in Denmark. He has also supported the Knights of Columbus and Boy Scouts, has sponsored high school activities, and is a past Lions Club member and Norsemen Snowmobile Club member.
“Every woman has a story,” attests Denise Fitzsimmons ’81, Moraine Park Technical College’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus. As publisher of “InSpire Magazine” – a monthly rag dedicated to empowering women – Fitzsimmons showcases such stories. In doing so, she helps connect women with each other, as well as with resources and support geared to improving their lives.
Fitzsimmons, of Beaver Dam, Wis., graduated from Moraine Park with a degree in fashion merchandising and marketing before enjoying a successful career in publishing and co-founding “InSpire.” It turns out, design, fashion and publishing work well together.
“I started out after college in retail, then moved to a newspaper in Portage designing advertisements,” she said. “I ultimately moved to Conley Publishing Inc., where I worked from 1985-2004 and ended up as advertising director.
Still, Fitzsimmons craved more. A desire to empower others, especially women, spurred her to co-launch “InSpire.” She did so with two other women – 2006 Moraine Park Distinguished Alumnus Mary Beth Bockhorst and sister-in-law, Jill Huizenga. Eleven years later, “Inspire” touts a readership of 10,000 throughout the Wisconsin counties of Fond du Lac, Dane, Jefferson and Dodge. Since the magazine’s founding, it has donated $150,000 to area charities and nonprofits.
“I believe in helping out and giving back to the community,” she said. “I do it because it’s the right thing to do.” As such, Fitzsimmons is an active volunteer. She is a member of the Second Christian Reformed Church, in Randolph; the Beaver Dam Rotary Club; the Beaver Dam Community Hospitals Inc. Foundation Board; and the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee, among many others. She’s also given back to her alma mater through the years. She has served as celebrity chef for the Moraine Park Foundation and showcased many “InSpire” stories featuring Moraine Park programs, students and staff.
Fitzsimmons, who believes wholeheartedly in the value of a technical education, maintains she draws daily from the skills and life lessons learned while studying at Moraine Park. “The skills I learned at school in fashion merchandising helped me get where I am today,” she said.
After graduating in 1978 from Central Wisconsin Christian School, in Waupun, Fitzsimmons attended a four-year college in Iowa before transferring to Moraine Park. “It was a better fit for me,” she said. “I enjoyed Moraine Park’s small classes and very informative instructors. They wanted to help students learn and often invited us to their homes for dinners and study sessions.” In addition to developing critical marketing and business skills, Fitzsimmons honed her communication, problem-solving and leadership proficiency.
As a result of her experience, she urges high school graduates to consider Moraine Park as their next step in learning and life. Simultaneously, she encourages Moraine Park graduates to enthusiastically go after their dreams.
After graduating in 1978 from Central Wisconsin Christian School, in Waupun, Fitzsimmons attended a four-year college in Iowa before transferring to Moraine Park. “It was a better fit for me,” she said. “I enjoyed Moraine Park’s small classes and very informative instructors. They wanted to help students learn and often invited us to their homes for dinners and study sessions.” In addition to developing critical marketing and business skills, Fitzsimmons honed her communication, problem-solving and leadership proficiency.
As a result of her experience, she urges high school graduates to consider Moraine Park as their next step in learning and life. Simultaneously, she encourages Moraine Park graduates to enthusiastically go after their dreams.
Fitzsimmons will address students and graduates at the Moraine Park Student Awards Banquet, May 8, where she’ll share a favorite quote by inspirational author Martha Bolton. “There is nothing sadder than an unfulfilled life,” said Bolton. “Dreams don’t come with expiration dates.”
“Education is a gift,” says Lisa Karst ’12, Moraine Park Technical College’s 2014 Distinguished Alumnus and the 28th recipient of the award. “As with all things, you get out of it what you put into it. How you choose to apply yourself will directly impact what you receive. That applies to everything in life – your family, job and relationships.”
A lifelong learner, community service advocate, mother and wife, Karst is the assistant vice president/regional operations leader at National Exchange Bank and Trust, in Beaver Dam. She holds a number of Moraine Park certificates, including Principles of Management, 2001; Organizational Management, 2007; and Human Resources Development, 2009. Additionally, Karst earned her Leadership Development associate’s degree in 2012.
Karst, who resides near Beaver Dam in the Town of Burnett, insists her Moraine Park learning experiences enlivened her 25-year career in the financial services industry. “When I first enrolled at Moraine Park, I wasn’t necessarily looking for a degree,” she admits. “I just wanted to improve my skills and knowledge of human relations, personal interaction and leadership. I liked Moraine Park because it offered a broader focus than other colleges, so if I wanted to change direction, my education would better serve me.”
As Karst’s education and professional on-the-job experience meshed, she leaped the corporate ladder – jump- ing from administrative assistant to customer service officer/branch manager, and finally to assistant vice president/regional operations leader.
“Her journey through her degree gave her a great complement to her experience in banking,” says Nicole Wiese, Karst’s supervisor. While Karst possessed most of the skills needed for advancement, those skills were further strengthened and broadened through her educational experience, according to Wiese.
Karst wholeheartedly agrees. “In the Leadership Development program I explored more about myself and ap- plied what I learned where I worked,” she says. Karst gained knowledge and skills enrichment that boosted her personal and professional growth.
In particular, she mastered the tools and skills necessary to effectively manage staff and related challenges. “I learned the human behavioral aspects of leading people; how to facilitate employee development; conflict resolution skills; and the value of continuous learning,” says Karst.
A stellar student and role model, according to Leadership Development Instructor Mary Vogl-Rauscher, Karst attended Moraine Park while working full-time, volunteering in her community and juggling family life. Once again, Karst “put into it what she wanted to get out of it …”
While pursuing her education, one of Karst’s daughters, Emma, was also pursuing a college degree. “It was kind of cool being in school at the same time,” Karst remembers. Today, Karst and her husband, Don, enjoy three grandchildren. Their daughters, Emma and Sabrina, are 25 and 28.
Karst, who loves her family dearly, also relishes her community and alma mater. She’s an active member of Beaver Dam Noon Kiwanis, Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce, Church Health Services Inc. and Moraine Park’s Leadership Development Advisory Committee. In this role, Karst works with other business and organi- zational leaders to continually improve and mold Moraine Park’s Leadership Development program.
“I value the education I received at Moraine Park and I enjoy helping others in the program by assisting with the review of curriculum in an ever-changing business environment. Service is important,” Karst maintains. “I find it gratifying to give back to the community in which I live and work.”
Karst offers simple advice to graduates. “You get out what you put in.”
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