Congratulations to Barbara Turner, of Beaver Dam, on earning the first Emerging Leader award from the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce. This award recognizes a high school or post-secondary student in Beaver Dam who demonstrates strong character, leadership, and community service.
FYI- She served over 200 hours at the Chamber- helping the Executive Directory tremendously during COVID-19!! Barbara was also recognized virtually by Congressman Glenn Grothman.

“Whether at the College or the Chamber, Barbara consistently demonstrates that she is a committed, dependable, hard-working individual with a high degree of integrity. She brings a positive attitude and a natural curiosity to plan, learn and do – no matter what the task or project. She has a tenacious gift to persevere and a real desire to make a difference in this community. Barbara has a proven track record for success and has demonstrated her commitment to lifelong learning and volunteerism,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said.

Here are the comments shared by the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce at the virtual annual meeting:

“Tracy Probst, Executive Director for the Beaver Dam Chamber, started just as COVID-19 was hitting Wisconsin and the safer at home order went into place. The board soon realized we would not be able to have the regular events that help fund the operations of the chamber and unfortunately had to lay off the Chamber assistant indefinitely.

Through a conversation Tracy had with Mary Vogl Rauscher, an instructor at Moraine Park, Barbara Turner, stepped forward and offered to help over the summer. Barbara spent over 200 hours at the Chamber, helping Tracy update records in the database and cover when she needed to be out of the office.

Barbara is currently a full-time student in the Leadership Development program at Moraine Park Technical College. She has received an associate degree in supervisory management and is currently pursuing a second degree in business analytics. Barbara is very involved in her school and community and served as the 2019-20 MPTC District Student Ambassador for the Wisconsin Technical College. As MPTC’s ambassador, she was actively highlighting technical college education through public awareness efforts and legislative advocacy – instilling pride in technical education among students, graduates, and the community.

Barbara is also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Academic Honor Society, the MPTC student government, and serves as President of the student chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Barbara Turner moved to Beaver Dam from Israel, where she served in the Israeli Army.

She completed 224 hours of service learning from the Beaver Dam Area Chamber of Commerce this summer and has earned the prestigious MPTC President’s Award for Community Impact. It is our understanding that this might be the record in volunteer hours at MPTC.

Barb has inspired our Chamber Board to create the Emerging Leader award, which will recognize high-school or post-secondary students for their volunteer work and leadership at work, school, or a non-profit organization in Beaver Dam.”

We are proud of you, Barbara! Keep up the good work!

The Wisconsin Technical College System’s (WTCS) District Board Association (DBA) has named Moraine Park Technical College alumnus, Stephen Peterson, of Fond du Lac, as the 2020 Distinguished Alumni award winner.

Each year, the DBA accepts Distinguished Alumni nominations from all of the Wisconsin Technical Colleges. From the nominations, they select their winner based on five criteria: the role that a technical college education played in the nominee’s career and personal life; the nominee’s accomplishments in his/her professional field; the nominee’s community involvement; his or her support for the technical college system; and, finally, the nominee’s commitment to continuing education and life-long learning.

Peterson, a 1969 graduate from Moraine Park’s Mechanical Technology program, spent his entire career working for companies headquartered in Fond du Lac. With his degree from Moraine Park as a foundation, Peterson was able to further develop his leadership and technical skills while serving in domestic and international manufacturing positions.

After graduation, Peterson completed an apprenticeship at Giddings & Lewis Machine Tool Co. in Fond du Lac. Throughout his 36-year career, he served many capacities, eventually becoming the President and CEO in 2000. He retired from Giddings & Lewis in 2005 and joined Mid-States Aluminum Corp. as President and CEO. He retired from Mid-States Aluminum in 2016.

“My time in college offered me the opportunity to mature before entering the workforce,” Peterson said. “In addition to the technical classes I was studying, I was able to develop my interpersonal skills as well as my problem-solving skills in a structured environment.”

Peterson is also well known for his continued community involvement. Currently, he serves as a board member for Agnesian HealthCare and Mid-States Aluminum Corp., and as the board chairman for Society Insurance. Some of his past service work includes Fond du Lac Area Foundation board member and chairman, Fond du Lac Association of Commerce board member and chairman, Fond du Lac STEM Academy and STEM Institute board member, and National Exchange Bank & Trust board member, as well as various industry organizations in leadership and support committee activities. Peterson was also the recipient of the 2009 C.L. Greiber Award of Merit for Outstanding Support of Career and Technical Education and named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation in 2018.

“I am proud to be among the thousands of students who have used MPTC as their first step in the lifelong learning process,” he said. “The education I received opened the door for me to enter into the local workforce and have an interesting and stimulating career at world-class manufacturing companies in my hometown.  I also recognize the responsibility to support this fine institution so that it can continue to provide much needed technical training to the next generation of workers in our community.”

Peterson’s drive, dedication, and contributions made him an obvious choice for the DBA’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni award. He will accept his award at a virtual award ceremony.

“Steve has been a champion of technical college education all of his career and knows first-hand how education changes lives,” Dana Bourland, Moraine Park’s director of college advancement, said. “He used what he learned at Moraine Park and through his mentors to become a true servant leader.  Steve believes strongly in investing in people and communities, and I am so pleased he was chosen to receive this award.”

For more information on Moraine Park’s Alumni Association, visit morainepark.edu/alumni.

Moraine Park Technical College’s Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) student chapter has received a 2019-2020 Merit Award from SHRM, a global professional Human Resources organization, for providing superior growth and development opportunities to its student members.

The SHRM student chapter merit award program encourages the development of more effective student chapters and distinguishes outstanding activities and projects. Chapters are recognized based on chapter operations and programming, as well as the professional development of members, support of the human resource profession, and SHRM engagement.

“Today’s members of our student chapters are the HR leaders of tomorrow. They are the movers and shakers of the future, and we cannot understate the vital role they play in SHRM’s success,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, SHRM president and CEO. “The Moraine Park student chapter is evidence that the future of HR is, indeed, in good hands. I applaud their accomplishments and ability to fiercely move forward during a time of such change and uncertainty in the workplace.”

SHRM student chapters have the opportunity to earn an award based on the number of activities they complete during the merit award cycle, the most recent one of which lasted from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020.

The Moraine Park 2019-20 SHRM chapter, co-lead by instructors Mary Vogl-Rauscher and Cynthia Collins, consists of 14 active members; Brent Fassbender of Fredonia, Edward Gbordzi of Fond du Lac, Jamie Haas of Beaver Dam, Hannah Hansen of Fond du Lac, Starla Hiemstra of Rosendale, Shannon Netland of Green Lake, Heather Petrin of West Bend, Alley Perez of Eldorado, Leah Pietrangelo of West Bend, Alicia Redman of Winneconne, Michael Redman of Oshkosh, Tieraney Swangstu of Fond du Lac, Barbara Turner of Beaver Dam, and Laine West of Allenton.

“I am proud of these student leaders and their many accomplishments,” Vogl-Rauscher said. “We revived the Moraine Park SHRM club in 2019 after it had been inactive for several years. Through this group, our students have access to many resources and even had the opportunity to attend a 3-day conference and learn about many different topics related to Human Resources. Overall, this organization helps students grow personally and professionally. I look forward to helping this chapter continue to develop and utilize the many benefits at hand.”

For more information, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College was recently recognized by the Manufacturing Business Alliance (MBA) of Dodge County as a partner in manufacturing education. Dr. Jim Eden, VP of Academic Affairs at Moraine Park, accepted the Manufacturing Education award at the February monthly MBA meeting.

To learn more about MBA of Dodge County, visit http://dodgeregionmba.org/.

For more on Moraine Park programs, visit morainepark.edu.

For the ninth consecutive year, Moraine Park Technical College has made the Victory Media list of Military Friendly Schools for its commitment to serving student veterans.

The Military Friendly Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans, and responses to the proprietary, data-driven Military Friendly Schools survey from participating institutions.

“I continue to be immensely proud of our staff and students for their passion in making our College an exceptional place for military students and student veterans,” Scott Lieburn dean of students at Moraine Park said. “Our consistent designation as a Military Friendly School affirms this commitment. We look forward to further serving our student veterans and those still serving in the future.”

The award recognizes the top colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide who embrace America’s veterans as students. This year 766 schools earned this prestigious designation.

Moraine Park has numerous resources available to military and veteran students, including the Student Veterans Association (SVA) club. The SVA club meets regularly to answer questions and provide information about educational opportunities and veterans benefits. The club also allows students to meet other military students and veterans, as well as their supporters. Resources like the SVA club provide a support system to assist with the transition from military life to college and careers.

For more information about Moraine Park’s Veterans Services, visit morainepark.edu/veterans.

Congratulations to the Moraine Park Business Professionals of America Club members who traveled to Florida last week to compete at the National Business Professionals of America (BPA) Competition. After taking 1st in the State of Wisconsin in Presentation Management Team, they were invited to compete at Nationals.

The Presentation Management Team consisted of Christian Dahl, Karen Hall, Katie Antonian and Katy Logsdon. After spending hours preparing, we are proud to announce that the Moraine Park team  placed 2^nd in the Nation in Presentation Management-Team Category!
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Think life has handed you setbacks too large to overcome? Try telling that to DeWayne Sexton. Losing a mother as a child. Being separated from his siblings growing up. Reuniting only to have his brothers be killed shortly after. Joining the military and losing many close friends in battle. Losing his last remaining brother to a drunk driver. Being diagnosed with cancer. Feeling too old and too lost and too worthless. DeWayne has seemingly been through it all – and has somehow weathered all these struggles to do remarkable things.

One of those remarkable things is being named our 2017 Student of the Year. We couldn’t be more thrilled to give him this honor. To say that DeWayne is deserving is a tremendous understatement. Here’s DeWayne’s story of struggle and finding purpose throughout these setbacks, in his own words:
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Moraine Park Technical College has been placing special emphasis on students who have served or are currently serving our country, proclaiming its 2016-17 academic year our “Year of the Student Veteran.”

During this special year, with our student awards banquet upcoming, we’ve added a special award to our traditional lineup of offerings: a “Student Veteran of the Year” award.

Taking home this prestigious honor this year is a deserving individual named Carla Stephany, an engineering student at Moraine Park who served in the United States Air Force. She’s an ambitious, hard-working and inspiring woman, and we’re very excited to present her with this award.

In her own words, this is Carla’s background, what brought her to Moraine Park, and what her plans for the future are:
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There’s repeats and “three-peats.”

But what do you call seven-in-a-row of something?

Show of hands? … Anyone?

Perhaps a “heptad” – a group or series of seven items (or how about other equally poetic suggestions – we’re looking at you “septet” and “hebdomad”)?

But for simplicity sake, how about we just call our recent seventh-in-a-row honor very special – because it is!?
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