Five Phoenix named Future 15
Of the 15 young professionals who will be recognized by the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, Thursday, Feb. 20, five have roots and an undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
The “Future 15 Young Professional Awards” recognizes 15 young professionals who have made an impact in both their relatively short professional careers, and also in the Brown County community.
The Future 15 recipients were featured in a special publication in the Green Bay Press-Gazette and will be honored at a recognition ceremony from 5 to 8:30 p.m., Feb. 20 at the Hyatt on Main/KI Convention Center.
Chad Bianchi ’12, an Economics and Public Administration major, works at Associated Banc-Corp as a senior financial analyst in the corporate treasury department. His contributions to the community include serving on the board of directors for Mosaic Arts Inc. and the UWGB Alumni Association. He serves as a guest lecturer to current UW-Green Bay students. He is pursuing a master’s in business administration from UW- Oshkosh.
Shelly Karnz ’98, Humanistic Studies, began with Literacy Green Bay as a volunteer in 1999, and was hired by the agency in 2007. The current program manager of adult tutoring worked as a family literacy assistant and a workplace instructor. In 2012, she received the Evie Jensen Spirit Award by the Literacy Green Bay board of directors. Through her work, she has helped more than 40 families with literacy challenges, while supporting more than 400 volunteers and adult learners. Outside of work she volunteers at her children’s school and is a troop leader with Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes.
Kelly Ruh ’01, Accounting and Business Administration, is a controller for PDQ Manufacturing. Ruh volunteers for the annual Junior Achievement Business Marathon by coaching area students and serves on a sub-committee focused on marketing and community awareness for the Brown County Trust for Historic Preservation. She spent eight years on the UWGB alumni executive committee, serving as treasurer, vice president and president. She is pursuing a master’s degree in international business.
Darin Schumacher ’96, Communication Processes, was hired in 2011 as Dental Associates’ first marketing manager. He helped create a public relations strategy to bring awareness to the importance of oral health in children, addressing the extended school-time lost annually because of dental-related conditions. Schumacher is a spokesperson and advocate for the National Kidney Foundation of Wisconsin (NKFWi) and is encouraged that in the past five years the number of registered organ donors in Brown county has increased from 52 to 58 percent. This personal passion was spurred when he personally became the recipient of a kidney transplant in 2000. He is a former Leadership Green Bay participant and serves on the organization’s marketing committee.
Hope Voigt ’04, Accounting and Business Administration, is an operations manager at Tweet/Garot Mechanical Inc. She and the eight-person team she supervises is responsible for growth opportunities. She also serves as a member of the Twee/Garot Mechanical executive team. Voigt also worked to establish an internship program with the company. Outside of work, Voigt often works with local schools and serves on the board of directors for the House of Hope.
Story by Cheyenne Makinia
Photos provided by the Green Bay Press-Gazette
