The Wisconsin Agricultural and Life Sciences Alumni Association (WALSAA) is pleased to announce Alison Demmer, Mike Kawleski and Brittney Muenster as the newest members of the WALSAA Board of Directors. WALSAA would also like to introduce Siwei Qian as a new student representative on the board.
Alison Demmer graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) where she earned a degree in Life Sciences Communication. She is a Marketing and Public Relations Specialist at Culver Franchising System, LLC leading Culver’s Thank You Farmers Project. At UW-Madison, she was involved with Collegiate Farm Bureau, the National Agri-Marketing Association and was a house fellow for the Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC) program. Demmer currently serves on the WALSAA Marketing and Development committee. She resides in Peosta, Iowa with her husband Royce. They enjoy working on their family’s dairy farm, LE-O-LA Holsteins.
Mike Kawleski is the Public Affairs Manager for Georgia-Pacific in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At UW-Madison, he was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and Alpha Zeta. Kawleski was also a UW CALS lecturer for Agricultural Journalism Publicity and Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC) Business Communications. He resides in Sobieski, Wisconsin with Jeanne, his wife of 37 years. They have three children, Daniel (married to Karen), Laura and Amy. Kawleski enjoys woodworking, music, reading, cooking and playing guitar.
Brittney Muenster is an insurance agent with Family Insurance Center in Freedom, Wisconsin, specializing in farm and agribusiness accounts. She is also a dairy and beef producer on her family’s 200 acre farm in Seymour, Wisconsin managing 110 dairy cows in addition to a growing beef herd to supply their on-farm store. As a graduate of UW-Madison’s Farm & Industry Short Course, she uses the experience and resources she gained to share her farm story with their store clientele in addition to anyone who will listen. She’s made it her life’s mission to enhance consumer’s relationships with producers and help other farmers do the same. Brittney (along with her boyfriend Matt Van Wychen and Blue Heeler McCoy) is an avid hiker, road tripper and supper club enthusiast.
Siwei Qian is a junior majoring in biochemistry and pursuing certificates in graphic design, biocore, and computer science. She came from Hebei Province, China and serves as the Alumni Relations Chair for CALS Ambassadors. Qian plans to attend graduate school in the field of biomedical science as she is passionate about various biological interactions on the molecular level, although she is still exploring various career options. In her free time, she likes visiting museums, skiing and canoeing on Lake Mendota.
New in 2020, the WALSAA Speaker’s Bureau was made available to alumni and students of CALS and FISC. The virtual library can be found here. In 2022, WALSAA will debut a new mentor program. WALSAA plans events for alumni and friends of CALS and FISC. Major events being planned for 2022 include the WALSAA Summer Picnic and FISC Reunion at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station on July 12 during Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, and the WALSAA Football Fire-Up 50 Years of WALSAA Celebration on September 10. Stay tuned for registration and event information, which will be posted on www.WALSAA.org.
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