UW-Parkside honors eight individuals with the 2021-22 Distinguished Alumni Awards

SOMERS, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Parkside celebrates the accomplishments of its graduates and proudly recognizes the accomplishments of the 2021-22 Distinguished Alumni Award winners. 

Throughout the academic year the university will honor eight alumni in the categories of Achievement and Service, recognizing alumni who excel in their chosen field and/or perform exemplary service to the community.   

The -Parkside Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are: 

• Steve “Rocky” Donovan ‘89 (Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.); 
• Toni Hansen ‘90 (Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin); 
• The Honorable Katherine Grace Leonard ‘82 (Honolulu, Hawaii); 
• Dr. Dannie Moore ‘04 (Union, Kentucky); 
• Mrs. Barbara J. Osborne, J.D. ‘82 (Cary, North Carolina); 
• William “Bill” Seidel ‘72 (Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin);
• Dr. Mary Ann Wu ‘83 (Rockville, Maryland); and
• Dr. Jacqueline Zalewski ’95 (West Chester, Pennsylvania).

The 2021-22 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients evidence the success of UW-Parkside alumni in education, business, healthcare, technology, and other professions. They play an important role in economic, civic, and talent development on both a national and local level. UW-Parkside alumni have a notable impact on the region, as approximately 70 percent of UW-Parkside alumni continue to work and reside in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois following graduation.   

Chancellor Deborah Ford noted that these alumni capture the spirit of UW-Parkside, “Many things have changed at UW-Parkside since these alumni were students, but the mission of the university remains true to student success. Our alumni’s accomplishments serve as an inspiration to today’s students by showing the power of education and how their experience at UW-Parkside can transform lives and entire communities.”  

The accomplishments of these individuals will be recognized in a variety of ways throughout the academic year, with plans to publicly celebrate awardees at the Traditions of Excellence event in Spring 2022. 

About the UW-Parkside Distinguished Alumni Awards  

UW-Parkside is currently accepting nominations for the 2022-23 awards. Nominees must have earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and are considered based on criteria for the Achievement Award or Service Award. To learn more about this year’s recipients or to nominate a UW-Parkside alum, visit: www.uwp.edu/traditions  

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is committed to high-quality educational programs, creative and scholarly activities, and services responsive to its diverse student population, and its local, national, and global communities. We are a dynamic learning community grounded in academic excellence and focused on student success, diversity, inclusion, and community engagement. The campus serves as a premier comprehensive public institution and a destination of choice, serving as a focal point of local, regional, and global progress. 

Media contact:

Andrew Savagian
Communications Director
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
savagian@uwp.edu