<p>Photos by Craig Schreiner</p> <p> </p> <p>Colleagues say people who meet Amy Oeding immediately feel a sense of connection and camaraderie.</p> <p>“Her approachable, pleasant personality makes her an amazing University of Wisconsin-Whitewater leader and a welcoming face for the 100,000+ alumni who are part of the Warhawk family,” according to Corey King, chancellor.</p> <p>Oeding, who currently serves as director of alumni relations, is among the regional winners of the <a href="https://biztimes.com/category/notables/notable-alumni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Milwaukee Biz Times “Notable Alumni”</a> 2023 class.</p> <p>A 1990 UW-Whitewater Bachelor of Business Administration graduate, Oeding has worked for a number of the region’s top companies. During nine years at Kohl’s Department Stores, she helped the company grow from 215 to 1,000 stores. Her eight-year tenure at Harley-Davidson Motor Co. resulted in a hangtag system for the dealer network.</p> <p>“It’s no surprise that she brought similar success to UW-Whitewater alumni efforts when she returned to her alma mater in 2018,” King said. “She and her team of two host 40 alumni events annually including regional, affinity, cultivation and even international group trips to everywhere from Iceland to Egypt.”</p> <p>Plus, in 2022, she championed a special commencement ceremony and celebration party to recognize students who graduated during the pandemic – the graduate classes of 2020 and 2021.</p> <p>“It is such an honor to be named amongst such a distinguished list of leaders in southeastern Wisconsin. Our Warhawk alumni family is over 100,000 strong and I’m happy to represent them on this list and in the work I do everyday,” Oeding said about this recognition.</p> False