Alumni Awards 2021

Alumni Awards For Edgewood College
Graduates in Madison, WI


 
Each fall, Edgewood College recognizes extraordinary alumni with three awards:
 
Distinguished Alumni Award—acknowledges the accomplishments of alumni who have achieved excellence in their professional career and have demonstrated a commitment of ethical leadership, service, and search for truth.
 
Dominican Mission Award—recognizes alumni who have shown a commitment to social justice or a history of extraordinary volunteer service in the community, country, or the world.

Promise Award—recognizes alumni, 40 years of age or younger, who are emerging leaders and have achieved a high level of success through professional accomplishments and service to their alma mater or community.

 

 

Meet Our 2023 Recipients

Kim Schaefer ’91

Alumni

Kim Schaefer ’91

2023 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

A Bachelor of Science in Accounting graduate from Edgewood College, Kim is an accomplished professional who blends creative ideas and business analytics to create branded solutions. These solutions generate significant asset value and revenue growth.

Kim is currently the CEO of Two Bit Circus, Inc in Los Angeles CA. She is responsible for operations, construction, and development team including setting and creating the standards, financial goals, and processes for the operations team. Prior to this position, Kim was the CEO of Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. located in Madison WI. She directed the company through two private equity sales. In addition, Kim has been a member of many boards including the Edgewood College Board of Trustees from 2013-2018. 

An avid walker and reader in her spare time, Kim is most proud of her husband of 30 years and two wonderful kids, Samantha and Max. Samantha is a graduate of Edgewood College, has a masters from Arizona State University, and is working in the social media field. Max is a graduate of Arizona State University and is working as a software engineer for a gaming company. 

Myra Kincade McNair, MS ’14

Alumni

Myra Kincade McNair, MS ’14

2023 Dominican Mission Award Recipient

Myra McNair, the founder, owner, and visionary behind Anesis Therapy, is a force to reckon with in the field of mental health. Opening the clinic in 2016 as the sole therapist, Myra’s fervor for providing culturally sensitive services led to its growth into a dynamic team of over 50 dedicated staff members. Her uniquely empathetic and strength-based therapeutic approach doesn’t see deficits or pathology, but potential and possibility while honoring each client’s inherent wisdom and generational strengths. Myra's vision for her clients and the mental health field aligns closely with the concept of Sankofa, a West African symbol that signifies the importance of learning from the past to build a stronger future. This concept informs her therapeutic work as she guides clients in understanding their histories to shape their present and future, passing on the seeds of understanding and healing to succeeding generations.

Fostering growth in the field, Myra nurtures the next generation of mental health professionals through internships at Anesis. In addition, she serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Edgewood College, her alma mater. She also mentors in the UW Infant Mental Health Program, from which she also graduated.

With her relentless commitment to service, education, and innovation, Myra McNair continues to pave the way for a more inclusive, compassionate, and culturally sensitive mental health field.

Colleen Settles, O.P. ’71

Alumni

Colleen Settles, O.P. ’71

2023 Dominican Mission Award Recipient

Originally from Kalamazoo Michigan, Sr. Colleen joined the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa Wisconsin in 1969 after meeting them her freshman year at Edgewood College. After teaching science and working at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Madison for many years, she became a board-certified chaplain and worked in hospitals in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in South Bend, Indiana. She then moved to California where she directed the Spiritual Care Department at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Los Angeles area soon becoming the Chief Mission Integration Officer for the southern California region of Providence Health System.

It was from her ministry in California that she returned to Wisconsin being elected to the Leadership Council of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa where she served for seven years.  Working with leaders from many other Dominican Congregations, she helped initiate Dominican Veritas Ministries, a new pontifical organization that will hold the Sponsorship of many Dominican schools into the future. She is now serving on the first Member Board of this exciting collaboration.

Sr. Colleen holds a Doctorate degree in Ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, a master’s degree in religious studies from Loyola University in Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Edgewood College, Madison, WI.

Anu Ebbe, Ed.D ’11

Alumni

Anu Ebbe, Ed.D ’11

2023 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

Dr. Ebbe joined the MMSD Associate Superintendent team in 2022. Over the years, Dr. Ebbe has led school teams in identifying and addressing the root causes of educational disparities and learning gaps by ensuring resources (such as budget and staffing, culture and climate, and instruction) are being fully aligned with the equity, vision and mission of the school. As a result, Dr. Ebbe and her teams have been recognized for this work with the National Blue Ribbon Award for Exceptionally High Academic Achievement, the National Welcoming Schools Seal of Excellence, and an equity award from the United Nations.

Dr. Ebbe earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Edgewood College in 2011. She is grateful for the knowledge she gained from her experience as a doctoral student and, to this day, she uses what she has learned to design strategies that result in high outcomes for students, regardless of their demographics. She also serves as a Board member for Harvard University’s “The Principal Center” in the development of principal professional learning. Dr. Ebbe is a board member for the Dane County Boys and Girls Club’s McKenzie Regional Workforce Center which is committed to supporting youth in pursuing technical education.

Eric Arnold ’06, MA ’14

Alumni

Eric Arnold ’06, MA ’14

2023 Promise Award Recipient

Eric Arnold has earned both an undergraduate (Math Teaching) and graduate (Educational Leadership) degree from Edgewood College. He has lived in the Madison area for over 30 years; the past 8 years in Cottage Grove with his wife, Brianne (an Edgewood alumna), and their two children. Eric just completed his 16th school year teaching at Madison East High School in the mathematics department. He also taught for nearly a decade at Edgewood College; teaching both undergraduate and graduate level education courses. Eric spent many years coaching the interscholastic Girls Gymnastics team for Madison East and La Follette High Schools (a joint team) and teaching in UW Madison’s PEOPLE Program. Through his work at East, Edgewood, and the larger Madison area communities, he has worked hard to uphold Edgewood’s core values of the Search for Truth, Compassion, Justice, Partnership, and Community. Working in education creates a special opportunity to engage with others in deeply meaningful and impactful ways. Eric recognizes both the significance and the responsibility that his role in education entails. He is humbled and appreciative of this award and aims to continue his work grounded in Edgewood’s core values. 

Natasha Sichula ’20

Alumni

Natasha Sichula ’20

2023 Promise Award Recipient

Natasha Sichula came to Edgewood College from her home country of Zambia and graduated in 2020. She has left a lasting impact that will reverberate on campus for years to come. 

Natasha singlehandedly founded HERZ, a nonprofit organization for adolescent girls that encompasses Mentorship, Scholarship, and Innovation to eradicate period poverty in developing economies. She has organized fundraising initiatives and partnered with other organizations that focus on providing feminine hygiene products to make/donate reusable sanitary pads to young women in Zambia. 

Natasha was a POHER Scholar. The POHER Scholars program is a formal mentorship program that aims to: Assist with developing short-term and long-term goals, personal and professional development, provide support towards trainees as they go through college, university, medical school and early career development.

Meet Previous Recipients