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Category: Accomplishments

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Introducing: Novii CPA

Novii CPA is a new, local Madison CPA firm that offers a client-based experience. We use our core values to guide us when working as an extension of our client’s team. By utilizing the latest technologies, we provide transparency when working with YOUR financials.

Learn more at: https://noviicpa.com/

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Reinhart Attains Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certification for 2023; Continues Commitment to DEI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2023

Reinhart Attains Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certification for 2023; Continues Commitment to DEI

MILWAUKEE – For the second consecutive year, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. (Reinhart) has achieved Mansfield Rule Certification, an achievement confirming the firm’s commitment to a diverse leadership team, recruiting and retaining top talent from underrepresented groups, and ensuring the equitable allocation of new business opportunities. The Mansfield Rule Certification, administered by Diversity Lab, is a leading international initiative to eliminate the gender and diversity gap in the legal profession. Reinhart was among the 106 mid-size U.S. law firms to achieve this honor for 2023.

“We are committed to a diverse legal profession, starting from within by supporting an equitable and inclusive workplace, which is why our alignment with the principles of Mansfield makes so much sense,” says Reinhart CEO Al Orr. “Encouraging diverse perspectives is essential to our clients’ success, and participation in the Mansfield Rule strengthens our ability to provide the very best counsel and service to address the full range of their evolving needs.”

The Mansfield Rule, which has been running for six years, has become the science-backed and data-driven benchmark for law firms to ensure that they have actively considered candidates from diverse backgrounds for leadership positions, promotions to equity partnership and client pitch meetings. Qualification for certification requires that more than 30 percent of the attorneys considered for these roles and opportunities are women attorneys, attorneys from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, attorneys with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ attorneys. Reinhart considers these and other attributes for such roles and opportunities.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental values that we uphold at Reinhart, “says Jessica Hutson Polakowski, Reinhart board member and co-chair of the firm’s DEI Committee. “We are dedicated to advancing a professional culture that fosters the success of lawyers from diverse backgrounds, and we believe that meaningful progress in this regard can only be achieved through collective efforts to build inclusive communities.”

ABOUT DIVERSITY LAB

Diversity Lab is an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law. Experimental ideas are piloted in collaboration with more than 250 top law firms and legal departments across the country. Diversity Lab leverages data, behavioral science, design thinking, and technology to further develop and test new ideas and research, measure the results, and share the lessons learned. For more information, visit www.diversitylab.com.

ABOUT REINHART BOERNER VAN DEUREN S.C.

Reinhart is a full-service, business-oriented law firm with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha and Wausau, Wisconsin; Chicago and Rockford, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; and Phoenix, Arizona. With more than 200 lawyers, the firm serves clients throughout the United States and internationally with a combination of legal advice, industry understanding and superior client service.

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REINHART MEDIA CONTACT:

Megan White, Marketing/PR Writer

Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.
1000 North Water Street, Suite 1700 | Milwaukee, WI 53202
Office: 414-298-8404 | Fax: 414-298-8097
mwhite@reinhartlaw.com | reinhartlaw.com

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WPS Charitable Foundation awards scholarships for 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-512-5754
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Charitable Foundation awards scholarships for 2023
Funds help support education for children of WPS Health Solutions employees

MADISON, Wis.—Oct 16, 2023—The WPS Charitable Foundation has awarded scholarships to 16 students across the country. They are the 2023 recipients of the Ray Koenig Memorial Scholarship, benefiting children of employees of WPS Health Solutions or one of its wholly owned subsidiaries. Each student received a one-year scholarship valued at $1,250.

Wisconsin

  • Caitlin Drevs, UW-Milwaukee
  • Lindsay Gilge, UW-Madison
  • Sydney Kanable, UW-Whitewater
  • Spencer Kanable, UW-Whitewater
  • Dom Lobner, UW-Madison
  • Elijah Moua, Madison College
  • Sam Piontek, UW-Eau Claire
  • Catherine Rault, Loyola University Chicago
  • Paige Schuttemeier, Madison College
  • Makaila Weddle, Concordia University

Illinois

  • Hailey Bryan, Murray State University
  • Sydney Harbison, Beloit College
  • August Skinner, John A. Logan College Foundation

Missouri

  • Elizabeth Skoff, Missouri State University

Nebraska

  • Sam Mullin, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

North Carolina

  • Kamille Stevenson, Clark Atlanta University

About the WPS Charitable Foundation

The WPS Charitable Foundation was formed in 1986 to honor WPS’ first president, Ray Koenig. The Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization that focuses on enhancing the communities we call home by supporting organizations focused on health and wellness, especially of women and children, seniors, military and veterans, and underserved populations. The Foundation also funds the Ray Koenig Memorial Scholarship program. Each year, the program makes educational opportunities available through scholarship awards to children of employees of WPS Health Solutions and its subsidiaries.

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Victoria Thayer, CPA from Novii CPA Selected to Attend AICPA’s 2023 Leadership Academy

Victoria Thayer, CPA was one of only 36 CPAs honored by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) as a member of the Leadership Academy’s 15th graduating class. Victoria was selected based on her exceptional leadership skills and professional experience for the four-day Leadership Academy program, which will be held December 11th – 14th.

Victoria is the founder of Novii CPA, a local downtown Madison firm, that currently has 5 employees and continues to grow in the Madison Community. Victoria was the recipient of the 2023 WICPA Young Professional Excellence Award for her professional achievements. She is a board member of  Madison Reading Project, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County’s Finance Committee and part of the Advisory Committee for WWBIC.

The AICPA Leadership Academy was designed to strengthen and expand the leadership skills of promising young professionals while they network with a peer group of talented and motivated CPAs.

The Leadership Academy features career-development workshops and sessions with some of the accounting profession’s most prominent influencers. Participants were selected from public accounting firms of all sizes, business and industry, government, and consulting firms.

The 2023 Leadership Academy attendees were recommended by their employers, state CPA societies, and/or volunteer organizations. Candidates submitted resumes and a statement explaining how participating in the Leadership Academy would impact them personally and professionally.

To date, more than 480 CPAs have participated in the AICPA Leadership Academy, many of whom have gone on to take on leadership positions in their firms, businesses, and volunteer organizations.

For more information about the AICPA Leadership Academy, visit AICPA.org/Leadership.

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StartingBlock wins 2023 SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition Phase 2

StartingBlock + 7 Partners are winners of the Phase 2 2023 SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. You can read the official announcement from SBA here.

Why this matters:

  • SBA recognizes the entrepreneurial strengths of the Madison region.
  • The prize money allows us to align our programming with regional strengths.
  • We will be able to expand our programmatic reach across the state.
  • We are bringing Federal dollars to Wisconsin to support local startups.

What’s next:

  • We will launch the Wisconsin HardTech accelerator next spring.
  • We will be focusing on Advanced Manufacturing and on Food, Bev and Ag.

Our Ecosystem Partners include: