Capitol Bank: Natalie Gregerson Promoted to AVP / Marketing

Madison, WI: Ken Thompson, President and CEO of Capitol Bank, is pleased to announce the promotion of Natalie Gregerson to Assistant Vice President of Marketing. In the three years Natalie has been with the Bank, she has materially elevated Capitol Bank’s brand and marketing reach with exponential growth in the Bank’s social media strategy.

“Natalie’s impact has been felt in each area of the Bank. She has been an integral part of our growth through the mortgage boom and Paycheck Protection Program and her efforts are evidenced in our success,” said Thompson.

Natalie’s effort extends into the community through volunteerism with organizations including the UW Carbone Cancer Emerging Leadership Board and United Way of Dane County Marketing Committee. Additionally, she has volunteered with Second Harvest Foodbank and Alzheimer’s Association.

About Capitol Bank: Capitol Bank, locally-owned and operated since 1995, is committed to serving the communities in which we live, work and do business. We are proud of the partnerships we have established with organizations, businesses and individuals in the Dane County area. Our philosophy of community support is demonstrated at the corporate level, as well as in the time and energy our employees devote to our community each year. Capitol Bank is Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

Ami Myrland
SVP/Chief Financial Officer
Capitol Bank
710 N. High Point Road
Madison, Wisconsin 53717
608.836.1616

WPS Health Solutions named a DAV Patriot Employer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

WPS Health Solutions named a DAV Patriot Employer
Disabled American Veterans recognizes WPS for helping veterans find employment

MADISON, Wis.—Feb. 7, 2022—Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has recognized WPS Health Solutions for its efforts to hire veterans. The national organization, based in Kentucky, recently designated WPS as a DAV Patriot Employer.

To earn the designation, WPS was evaluated on the strength of its veteran recruiting and hiring efforts, retention, and career-building efforts. DAV looked at WPS policies toward disabled veterans, active-duty, and veteran employees. DAV also examined WPS’ community outreach initiatives and support for veterans in communities where WPS operates.

“WPS Health Solutions is known for being veteran-ready. We take great pride in our corporate culture. That culture is fought for by the service of these men and women through their military careers,” said Tim La Sage, Military and Veteran Inclusion Lead at WPS. “As a disabled veteran, I’m proud to work for a company that cares about our nation’s heroes enough to help them find meaningful employment. This betters our corporation by having them as employees.”

La Sage cites WPS’ partnerships with veteran nonprofits, panel interviews that include a military veteran employee, the company’s VET (Veterans Enhancement Team) employee resource group, and the education of employees and hiring managers as reasons why all WPS employees should be proud of this DAV recognition. “The DAV Patriot Award is a humbling recognition from such a tremendous organization,” he added.

The award qualifies WPS for DAV Employer of the Year award, which will be announced in Washington, D.C., in August.

About WPS Health Solutions

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wis., has more than 2,800 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

About DAV

DAV is a nonprofit charity that provides a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families, helping more than 1 million veterans in positive, life-changing ways each year. Annually, the organization provides more than 240,000 rides to veterans attending medical appointments and assists veterans with well over 160,000 benefit claims. In 2020, DAV helped veterans receive more than $23 billion in earned benefits. DAV’s services are offered at no cost to all generations of veterans, their families, and survivors.

©2022 Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Second Harvest is Providing $200k in Funding for Capacity-Building Grants to Improve Food Equity

MADISON, Wis., January 31, 2022 – Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin announced that they will be providing up to $200,000 in community-directed capacity-building grants to area groups or organizations. These grant dollars are available to advance efforts to increase food equity, as defined by our community. The overarching goal is to learn from and build long-term nutrition distribution strategies with racially diverse communities to address health disparities and advance food equity.

“Everyone in our community should have equitable access to nutritious and culturally-significant food,” said Second Harvest president/CEO Michelle Orge. “We’re excited to see and support the ideas that come from the groups and organizations who will apply for a grant. Their insights on how to increase food equity in our community will help us increase collaboration and strengthen our entire network”.

The grants are designed to increase the distribution of food to racially marginalized communities through new methods, increased product availability, and deeper collaborations.

To be considered for one of the capacity grants:

• Eligible applicants are designated as a registered 501c3 -or-
• Organizations, mutual aid groups, collectives, and tribal organizations that are fiscally sponsored by a 501c3 non-profit
• Applications should support community(ies) within the 16 counties in the Second Harvest service area
• Efforts should be led by, or conducted in partnership with, racially diverse communities impacted by food insecurity

Grant request submissions for a minimum of $2,500 up to a maximum of $75,000 will be accepted until 11:59 pm on March 14. Award amounts will vary according to the strength of the application’s focus on equity and access. Grant funds must be used between April 2022 – June 2023

For more information about the grant, including the grant application packet, visit SecondHarvestMadison.org/Grant.

It’s official: EUA Expands Reach and Services through Merger with Performa

EUA, a leading architecture and design firm has expanded its reach and service offering by announcing a merger with Performa, a De Pere, WI and Atlanta, GA based Architecture + Engineering firm. EUA’s core strengths are in architecture, planning and interior design for industries such as education, workplace, healthcare, senior living, industrial, mixed-use, community, aerospace and science + technology. Combining with Performa’s strengths in architecture and engineering in the corporate office, industrial + manufacturing, higher education and faith and mission-based markets, will give EUA an even stronger regional and national presence.

Click here to learn more about the merger.

Wisconsin Union: Chelsea Manning to Discuss Her Fight for Government Transparency, Transgender Rights at Free Event on Feb. 17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
Feb. 3, 2022         

Contact Information: 
Shauna Breneman, Wisconsin Union
Phone: (608) 262-8862
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu 

CHELSEA MANNING TO DISCUSS HER FIGHT FOR GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY, TRANSGENDER RIGHTS AT FREE EVENT ON FEB. 17

MADISON – Activist and former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning will speak about her fight for transgender rights, data privacy, public service ethics, and government transparency during a Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) Committee Q&A on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in Shannon Hall at Memorial Union. 

All, including those with no UW–Madison affiliation, are welcome to register to attend the free, in-person event here. A ticket will be required for entry to the event. 

Manning’s experiences as a transgender person and as someone who spent seven years in prison, in part, fuel the passionate activist work she will discuss during the Q&A. 

In May 2010, the United States Army arrested Chelsea Manning, then known as Bradley Manning, for leaking almost 750,000 classified government documents to media organization and library WikiLeaks, including battlefield reports on Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. diplomatic cables. 

She said she illegally downloaded and shared the documents with WikiLeaks, because she wanted to expose the government for its wrongdoings, including the ill-treatment of prisoners and the unreported killing of civilians during military operations. Manning has said that she did not intend to cause harm to United States services members or to the country. 

In 2013, she was convicted of 20 charges, including espionage, computer fraud and theft. The Supreme Court sentenced her to 35 years in military prison. 

“I take full and complete responsibility for my decision to disclose these materials to the public,” Manning said in 2016 on Medium.com. “I have never made any excuses for what I did. I pleaded guilty without the protection of a plea agreement, because I believed the military justice system would understand my motivation for the disclosure and sentence me fairly. I was wrong.”

One day after sentencing, Manning shared her intent to transition from male to female and that she would pursue hormone therapy. 

During her time in prison, Manning fought for gender transition services and support, including hormone therapy; the right to grow her hair long, which was against the male hair standard policy in the prison; and gender affirmation surgery. While ultimately granted hormone therapy and gender affirmation surgery, she faced frequent legal obstacles and endured mental health struggles, which included multiple suicide attempts. 

After seven years in prison, then President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s sentence, resulting in her release from prison in May 2017. 

For Manning, her experiences further illuminated the need to advocate for transgender people’s rights. 

“I believe that defining ourselves in our own terms and in our own languages is one of the most powerful and important rights that we have as human beings,” Manning said. “Presenting myself in the gender that I am is about my right to exist.”

During her WUD DLS Committee-hosted talk in Madison, Wis., Manning will share a look at how she has fought and continues to fight for government transparency and accountability while defending the rights of transgender people. 

Additional upcoming WUD DLS Committee events include UW-Madison Black History Month keynote “Melanin in Media: Ruth E. Carter” on Feb. 27 and “Helen Zia: The Power of Unity and Re-Envisioning America” on March 31. 

The WUD DLS Committee hosts events featuring engaging, influential people to encourage conversations. WUD includes 11 committees and six Wisconsin Hoofers clubs that program thousands of events each year.

Currently, by UW-Madison Office of the Chancellor order, all must follow the UW–Madison health and safety protocol of wearing a face covering when indoors on campus, unless actively eating or drinking.

Those interested in attending the upcoming Q&A can register here.  

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About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee contributes to the educational experience of University of Wisconsin–Madison students, Wisconsin Union members and community members by bringing engaging and influential people to campus. Founded in 1987, the series aims to expose the campus community to a diverse and vibrant array of people, backgrounds, and ideas. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/dls.

[Click here to download a photo of Chelsea Manning. Photo provided by Chelsea Manning.]

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/chelsea-manning.