By Heather Graves
Correspondent
GREEN BAY – The area’s most impactful young professionals will be honored at an awards ceremony on Thursday, April 25 at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center.
Every year, Current Young Professionals Network, a program of the Greater Green Bay Chamber, recognizes the accomplishments of talented young professionals making an impact within the community.
“The event recognizes the up and coming leaders of the community and how their work impacts us all,” said program director Mallory Nash. “As community leaders, it is important we recognize and support the talents among our young professionals by providing them with opportunities to be innovative and excel at doing so.”
Current focuses on young professionals between the ages of 21 to 40.
According to Nash, the network strives to attract, engage, develop and retain young talent to the area.
The network has more than 2,000 members and hosts monthly professional development sessions and bi-weekly
networking events.
The Future 15 was started by Current in 2007 as a way to bring awareness to these young professionals.
“(This year’s recipients) were chosen for their accomplishments in 2018,” Nash said.
They not only found success in their professional careers, but also in their involvement in the community.
More than 100 young professionals apply for the Future 15 and Young Professional of the Year award each year.
“Out of those, we highlight the accomplishments of the top candidates, making up the Future 15,” Nash said. “They are then evaluated, under blind-review, on a variety of items such as their demonstrated commitment to Greater Green Bay through civic engagement, professional accomplishments, mentorship and overall desire to impact the community in a positive and transformative way.”
Each applicant is then given a score with the top scoring applicant recognized as the Young Professional of the Year.
A short video presentation will be shown during the evening highlighting each recipient’s accomplishments.
“It’s a fun and exciting night for all those involved, so sharing this moment with their friends and family makes the moment even more meaningful,” Nash said.
This year’s Future 15 recipients are:
Abby Brezinski – New Community Shelter
Matt Buchanan – City of Green Bay, Department of Community and Economic Development
John P. Bushmaker – Brown County Health and Human Services
Jenene Calloway – Schreiber Foods
Cordero X. Cornelious-Barkely – Associated Bank
Bradley Klingsporn – Brown County
James Nick – Dental Care Alliance
Tommie Preslaski – Associated Bank
Steve Roth – Profile by Sanford
Meghan Scanlan – Performa, Inc.
Brehannah Skaletski – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin
Dan Terrio – Capital Credit Union
Jenny Tice – Scholarships, Inc.
Skyla Vandervest – PAi Retirement Services
Nicole Virant – Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W.
Two other awards will be handed out during the event.
The Young Entrepreneur of the Year award celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic area businesses.
“This award is presented to a local business owner who exemplifies and holds true a commitment to Greater Green Bay through their demonstrated entrepreneurial accomplishments,” Nash said.
This year’s finalists are Mallory Cornelius of DiverseAbility, LLC, Tony Ehrbar of American Tent & Sidewall and Emily Jacobson of Green Bay Doulas.
An area business will also be recognized as the Next Generation Best Place to Work.
This award is presented to a business that demonstrates a commitment to attracting, developing and retaining young professionals.
This year’s finalists are Bank First, Capital Credit Union, KBX Logistics, LLC and The Utech Group.
“Current is proud to have such a tremendous representation of young professionals and business leaders within the area,” Nash said.
The event is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased online at www.greatergbc.org and include admission and dinner, along with the awards ceremony.
There will also be a variety of raffle items including an all-inclusive trip to Denver.
This event is made possible through the support of The Donald J. Schneider MBA at St. Norbert College, KBX Logistics, Nicolet National Bank and PAi Retirement Services.