Two critical business roles — taking responsibility for the financial health of an organization and managing the talent for a company — are the focus of In Business Madison’s 2026 Executive Excellence Awards.
The awards recognize outstanding leaders in finance and human resources. Professionals were nominated by their peers, and reviewed and selected by magazine staff.
All finalists will be honored at the Edgewater on Aug. 20, where award winners in each category will be announced. Read on to learn more about each honoree.
HUMAN RESOURCES FINALISTS
RISING STAR
Jackie Aguilar
Director of people and culture
Attic Angel
Exceptional performance and leadership are the reasons Jackie Aguilar was promoted to her current position with Attic Angel.
Aguilar is not only an outstanding leader, but she has a remarkable ability to listen, understand what people need, and translate those insights into clear, practical resources.
Her work helps people grow, succeed and feel supported. She embraces mentorship, seeks continuous learning and brings forward thoughtful ways to challenge traditional HR norms.
In recent years, employee turnover had been a challenge for Attic Angel, affecting job satisfaction and culture.
Under Aguilar’s leadership, the organization has seen a remarkable shift. Annual turnover has decreased from more than 50% to 36%.
She also co‑leads Attic Angel’s Belonging Network, championing education and appreciation for diverse perspectives, backgrounds and ideas.
Ashley Kowalchuk
Senior HR manager
Iconica
Ashley Kowalchuk is being honored as a rising star, but if her 15 years in HR for organizations in the architecture, engineering and construction fields is any indication, that rise will continue for years to come.
Kowalchuk has partnered with executive leaders to strengthen employee engagement, recruitment strategy and culture for organizations such as RMT, State Collection Service and AEI.
In her role with Iconica, she has revamped performance management, elevated the candidate and onboarding experience, and introduced a coaching training series to build communication skills and support professional growth.
She also is a respected voice in the broader HR community. She serves as president of Greater Madison Area SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), Wisconsin’s largest local SHRM chapter, and has been selected as district director-elect for Wisconsin SHRM and will transition to district director – southeast in January 2027.
LARGE BUSINESS
AnnMarie Kreitzer
Chief human resources officer
TDS Telecom
AnnMarie Kreitzer not only oversees HR functions for TDS Telecom, but she’s also counted on to execute critical projects centered on fiber expansion and operational modernization.
Kreitzer has ensured the telecommunications company has the talent, compensation strategies, and organizational support needed to sustain growth.
Her influence is measurable. In the past year, TDS Telecom hired more than 1,000 employees — nearly one-third of the organization — and built the largest number of internal construction crews in company history.
That workforce growth has helped support record operational progress, including a historic first quarter in which TDS delivered more than 40,000 fiber service addresses.
Kreitzer has strengthened the employee experience during a period of rapid change. Under her leadership, TDS Telecom has earned recognition as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and earned a score of 90 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index.
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Kari Davis
Chief talent officer
Lake Ridge Bank
Kari Davis has been with Lake Ridge Bank, previously known as State Bank of Cross Plains, for 22 years. In that time, she has built a human resources team that focuses on growth of existing talent, recruiting, and mental/physical resources.
Davis has built a team that helps employees grow as the bank grows, leading through two mergers — one with Union Bank & Trust in 2019 and another with Monona Bank in 2023.
These were not easy tasks. Davis played a key role in her team’s ability to hit specific deadlines before the mergers, pass audits that ensured the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which regulates banks, would approve the mergers, and then built a great culture for new employees.
Davis, an active volunteer, also makes sure that each of the bank’s 350 employees can support the community with paid volunteer time for worthy causes.
John Lange
Director of human resources
Veridian Homes Madison
John Lange’s experience in healthcare HR has helped build a healthy environment for the 170 employees of Veridian Homes Madison, a family-owned Madison homebuilder.
At Veridian, which followed stints at Prairie Ridge Health and Columbus Community Hospital, Lange has strengthened the leadership skills and the everyday experiences of workers.
In partnership with the company’s president, he designed a training and professional development program to build the next generation of Veridian leaders.
Lange is currently designing career ladder progressions, giving employees clear pathways to grow their careers.
Rather than treating professional development as a checkbox, he has made it a deliberate, organized discipline, championing growth for Veridian’s leaders and the broader team.
His reasoning is sound: When leaders are equipped and supported in their own growth, they become better at developing and retaining talent.
Mark Schuster
Vice president – organizational development
Rural Mutual Insurance Co.
Mark Schuster joined Rural Mutual Insurance Co. in 1985, and his HR leadership has been key to shaping the company’s people strategy, culture and organizational effectiveness.
Throughout his 41-year tenure, Schuster has been a trusted adviser to executive leadership. He is credited with transforming HR from a traditional support function into a strategic business partner — aligning talent, leadership development and organizational design with business priorities.
Schuster also established partnerships with Madison College and the Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional & Executive Development, expanding access to continuous learning and leadership development.
He has embedded community involvement into the organization’s fabric, leading the implementation of a volunteer program.
FINANCE FINALISTS
RISING STAR
Rachel Schultz
Manager of financial analysis & strategic planning
TDS Telecom
Rachel Schultz began her career as an intern and progressed through six roles at TDS with increasing responsibility.
Her experience spans finance and marketing. This background allows Schultz to integrate financial rigor with performance and customer analytics to deliver superior business insights.
Throughout her career, she has focused on strategic thinking and process improvement, using data to drive more informed decisions.
She translates complex data into a clear financial picture that shapes key business decisions, especially as TDS Telecom advances its fiber growth strategy within a 30-state footprint.
As a young working mom, she serves on the board of the Village Diaper bank, which raises funds and supports families that can’t meet the basic need for diapers. The organization said it distributed more than 1.5 million diapers and served over 18,500 families in 2025.
PUBLIC SECTOR
Carolyn Clow
Deputy director – finance & administration
Alliant Energy Center
Described as an exemplary public servant, Carolyn Clow has worked for Dane County for 20 years, and with the Alliant Energy Center, she has worn many hats.
Clow might have one title on paper, but she has a hand in sales, marketing, customer relationship management and facilities management — making her an indispensable member of the AEC’s executive team.
With her steady presence, Clow is credited with almost single-handedly bringing the organization out of the COVID era, when the in-person events industry was decimated.
The AEC has had four executive directors in Clow’s time. She has been the one constant at the executive level.
Her work in managing and preparing the annual budget has allowed the center to move off of Dane County’s general purpose revenue fund starting next year, making the organization completely self-sustaining.
Marc DeVries
Finance director
Jefferson County
Priority-based budgeting initiatives and a risk-based reserve study don’t sound like the most exhilarating projects, but when it comes to municipal finance, they help make good governance possible.
Marc DeVries has mastered these and other strategic planning tools, resulting in resource allocation to high-value services and alignment to Jefferson County’s strategic plan.
DeVries helped update that plan, using data derived from that process to drive budget decisions, increase transparency in decision-making, and realize efficiencies.
If that sounds a bit wonky, so might the risk-based reserve study, which analyzed risks facing the county and their potential financial effects.
Taxpayers will appreciate the fact that this study determined whether the county’s current fund balance levels were sufficient to respond to risks, enabling the county government to shift its focus from reacting to emergencies, to planning and prevention through informed budgeting.
Sylvia Ramirez
Executive vice president, finance and administration
Madison College
Leading with a people-first ethic, Sylvia Ramirez has made a steady climb up the ranks at Madison College.
She was hired a decade ago as budget director and ascended to executive vice president based on excellent communication skills, a knack for fiscal responsibility, creative problem solving and the ability to manage large teams with compassion.
Her ability to build coalitions to work toward mission-driven solutions is a main contributor to the fiscal health and business success of Madison College, a community college with 1,000 employees and over 28,000 students annually — both online and at seven campuses.
Outside her roles at the college, Ramirez lends her time and talents to organizations fighting for equitable access to childcare, sustainability and combatting climate change.
SMALL BUSINESS
Matt Altenberger
Chief financial officer
Wind River Payments
An accomplished finance executive, Matt Altenberger has served everything from high-growth startups to publicly traded companies.
During his career, Altenberger has developed expertise in governance, strategic finance and executive-level decision support.
He has played key roles in raising both equity and debt financings, supporting and executing M&A transactions, and providing financial oversight for organizations processing billions of dollars in transaction volume.
At Wind River Payments, a merchant services and integrated payments provider, he has improved the company’s performance and long-term trajectory.
In his tenure, revenue growth rates have more than doubled — driven in part by his disciplined review of strategic pricing levels and unit economics.
He also led negotiation and contracting efforts for the largest capital expenditures in the company’s history.
In addition, Altenberger volunteers with nonprofits including Babies & Beyond, the Badger Prairie Needs Network and Habitat for Humanity.
Wes Kane
Vice president
Thompson Kane & Co.
As both vice president and senior loan originator at Thompson Kane & Co., Wes Kane has built a remarkable career in the mortgage industry.
In 2012, Kane began drawing on his family’s deep roots in sales to create a client-centered lending environment that puts people first.
He consistently ranks among the top loan officers in the state due to his impressive origination volume and expertise across a wide range of loan products.
What sets Kane apart is his unwavering commitment to clients. He goes above and beyond to make sure deals close, even when the situation looks hopeless.
Whether it’s digging into details other banks or credit unions might miss, or fighting for an approval, he finds a way to make homeownership possible.
He is also dedicated to the community, supporting Capital K9s and participating in the Susan G. Komen walk.
Kristi Khan
Finance/HR
Threshold Development Group
With expertise in both finance and human resources, Kristi Khan is a special talent.
Khan has worked in finance and human resources for three decades, running and growing Windsor Family Dental and having virtually the same team in place for prolonged periods.
Khan is an innovator in what a culture of care looks like within a business.
Now with Threshold, she manages a family of companies financially — all while keeping a fun and spirited culture in its HR programs.
For a small business to have a talented individual in both the finance and HR departments has been the key ingredient in growth, especially as Khan makes Threshold’s 20-employee staff feel seen and heard.
She organizes company events, works closely with nonprofits in her work at Threshold and volunteers.
LARGE BUSINESS
Elizabeth Holmstrom
Chief financial officer
Starion Bank
CFO Liz Holmstrom is part of the executive leadership at Starion Bank, a regional community bank with offices in Middleton, Monona and Sun Prairie.
Holmstrom oversees financial operations, making her a key contributor and steward of the organization’s strategy, major initiatives and long-term growth.
She joined Starion in 2015 following the acquisition of WPS Bank in Wisconsin and with her collaborative leadership style, she has steadily advanced through leadership roles in finance.
Her progression from financial analyst to CFO reflects bank management’s belief in her technical expertise and consistent ability to lead.
From initiatives to strengthen internal processes or support expansion efforts, she is a key contributor to Starion’s growth and plays an important role in connecting finance to broader efforts such as Starion Bond Services.
Holmstrom has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and the United Way.
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Robert Durian
Executive vice president and chief financial officer
Alliant Energy
Equipped with an innovative mindset, Robert Durian has provided the leadership and financial acumen to help Alliant Energy achieve sustained success, with at least 5% annual earnings growth for more than a decade.
Across various finance and accounting roles during his 34 years with Alliant Energy, Durian has brought a focus on risk management and controlling costs, including investments in new technologies to lower costs for utility customers.
As CFO, Durian has overseen a record volume of financings with more than $7 billion raised for customer-focused investments.
Under Durian’s guidance, Alliant’s many financing firsts include the issuance of “green bonds” to help finance the company’s wind and solar expansion program.
In the community, Durian currently serves as treasurer on the board of directors for United Way of Dane County.
Steve Kelley
Managing director, wealth management
Choreo
Steve Kelley has been recognized for his ability to simplify complex financial matters and provide strategic guidance to business owners, executives and others who are wrestling with business transitions, preserving wealth and achieving long-term financial goals.
As the leader of one of Choreo’s top-producing offices, he oversees and mentors a team of advisers. He also co-leads a larger, multimarket practice spanning Madison, Rockford and Chicago and serves on Choreo’s national investment committee.
A key contributor to Kelley’s success is his ability to develop talent. He invests significant time mentoring other wealth advisers, sharing his expertise in financial planning and wealth management.
Kelley also serves the community through roles with the Good Shepherd Lutheran Foundation, Common Threads Family Resource Center and the Road Home Dane County.
Tom Newell
Chief financial officer
ETE Reman, Milwaukee
Tom Newell has been with ETE Reman, one of the nation’s largest independent, aftermarket automatic transmission remanufacturers, for four years, and he has helped increase the value of the company by tens of millions of dollars.
Founded in 1985, the family-owned company completely rebuilds transmissions and engines for imported and domestic cars and trucks.
ETE Reman employs 600 people and has been recognized as a top workplace by Energage.
Newell has not only helped increase the value of ETE, but he also helped improve shareholder value, open new warehouses and facilitate growth in finance, accounting and manufacturing.
Newell is a teacher to those he supervises. And each year, he raises about $20,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Lisa Wiedenfeld
Chief financial officer
Sound Devices
During her 20 years with the Reedsburg-based Sound Devices, Lisa Wiedenfeld has helped navigate the organization through multiple situations that would test the most experienced CFOs.
Wiedenfeld’s financial prowess has shepherded Sound Devices through writers’ strikes and the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also involved with the purchase of several businesses, has cooperated with sister companies around the world, and navigated the sale of the company to a private equity firm.
A former member of the Sauk County Development Council, Wiedenfeld now is farming in addition to working for Sound Devices.
