Exceptional alumnae and School Sisters of Notre Dame honored

The 2022 Mount Mary University Awards Celebration was held April 9 to honor its most distinguished alumnae as well as individuals whose contributions have significantly influenced the mission and students of the University.

The 2021 Tower Award, given to alums with 15 years of graduation who demonstrate excellence and potential for future growth, was awarded to Michelle Kozeniecki ’12. Kozeniecki graduated with her Master of Science in Dietetics. She serves as a Lead Clinical Dietitian at Froedtert Hospital, covering the Medical and Transplant ICUs and serves on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Kozeniecki was recognized in 2016 as the Young Dietitian of the Year by the Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and received ASPEN’s 2020 Distinguished Nutrition Support Dietitian, Advanced Clinical Practice Award.

The 2021 Madonna Medal for Professional Excellence was awarded to Mary Ellen Dallman ’69, Elementary Education. After earning her bachelor’s from Mount Mary College in 1969, Dallman was awarded an M.Ed. in Montessori Pre-primary Education from Xavier University in 1973 and earned her Ed.D. in secondary and higher education from Ball State University in 1983. She was instrumental in the creation of not-for-profit child care centers, and was responsible for development and oversight of numerous centers for corporate clients. Her leadership roles at the University System of Georgia led to permanent and systemic changes within all USG colleges and universities, including formation of the Regents Advisory Committee on Adult Learners, creation of eMajor, System’s first fully online collaborative degree, and passage of Board of Regents’ Policy 3.3.6, Academic Credit Earned Through Extra-Institutional and Prior learning.

The 2021 Madonna Medal for Professional Excellence was awarded to Debra M. Dosemagen ’98, M.E., Professional Development. After graduating from Mount Mary with her master’s degree, Dosemagen later obtained her Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership from Marquette University. Not only did she attend Mount Mary, but she also teaches at the university and has served as chair of Mount Mary’s education department for over 15 years, allowing her the opportunity to instruct many who have come through the university and the education department. Dosemagen currently serves on the board of the Burke Foundation and the Education Deans of Greater Milwaukee, and the Education Committees of both Notre Dame Schools of Milwaukee and Messmer Catholic Schools.

This year’s President’s Award of Distinction was awarded to the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The School Sisters of Notre Dame are more than our founders and current sponsors. Their charism is deeply embedded into every aspect of Mount Mary University. We honor the 689 individual sisters who have given so much of themselves to Mount Mary and the thousands of students they have impacted over the years. Mother Caroline’s belief in educating the whole person and serving those on the margins of society lives on in our mission to encourage leadership, integrity and a deep sense of social justice, and to educate women of diverse ages and personal circumstances.

2022 Mount Mary University Awards Celebration photos: https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-fvLbZm/