Surrounded by their peers and educators from around the state, three University of Wisconsin-Stout marketing and business education alumni and students were recognized at the BEcoME IT Conference, presented by the Wisconsin Educators of Business and Information Technology and Wisconsin Marketing Education Association:
- Alum Traci Grinker received the Outstanding WMEA Educator Award and completed her term as WMEA president.
- Ali Hruby received a $500 WEBIT Student Scholarship, presented to her by Shelby Dixon, UW-Stout MBE student representative on the WEBIT Board.
- Kahlen Outzen received the Emerging Marketing Educator Award and was selected to serve as the upcoming UW-Stout MBE student representative on the WMEA Board.
“It’s truly inspiring to see our students recognized for their dedication, talent and potential. This kind of acknowledgment not only reflects their hard work but also speaks volumes about the bright futures ahead of them,” said Assistant Professor Mike Mills, program director of family and consumer sciences education, marketing and business education and technology education.
Professor Debbie Stanislawski, program director, B.S., M.S., and Ed.D. career and technical education, believes the BEcoME IT Conference is a powerful reminder of how UW-Stout’s applied learning model prepares future marketing and business teachers for real-world success.
“Through experiences like planning DECA District events, judging at FBLA State, and engaging with professionals at conferences like BEcoME IT, our students build the confidence, skills, and networks they need to thrive as future educators and leaders in the field,” she said. “The conference was really one of those days that really reinforces ‘the why’ to what we do at UW-Stout.”
UW-Stout’s School of Education and the teaching, learning and leadership department are committed to delivering high-quality teacher preparation programs.
“At a time when the value of education is often questioned and alternative licensure pathways are becoming more common, students recognize the importance of earning their Career and Technical Education Teacher Licensure through UW-Stout. Our programs prepare future educators not only for a job, but for a meaningful and lasting career in education,” Mills said.
Six UW-Stout MBE students were financially supported to attend the conference, held Oct. 16-18 in Wausau, with proceeds from hosting DECA Districts at UW-Stout.
Founded in 1965, WMEA’s mission is to create a culture of learning and sharing within marketing education, to support educators in their roles as professionals, and to advocate for the growth and longevity of the marketing education profession.
Traci Grinker: A career coming full circle
Grinker is a marketing and business teacher in the Medford School District, where she’s taught for 11 years. She’s also the DECA and graduation advisor and manages the Raider Cafe & Shoppe school store. Previously, Grinker taught in the Menomonie, Altoona and Colby school districts.
Grinker is a two-time UW-Stout alum, having earned her bachelor’s in MBE in 2009 and master’s in career and technical education in 2021.
“I knew from kindergarten that I wanted to be a teacher, but I wasn’t sure what kind of teacher until high school, when I started to take marketing classes. It really is full circle because the person who inspired me the most to become a marketing teacher, Mischell Fryar, was actually the person to present me with the WMEA Educator Award,” Grinker said.
Fryar is also a double UW-Stout alum, holding an MBE and an M.S. in CTE. She is the WMEA treasurer and marketing teacher at Rhinelander High School.
Grinker hopes to inspire students to learn that marketing and business-related content applies to all students and careers. “I want students to gain the self-confidence to try something new, like a new class or to join our DECA/FBLA chapter,” she said.
As WMEA president, her three main roles were to manage the organization, organize meetings and provide valuable professional development opportunities to members, including the BEcoME IT Conference with the WEBIT organization.
“As president, I wanted to provide opportunities for our members to network with each other and provide an environment in which they are not afraid to reach out to fellow members and board members for any needs. The best part of our organization is the community that we have built. Our members are the most supportive group of people, and we are like family,” Grinker said.
Ali Hruby: Starting her teaching career strong
The $500 WEBIT scholarship will help Hruby pay for tuition, gas expenses for travel to and from her pre-student teaching placements and business-casual clothing. She will student teach next fall and graduate in December 2026.
“Reducing student debt will help me start my teaching career strong and give me the ability to invest in classroom supplies and materials that make learning more engaging for my students,” said Hruby, of Kennan, Wisconsin.
Hruby has had incredible teachers, professors, coaches, family members, and role models who have guided and supported her in becoming who she is today, she said.
“I want to give that same encouragement to my future students and help guide them to find their own version of success. Academically, I find so much joy in seeing students grow and reach those moments when everything ‘clicks.’ Watching the progress students make throughout the day, semester, year or even high school career is what I find the most inspiring aspect of being a teacher,” Hruby said.
Kahlen Outzen: Providing a student perspective
As the college representative for WMEA, Outzen will assist with conference planning and professional development for secondary and future marketing educators. She’ll also provide insight into what secondary and college students may feel more aligned with in the classroom.
Also, as a student from a disadvantaged area where career and technical training were undervalued, Outzen hopes to provide WMEA with insight to understand different educational issues. “I hope I can be a resource for educators on the board who are not from an area like mine and provide some support from a student perspective,” she said.
“I enjoyed my high school CTE classes, so the fact that these classes were undervalued didn’t sit right with me. My MBE teachers, in particular, were ever-changing; this led to a lack of marketing and business education, as well as a lack of professional development, in my school,” said Outzen, who grew up near Milwaukee. “This lack of marketing and business education, and exposure to the business world, leads to a lack of opportunities for high school-aged children, something I would love to make an impact on.”
Outzen wants to introduce her future students to the world of marketing and business in a way that is interesting to them. “I want to be able to spark a passion in those I can, so that they can feel confident in their future careers,” she said. “When I graduated high school, I was unsure of what to do with my future and was, admittedly, very lost. I do not want that for my students. It’s OK to not know for sure, but I want them to know their options and feel more confident in life after high school, and more confident in their career choices, especially in the marketing and business fields.”
At UW-Stout’s School of Education, students are engaged right from day one in their teaching area of interest: art education; early childhood education; family and consumer sciences education; marketing and business education; math education; social studies education; special education; and technology education. The School of Education also offers postgraduate degrees in career and technical education, education, school counseling, and school psychology, as well as nine education certificates and certifications.
