Wisconsin Lutheran College Presents: 2012-2013 Christian Leadership Speaker Series
Inspiring stories, innovative ideas, and important career and life choices made ... all because they didn't leave their faith at the entrance of the office door!
Throughout the next year, hear three dynamic Christian professionals speak about their path to success and how they use their faith as a moral compass to navigate the varied twists and turns in their respective careers.
The cost is $20 per event (discounts available for WLC faculty, staff, and students). All proceeds from the 2012-2013 Christian Leadership Speaker Series benefits scholarship support at Wisconsin Lutheran College.
Each event will be held in Wisconsin Lutheran College's Center for Arts and Performance, located at 8815 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. A breakfast buffet and time to network with other Christian professionals will start at 7 a.m. The program, including the keynote speaker, will begin at 7:45 a.m. The event will wrap up around 9 a.m. following another networking opportunity.
Christine A. Specht-Palmert
President and Chief Operating Officer, Cousins Subs
"Christian Ethics and Servant Leadership in Today's Workplace"
November 14, 2012
As a 15-year-old sandwich maker at her hometown Cousins Subs, Christine Specht thought she was just preparing someone's meal. Little did she know she was preparing for the company's future.
From her high school years making subs and cleaning tables to her post-college experience working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in our nation's capital, Christine brings a varied, balanced – and somewhat unconventional – background to her role as leader of one of the best-known franchise restaurant operations in the Midwest.
Then again, her rise to Cousins Subs' top spot was somewhat unconventional in itself.
Christine literally grew up with Cousins Subs, the sub sandwich chain her dad, Bill Specht, founded with his cousin two years before she was born. She visited the stores as a child and worked in them as a teenager, but her move to the executive office wasn't automatic.
When the president's job became available in 2008, Christine, then Cousins' vice president of human resources, went to her dad with her vision for the company – make the best subs in town; grow with new franchisees, new stores, new markets and new products; and maintain a steadfast commitment to community, family and the ultimate guest experience. Bill had never planned on Christine continuing in his footsteps, but he liked what he heard.
Apparent to Bill and others was Christine's unique perspective on the company that has been part of her family since before she was born. That perspective was honed by education – she earned a bachelor's degree in criminology and law studies from Marquette University and a master's degree in public administration from American University in Washington, D.C. It was enhanced by professional experience working with homeless families in Florida, in the human resources departments of the NOAA and the National Academy of Public Administration in Washington and as a staff member of the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau in Madison.
Today, Christine works in partnership with a talented corporate management team and a vibrant franchisee network to serve Better Bread, Better Subs to 150+ Cousins Subs stores in six states. As the company approaches its 40th birthday, she recognizes it's an established brand, but leads it as if it's an emerging one.
"Outstanding guest service and top-quality food have been the hallmarks of Cousins Subs since we opened our first shop in 1972," Christine says. "We continually strive to grow the foundation of our business by introducing new flavors and creations while getting involved in the communities where our stores are located. Our guests are the lifeline to our business and giving them the best experience – inside our stores and out – is what we're all about."
Christine's leadership has been recognized on a number of levels. Cousins Subs has earned numerous awards and accolades during her tenure, and in January 2011, she was named Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year by the Milwaukee chapter of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
Outside of Cousins, Christine remains active in the community. She serves on a number of boards including MRA – The Management Association, Lutheran Living Services (The Lutheran Home), Community Memorial Hospital and as a member of the Board of Regents for Concordia University in Mequon.
Brian Anderson
T.V. Announcer, Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club
"Being Faithful in Your Career"
February 20, 2013
Brian Anderson was named Brewers play-by-play announcer on January 10, 2007.
For the past five seasons, he has been tabbed by TBS to do play-by-play for the network's coverage of the MLB Postseason. In 2011, he called the Brewers-Cardinals NLCS. In 2010, Anderson was behind the mic for Roy Halladay's historic no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the NLDS vs. Cincinnati.
Since 2010, Anderson has called network play-by-play for Turner Sports' Sunday MLB on TBS package. In addition to baseball, Anderson also does NCAA basketball play-by-play for CBS Sports and Big Ten Network. Last March, he joined Turner/CBS Sports coverage of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Anderson joined the Brewers from Golf Channel, where he worked as a play-by-play announcer from 2003-06. In his role there, he served as a host for a variety of the network's events, including the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour. Anderson also worked at Fox Sports Southwest, calling NCAA college basketball from 2002-07, and serving as a sideline reporter for the San Antonio Spurs from 1999-07, where he saw the Spurs win three NBA Championships.
From 1998-2000, Anderson handled Minor League and Little League Baseball telecasts for ESPN. He received his start in baseball with the San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, serving as a radio/television play-by-play announcer from 1994-2003.
Anderson played catcher on the nationally-ranked baseball team at St. Mary's University (Texas) and graduated Cum Laude from the school in 1993 with a degree in English-communications.
Paul H. Wessel
Inventor and Entrepreneur
"An Innovator's Journey: 10 years, 9 months, and 4 days"
May 8, 2013
Paul Wessel has spent the past 25 years involved in different disciplines of industrial and healthcare automation. He has held different executive leadership roles in Sales, Marketing, and New Product and Intellectual Property development within large and medium sized corporations. As an inventor and entrepreneur, Wessel has successfully built and sold several medical device companies.
Wessel received the 2003 Tekne Award presented by the Minnesota High Technology Association as "Innovator of the Year" for an emerging company and in 2011 was presented the Alpha Award from the Engineering Society of Detroit for his work in medical technology. Wessel has been issued two United States Patents with six more domestic and international patents still pending. His groundbreaking work in automated healthcare incentive delivery has been extensively covered on domestic and international television and print media, including BusinessWeek, CNN Headline News, National Public Radio, The Geek Squad, Die Deutche Zeitung, ZTV, MSNBC, and The Washington Post.
A native of New Ulm, Minn., Paul Wessel earned a BA with distinction from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn.