Alumni Award Winners

The Alumnus of the Year Award is given annually to an Lakeshore graduate who has achieved both professional and personal success. Meet some of our recent award winners.

2019 Dan Hartwig

Manitowoc County Sheriff Dan Hartwig graduated from Lakeshore Technical College in 1998 with an associate degree in Police Science (now known as Criminal Justice-Law Enforcement). Dan is thankful to Lakeshore for opening many doors throughout his career which began as a Deputy Sheriff with the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office. With future goals in sight, including fulfilling his lifelong dream of being elected Sheriff, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice. He also graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy and the National Sheriff’s Institute.

Dan took office in January of 2019 and leads an agency of 110 people dedicated to the betterment of our community. His goal is to have an organization built on trust, and an agency inspired to help others. He is also an adjunct instructor in the law enforcement programs at Lakeshore and Fox Valley Technical College.

Dedication and motivation helped Dan advance his career and earn several awards. He was very active throughout his career taking on multiple roles and responsibilities in addition to his road patrol duties, including serving as a member of the Manitowoc County SWAT Team.

When away from work, Dan spends much of his time involved in community activities. He is a high school football coach, board member for The Haven of Manitowoc County, and a Kiwanis International member.

2018 Lois Vasquez

Lois put her trust in Lakeshore Technical College whenever life dealt her a career challenge. Before enrolling at Lakeshore, Lois worked as a third-shift service attendant at a gas station. In 2001, she came to Lakeshore to leverage her real-world experiences with formal training--she designed her own degree in Individualized Technical Studies-Security/Supervision.  Like many students, she worked while taking classes, earning her first associate degree in 2005. With jobs in supervision scarce and the need for skilled welders high, Lois, again, trusted Lakeshore, earning her Welding-Industrial technical diploma in 2006.

Times were good for Lois the welder, until the economic downturn of 2009. In 2010, Lois met that tough challenge head-on by enrolling in Lakeshore's IT-Networking program, setting her sights on an entirely new career and earning her second associate degree in 2012.  During this time, Lois was elected by her peers to serve as Secretary of the Lakeshore Student Government Association; she also represented her peers in Wisconsin Student Government--reaching above and beyond the classroom to develop her professional skills.  Since then, Lois has worked in the IT field and has just recently returned to manufacturing and leveraging all of her skills in a career she loves. Lois' hard work and relentless belief in Lakeshore's power to change lives has afforded her many opportunities.

Now, as an Lakeshore alumna and Board Member, Lois shares her story wherever and whenever people are listening--instilling HOPE through an Lakeshore education.

2017 Cindy Howley

Cindy graduated from Lakeshore with an associate degree in the paralegal program. She continued to advance her career and education by returning to school and earning a bachelor’s degree in business management from Cardinal Stritch University and a certificate in corporate citizenship leadership from Boston College. She is currently the Manager of Kohler Stewardship & Associate Events at Kohler Company and has been with the company in various roles since 1979. 

In her current role, she is responsible for the company’s worldwide corporate social responsibility program, Kohler Stewardship, which includes local community impact at Kohler locations throughout the world, charitable giving, Arts/Industry, Innovation for Good, WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene) initiatives, NGO partnerships and associate-driven events.  

Cindy currently serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Sheboygan County, Friendship House and Youth Theatre Company. She has also served on the board of the Stephanie H. Weill Center for Performing Arts and Virginia Tech Kitchen and Bath Advisory Boards.   

2016 Matthew Fehrmann

Matthew Fehrmann graduated from Lakeshore in the spring of 2003, earning an Associate’s Degree in the IT Network Specialist program. He continued to advance his career and education by returning to school and earning a Bachelor’s degree in business from Silver Lake College, and a Master’s degree in business administration from Marquette University. Fehrmann is currently the IT & Marketing Manager at Kaysun Corporation in Manitowoc and has worked there since 2003.

In his current role, Matt is responsible for all digital marketing emphasizing the use of Inbound Marketing.  He is also in charge of all IT functions such as servers, networking, desktops, LAN, WAN, etc.  As Matt’s role with Kaysun continues to grow, his role is focusing more on the business side of IT, and implementing modules of their ERP software in all areas of the business.  In doing so, he attempts to increase operational efficiencies by getting users to use the system for all business functions.

Matt has thrived in his role at Kaysun and credits his experiences at Lakeshore for launching his career.

2015 Travis Knier

Travis graduated from Lakeshore in 2003 from the Marketing program and began his career in Human Resources later that year by joining SEEK Staffing Solutions in October while earning a bachelor’s degree from Silver Lake College in Manitowoc. In August of 2007, Travis joined Rockline Industries as an HR administrator and was promoted to his current position as Talent Acquisition Coordinator in 2013.

In his current role, Travis is responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining top industry talent by tirelessly searching for and unearthing superior candidate sources, initiating and nurturing relationships, directing the design/placement of employment advertising, and evaluating the overall effectiveness of Rockline's recruiting efforts.

Travis has continued his education during his career, working toward a master’s degree in Business Administration from Lakeland College in Sheboygan.  He also served as the Chair of the Communications Committee for the Sheboygan Area Society for Human Resource Management, an organization he has been active with since 2012. Travis also serves on the Lakeshore Technical College Human Resources Administration advisory board