One of the great things about Ottawa University-Wisconsin is that you can always count on seeing a familiar face. Though an unfamiliar face will appear, from time to time, that can be a very rewarding thing. Such is the case in courses taught by Carla Rutley, an adjunct instructor that makes good use of guest speakers. Rutley serves as the executive director of the Waukesha County Action Network, and she has several business contacts that are happy to take part in panel discussions or other presentations.

"I hope to offer my students some real life stories to complement our topics," said Rutley. "At the same time, I want to showcase Ottawa University to employers who believe in their employees' educational improvement and connect the two."

This semester, Rutley is teaching a course entitled Women in Management. One of the first panel discussions was comprised of men from diverse industries, who shared their insight as to the growth area women have in their industries and discussed potential barriers they might encounter on their career journey. The panel was comprised of Joe Sweeney, president of Corporate Financial Services and CEO of Sports Authority, Art Harrington, attorney and partner at Godfrey & Kahn, and John Matter, president/CEO of The Equitable Bank.

Sweeney (pictured, left) encouraged the women to self-promote and to explore opportunities to serve on corporate or non-profit boards as a way to further promote themselves in the market. Harrington (pictured, middle) pointed out that there are more women in law school, but few are partners in firms, saying that many times women opt out for family reasons. Harrington said while this can hinder growth, women can always network and remain connected for when they decide to return to the workforce. Matter (pictured, right) described how many men and women begin in the banking business as a teller. However, men tend to grow into leadership positions because of their educational background, whereas women do not because many do not pursue higher education.

One of the other panel discussions focused on the importance of women in leadership/politics. It included former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, Margaret Farrow, former Mayor of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Marlene Schumacher and former Wisconsin State Legislator Anne Nischke. Another panel was comprised of six prominent business owners or senior executives from Waukesha County.

So the next time you see someone you don't recognize at OU-Wisconsin, it may very well be someone from the community invited to take part in a discussion that could enhance your educational experience.