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Alumni Spotlight - Donna Felch '83

Donna Felch

Life at Lakeland is much different for non-traditional students. Just ask Donna Felch. The 1983 accounting graduate reflected on many fond, and often, humorous memories about her time at the college. She remembers receiving an invitation to tryout for the cheerleading squad. Another time, Dr. Devaney told me "Just call me Mike" since they were practically the same age. Of course that was the case with most of her professors, including Ron Haas, Rick Gaumer and Karl Elder. Donna credits Lakeland faculty with training her to think objectively and to reason through an issue to reach a logical conclusion.

Donna was planning for a career in accounting, aspiring to become a Certified Public Accountant. In 1983, she and her 10 classmates were the second class to graduate from the new accounting program at Lakeland. One of her favorite memories of her time at LC was graduating at age 35, when she left Lakeland College "armed with quality business education and ready for the challenges of the future."

Now a Chicago suburbanite, Donna had not planned on leaving the Sheboygan community when she enrolled at Lakeland. Both she and her husband were born and raised in Sheboygan County. When they were married in 1975, they just assumed that they would be spending the rest of their lives here. While they still own property and plan to retire in Sheboygan Falls, the pair decided that Chicago offered better job opportunities, so they packed up and moved to Illinois in 1984.

After completing her Lakeland studies, Donna worked in public accounting and in a series of corporate positions. For 12 years she specialized in corporate taxation and later earned her master's degree in taxation from DePaul University. Since her time at Lakeland, she has spent nearly two decades working in the pharmaceutical industry where she remains today. In 2001, Donna had the rare opportunity to be part of the team that accomplished a successful IPO (Initial Public Offering) for American Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. which Donna calls, "A truly unforgettable experience!"

Today, Donna works as vice president and chief financial officer at the Female Health Company, manufacturer of FDA-approved female contraceptives. The company is traded as "FHC" on the American Stock Exchange and is headquartered in downtown Chicago. With so much going on in her life, Donna notes that a "relatively carefree college life looks pretty good from here."

Donna and her husband, Jack, live in Palatine, IL. They enjoy spending time with family and friends, and they are actively involved in their church and the ministries therein. Donna can be reached at dfelch@femalehealthcompany.com.

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