Lakeland Alums Share Success Stories at Business & Entrepreneurship Colloquium
Current and prospective Lakeland University students heard the experiences of three accomplished alums during the annual Business & Entrepreneurship Colloquium on Thursday, December 5. It was the second of three events held during the week that spotlight successful Lakeland graduates.
Auditing professional Curtiss Dokey ’22, marketing communications expert Gaby (Cappaert) Jansen ’16 and sports professional Ali Wilson ’21 MSLOD ’21 shared stories about their time at Lakeland and how they maximized their Lakeland experience to position themselves for post-graduation success.
The annual colloquium events invite prospective students to Lakeland to hear from the graduates as part of a day that also includes interviews for Lakeland scholarships. For current students, the events provide an opportunity to interact with Lakeland grads to build their networks.
Dokey is a field auditor for the State of Wisconsin, where he applies his skills in strategic analysis and auditing. Since graduating from Lakeland, he has been dedicated to developing his career in public service and finance.
He played a founding role in Launch: Lakeland Student-Run Businesses, helping create a startup model that evolved into one of Lakeland’s unique student opportunities. He served as Launch’s chief strategist.
“Launch gave me crazy experience and negotiating skills,” said Dokey. “It opened new avenues of finance and helped me understand what I truly liked. Co-Op was invaluable—it forced me to get out into the real world, which is something I’m grateful for every day.”
Dokey attended Lakeland as a J. Garland Schilcutt Scholar, gained experience with Cooperative Education experiences at Fromm Accounting and CliftonLarsonAllen and was a member of the Esports team.
“Communication and teamwork are critical,” he added. “Use all the resources available to you and be willing to learn. Everyone here is like a family—it really is a home away from home.”
Jansen is the senior integrated communications manager at Sargento, where she leads cross-channel marketing campaigns with a focus on integrated strategy.
With a background in agency and CPG roles, Jansen has extensive experience in brand strategy, project management and collaborative leadership. She was named 2020 Sheboygan County Young Professional of the Year in a competition held by the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce.
“Lakeland prepared me with pivotal experiences,” said Jansen. “I worked at St. Nicholas and with the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC), where I met so many people and made valuable connections. (LU staff member) David Gallianetti helped me foster those connections, and he was always introducing me to new networks.”
Jansen credits her experiences at Lakeland for teaching her the importance of personal connections. “I worked on real-world projects, including a campaign for Sheboygan,” she said. “Those experiences helped me build critical thinking skills and the creativity and analytical thinking employers value in marketing. It’s about going out and finding opportunities on your own.”
At Lakeland, Jansen was a member of the women’s basketball team. She recently earned a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University to go with her bachelor’s in business administration from Lakeland.
Wilson is the assistant commissioner of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C), where she oversees public information, championships, compliance and DEI initiatives. She also coordinates with the A-R-C Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and recently led major events like the 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
She is actively involved in professional organizations such as Women in Sports Helping Inspire the Next Generation (WISHING) and Women in Sports & Events (WISE).
“Choosing Lakeland was an easy choice for me—I’ve always been drawn to sports and college athletics,” Wilson said. “The Sports Management and Leadership (SML) program really spoke to me. Two key takeaways from my time at Lakeland were communication and flexibility. Employers want go-getters who are willing to learn and adapt.”
At Lakeland, Wilson was a standout on the women’s golf team, earning conference medalist honors in 2019 and leading her team to the conference championship in 2021. She was also recognized as the conference Female Student-Athlete of the Year and was an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
“Launch was the best experience—it gave me adult responsibilities before I was an adult,” she said. “Internships were also incredibly valuable. (Faculty members) Coach April Arvan, Bob Martin and Brian Frink were all amazing mentors who helped shape my path.”
