Welcome to the Forward under 40 Awards

Welcome to forwardunder40.com, the official site of the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Forward under 40 award. The award publication mailed to 100,000 UW alumni and members in March 2008. You can find all of the content from the magazine on this site, as well as things we were unable to include, such as videos, photos, articles, other awards featuring our recipients and more.

WAA created the Forward under 40 award in 2007to honor and recognize outstanding grads under age 40 who are making an impact on the world and recently honored the first group of outstanding young alumni. From an inaugural batch of 139 nominations, the Forward under 40 selection committee chose the 23 (17 individuals and three couples) who rose to the top, and we couldn’t be more proud of the accomplishments of these young Badgers.

At first glance, these 23 people may seem to have little in common. They live all over the map — from Edgar, Wisconsin, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — with career paths as disparate as private jets and hip-hop poetry. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll start to see some connections.

Half majored in the liberal arts. Since graduating, half have founded nonprofit organizations. Fully two-thirds are driven by a commitment to teaching or mentoring the next generation. And a surprising number don’t own an iPod. They are all influencing and improving people’s lives beyond the university classroom, which is to say, they’re living the Wisconsin Idea, the guiding principle behind this award.

We welcome your submissions of outstanding young Badgers for the 2009 Forward under 40 award. Nominations will be accepted until July 11.

On Wisconsin!

Paula Bonner
President and CEO, Wisconsin Alumni Association