Schuler named to executive committee, Wiedemeier to board of New North
Regional business leaders offer expertise in technology, supply chain and manufacturing
NEW NORTH, August 24, 2020 – Michelle Schuler of Microsoft has been named to the executive committee of New North Inc., and Craig Wiedemeier has joined the organization’s board of directors, announced Vicki Updike, New North co-chair and chair of the board development committee.
“Microsoft, under Michelle’s leadership in the region, has been a strong collaborator with New North and its initiatives,” says Updike. “We look forward to her involvement at a higher level through the executive committee.
“Craig brings the voice of a leading company in the Fox Valley, along with expertise in the supply chain and manufacturing areas, and will be a great addition to the New North board.”
Michelle Schuler, who joined the New North board of directors in August 2018, has served as manager of TechSpark Wisconsin at Microsoft for the past three years. TechSpark is a civic program designed to foster greater economic opportunity in rural communities. In Northeast Wisconsin, its focus is on the use of technology to stimulate job creation, expansion of broadband access, skills development and employment connection.
Schuler has helped to spearhead several technology-related initiatives within the New North region in her Microsoft role. These programs have included gener8tor Upskilling, a free accelerator curriculum for individuals to learn digital skills needed for in-demand jobs, and TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools), which connects high school classroom teachers with techindustry volunteers to create sustainable computer science programs.
She additionally has collaborated with the NEW Digital Alliance, a New North-associated organization whose mission is to help develop the next-generation digital workforce in Northeast Wisconsin. Schuler in 2014 co-founded Women in Technology (WIT) Wisconsin, a start-up organization with the goal to attract, grow and retain women in technology.
Craig Wiedemeier was named President of Werner Electric Supply, an Appleton-based company serving customers throughout Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that employs more than 400, in April 2020. He previously had been the company’s Chief Operating Officer, a role which saw him lead the customer experience team and oversee Werner’s investment in information technology to modernize infrastructure, including an improved online ordering system.
Wiedemeier first joined Werner Electric Supply in May 2012 as its Vice President of Operations. In that position, he directed the company’s 2016 move to its new corporate headquarters and regional distribution center. Wiedemeier spent the initial portion of his professional career in operational roles with GE Healthcare (seven years), GE Oil & Gas (five years) and Plexus Corp. (two years).
He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree in business administration from Marquette University.
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New North, Inc., is a 501(c)3 non-profit, regional marketing and economic development corporation fostering collaboration among private and public sector leaders throughout the 18 counties of Northeast Wisconsin, known as the New North region. The New North brand unites the region both internally and externally around talent development, brand promotion and business development, signifying the collective economic power behind the 18 counties. The counties include Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Waupaca, Brown, Shawano, Oconto, Marinette, Door, Kewaunee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Florence, Menominee and Waushara. To find out more information about New North, Inc., please visit our website at www.thenewnorth.com.
