News & Events

Editor’s Note:  The following interview was done by Marjorie Stoneman on behalf of Whitewater Unites Lives.

Dr. K. Praveen Parboteeah is a well-respected and world-renowned professor, researcher, and textbook author who lives in Whitewater, Wisconsin.  His journey to Whitewater began in the small country of Mauritius, an island near Africa. He grew up in a family of teachers and his maternal grandfather was one of the first non-Christian principals during British rule in Mauritius.

Praveen earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mauritius.  A professor from California arranged for one student to attend Chico University in California to earn an MBA and Praveen was chosen to follow the research track.  He then earned a PhD in Business Administration at Washington State.  Washington State is also where he became a United States citizen.

“I really liked what my advisor was doing and the quality of life in the United States.  I wanted to have the best option to stay here and do research and flourish as a scholar,” he said.  At that time, Mauritius had limited opportunities for a PhD education.

Praveen said when he first went to California, he was really homesick, being 10,000 miles and 22 hours away from his family. His mom came the first summer to help him adapt.  He said now he enjoys talking with his father regularly on the phone and Facetiming his family on the weekend.  Technology has made the distance bearable.

Praveen speaks French, Creole, and English fluently.  One of Praveen’s challenges was changing from the British style of writing to the American style of writing.  He said the British style is much wordier, and so he learned to write in a clean, direct style for academic papers.

He has published 60 articles and five books (three books with more editions).  He won the UW-W Award for Outstanding Researcher twice, and he received an award from the Prime Minister of Mauritius. He also surpassed 10,000 cites on Google Scholar.

Praveen’s first position after earning his PhD was to teach Business at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  He had applied to many universities, but he really liked the chair of his department, Chris Clements. He and his wife, Kyong Pyun, moved here 25 years ago.  He said it was difficult to adapt at the beginning, but once he and Kyong met people through work and the community, it became much easier socially.  Praveen has had many offers to teach at other universities, but he loves it in Whitewater and doesn’t plan to leave.

In 2014, Praveen spearheaded the DBA (Doctorate of Business Administration) program at Whitewater, which has been an important financial and status boost for the university.  Working business people can earn their DBA by attending sessions on the weekend.  The program is geared toward professionals.  In addition, other state professors have been able to advance at their universities by earning a DBA at Whitewater.

“When I think about all of the experiences I have had, I know I am privileged to be at UW-W,” he said.

Praveen’s wife, Kyong (featured in another whitewaterbanner.com article) was born in South Korea, so Praveen made connections with South Korea University, where he teaches each summer.  He has also made wonderful professional connections with other international scholars from Germany, China, and India.

“I have enjoyed all of the cultural experiences.  In Mauritius, I was able to meet Muslims, Hindus and Christians.  I’m interested in different cultures and have had good experiences whenever I’ve interacted with people from different countries,” he said.

Praveen and Kyong raised two children in Whitewater.  One is currently attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the other recently graduated from there.  Both Praveen and Kyong are dedicated to the Whitewater community.  Praveen is a volunteer for Whitewater YES for Education, served on the Whitewater Grocery Co. Board, and was involved in creating the Lincoln Elementary Charter School.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Whitewater Unites Lives.

The compost site, located at 599 N. Jefferson St., will on open on Saturdays beginning April 5, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and Wednesdays, starting April 9, from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

The compost site is available to City of Whitewater residents only. Residents can bring yard waste to the site for disposal. Residents are required to empty the yard waste from any container used in the transportation of the yard waste and take the container home.

Residents can also help themselves to composted material or wood chips at the site. Residents must load their own compost or wood chips. The City will provide a loader for loading chips and compost beginning Saturday, April 5. This loader will be available on the first Saturday of each month until the site closes for the season on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

*Please allow enough time for unloading as the compost site will close promptly at the posted times. *

NOTICE: City Ordinance Chapter 12.08 – Street Obstructions, Section: 12.08.010 – Residents are prohibited from depositing any yard waste debris on…right of ways other than City of Whitewater designated days.

If you have any questions, please call the Department of Public Works at 262-473-0560.

For other requests, visit https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/RequestTracker.aspx.

Whitewater Police Credit Card Skimming Public Service Announcement

On March 18, 2025, the Whitewater Police Department Detective Bureau provided the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office with information that led to the apprehension of an individual suspected of credit card skimming. At the time of the arrest, the individual was in possession of what is believed to be cloned credit/debit card data from numerous victims. Multiple victims have been identified as Whitewater residents.

The Whitewater Police Department is asking anyone who used the following ATM to speak with a member of the WPD
Detective Bureau at 262-473-0555, and provide the last four digits of the card used so our staff can compare it to the list
of compromised data:
Whitewater Kwik Trip #493, 305 Elkhorn Rd. Whitewater, WI
The transactions occurred between January 20, 2025 and January 23, 2025.

Additionally, the Whitewater Police Department reminds everyone of precautions consumers can take to protect
themselves from credit card skimmers and fraud:
 Inspect ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and other card readers before using. Look for anything loose, crooked,
damaged, or scratched. Don’t use a card reader if you notice anything unusual. Use tap to pay when possible.
Use ATMs in a well-lit indoor location with less vulnerable targets.
 If you use a debit card at a gas station, run it as a credit card instead of entering a PIN. That way, the PIN is safe,
and the money isn’t deducted immediately from your account. If that’s not an option, cover your hand when
entering your PIN. Scammers sometimes use pinhole cameras located above the keypad area to record PIN
entries.
 Be alert for skimming devices in tourist areas, which are popular targets.
 Use debit and credit cards with chip technology. In the U.S., fewer devices steal chip data than magnetic strip
data.

Editor’s note: Police Chief Dan Meyer indicated that “no additional information regarding the suspect or the investigation will be released as it remains an open investigation.”

Singer/songwriter, Whitney Rose, is performing in the next Wright House Concert in Whitewater on April 12 at 7 pm.

Currently based in Dodge County, Wisconsin, Rose wears many hats: woman, mother, teacher, musician, human being. She weaves all of these roles together in her art. Her voice is soulful and maternal, and will draw you in. Her music is the story of her experience, as a Human Being and as a Divine Being. Come, listen. Be human. Know that you are loved. That it is OK to be.

The Wright House is an old brick home in Whitewater, Wisconsin, originally built by the Wright family in 1857. Sarah Beth Nelson, the current owner of the Wright House, will host.

Register on Eventbrite: https://whitneyrosewrighthouse.eventbrite.com

Ferradermis competed at the Phantom Lakes Regional at Mukwonago High School over Spring Break from March 27-29 and finished qualifications ranked #5 out of the 39 participating teams with an 8-3-1 record. The 39 teams came from around the world – 2 from Mexico and 1 each from India, Turkey, and Chinese Taipei! The field also included teams from 5 states – Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri.

The mechanical team, programmers, and drive team had been working hard since the team’s first competition in Duluth at the end of February to make improvements to the robot. In the three weeks since Duluth, the robot had been adjusted to score additional points in the autonomous period, handle algae (the large green playground balls) and pick up coral from the ground. All of these changes improved the offensive capabilities of the robot, and the team’s EPA (estimated points added) rating jumped nearly 10 points at this competition.

The Whitewater High School team became the captain of the #4 seeded alliance for the elimination round and invited Team 6223 – Arsenal of Engineering from Menomonee Falls and Team 2202 – BEAST Robotics from Brookfield to join their playoff alliance. After getting hung up on top of an algae during the first playoff match, losing to the #5 seed, Ferradermis led their alliance in a valiant effort in the second match before falling 151-148 to the #8 seed.

Dean’s List nominees Erison Dreksler and Chacha Binagi each interviewed with a panel of judges during the event, highlighting their personal contributions to the team. A Dean’s interview is something like a job interview and is the only time in FIRST that the focus is on the individual student rather than the team.

Ferradermis members participating in the event and filling various roles from drive team to impact presenter to safety captain to pit crew to match strategist to scout to media team member to mascot included seniors Andrew O’Toole, Zoe Olson, Emerson Dunham, Andrew Zimmermann, and Maddi LaHaie, juniors Erison Dreksler, Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman, Nina Heim, Georgia Esch, Chacha Binagi, Ace Hudec, and Margaret Brown, sophomores Toby Kapfer, Colby Long, Preston Miller, and Carson Miller, and freshmen Emilie Bruns, Asher Downs, Eli Gonsior, Cooper Housel, Jayden Kehrer, Virginia Nelson, Sam Raupp, and Letty Trautman.

The team is next in action this coming weekend at State Fair Park in West Allis for the Wisconsin Regional where 48 teams from Wisconsin and Illinois will go head to head. The public is invited to attend this free event on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6.

Ferradermis continues its fundraising efforts for the trip to the FIRST Championships in Houston, Texas in April. If you would like to support the team, online donations are accepted at https://www.ferradermis.org/ or checks made out to WHS can be sent to the team at Whitewater High School c/o Laura Masbruch, 534 S Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, WI 53190. Team members are also selling Kwik Trip cards and planning several upcoming restaurant nights.

Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor
lmasbruch@wwusd.org

Polls will be open on Tuesday, April 1 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A photo ID is required. Same-day registration is available. Proof of residence is required, and the voter must have lived in the residence for at least the previous 28 days.

Anyone may enter their address at this website to confirm the races on their ballot and their polling place. The city will have two polling places, the Downtown Armory and the University Center on the UW-Whitewater campus.

All city residents will have the following contested races on their ballot:
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Justice of the Supreme Court
Whitewater Unified School District School Board Members
State referendum – constitutional amendment regarding voter ID
City referendum regarding Police/Fire/EMS
Whitewater Unified School District Capital Referendum

City residents in District 1 also have a contested race for Common Council member.

City residents in Jefferson County also have the following contested races:
Jefferson County Circuit Court Branch 1
Jefferson County Circuit Court Branch 2

Absentee ballots must be received by Tuesday at 8 p.m. Voters wishing to deliver an absentee ballot on Tuesday must bring it to the Community Room on the first floor of the Municipal Building, 312 W. Whitewater St.

Various candidates were given the opportunity by the League of Women Voters to respond to several questions. Their responses may be found on this website when your address is entered, and the race is chosen.

A team of finance students from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater made history this week by securing first place in the 2025 Local Finals of the CFA Institute Research Challenge in Milwaukee, WI. This marks the first time UW-Whitewater has won the prestigious competition in the fourteen years it has participated.

The winning team—Nathan Parrish, Joshua Peterson, Alexa Gill, Kelsey Hengst, and Carter Voigt—competed against top universities in the region. Their success was part of UW-Whitewater’s Applied Investments Program (AIP). AIP is under the direction of UW-Whitewater Finance and Business Law instructor R.J. New and industry mentor John O’Hare, Managing Director at O’Hare Wealth Management. Both provided invaluable support, helping the students refine their research and presentation skills.

As part of the challenge, the team conducted extensive equity research on Manitowoc, Inc. (MTW), a U.S.-based crane manufacturer. Their analysis included evaluating the company’s financial statements, developing projected financial performance models, and determining a target stock price based on discounted cash flow valuation. To enhance their understanding, the team also interviewed professional crane operators, gaining firsthand insights into how MTW cranes compare to competitors in real-world applications.

“The competition was an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve in the next stage,” said team member Carter Voigt. “Being able to bridge classroom learning with real-world financial analysis has been invaluable. This experience has not only expanded our technical skills but also prepared us for future careers in finance.”

Kelsey Hengst echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the competition’s role in professional development. “Throughout this experience, I gained invaluable skills that will benefit my professional career. We learned how to properly analyze financial statements, build financial models, evaluate key financial ratios, and forecast future earnings. Additionally, the competition’s Q&A session forced us to think critically and respond under pressure, which will be crucial in our future careers.”

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition designed to provide university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and ethics. Students work with CFA professionals, faculty advisors, and industry mentors to produce a professional-grade research report and present their investment recommendations to a panel of expert judges. After submitting their written reports in January, the UW-Whitewater team delivered their final presentations on February 25.

With this victory, the UW-Whitewater team advances to the sub-regional competition, where they will submit a video recording of their presentation. Their success highlights the strength of UW-Whitewater’s College of Business and Economics in providing high-impact, experiential learning opportunities that prepare students for real-world careers in finance.

As the team moves forward in the competition, they remain focused on refining their research, sharpening their presentation skills, and continuing their success on a larger stage.

More about the Applied Investments Program at UW-Whitewater:

UW-Whitewater’s Applied Investment Program (AIP) gives students the opportunity to gain real-world experience by managing an investment portfolio worth more than $1 million. AIP offers training on Bloomberg terminals, the platform used most by investment professionals.

Students in the AIP will develop analytical skills and critical thinking while learning to be a professional. They’ll have the opportunity to learn how to write professional quality reports, how to present their ideas effectively, and how to function in a professional environment.

AIP acts as an honors program for finance majors in the university’s College of Business and Economics, Wisconsin’s largest business school.

More about the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics (CoBE): 

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics (CoBE) is Wisconsin’s largest business college. It is home to the #1 ranked online, single school Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program in the State and is the only college in Wisconsin that offers an AACSB-accredited Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) degree program. CoBE is in the top 2% of the world’s business schools having earned both AACSB and AACSB Accounting Accreditation. For more information on the College of Business and Economics, visit uww.edu/cobe or email cobe@uww.edu. 

The college ranked No. 1 in the state in the 2025 U.S. News and World Report review of online programs. UW-Whitewater is home to Wisconsin’s top-ranked single school in the following categories:

• Best Online MBA
• Best Online Business Graduate Program
• Best Online Business Undergraduate Program
• Best Online MBA Program for Veterans
• Best Online Business Graduate Program for Veterans