The Wellness Council of Wisconsin has launched its inaugural Light of Wellness Awards in partnership with BizTimes Media and Humana. The awards will honor extraordinary achievement of workplace employees in the field of corporate wellness. Award winners will be honored at the Humana Wellness Summit presented by BizTimes Media and the Wellness Council of Wisconsin on Thursday, March 29.
“The awards will offer business organizations the opportunity to showcase extraordinary achievement of their employees in the field of corporate wellness,” said Jessica Raddemann, executive director of the Wellness Council of Wisconsin. “We hope this will inspire others to be the ‘Light of Wellness’ for their organization and community.”
Nomination forms will be reviewed by industry and community leaders as well as the Wellness Council board of directors. Three award winners will be selected, one in each of the three categories. Nominations will be limited to two per organization. Organizations must be Wisconsin employers of at least two employees and offer a worksite wellness program. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 28.
The categories include:
- Healthy Behavior Award
Individuals who are participants in a worksite wellness program may be honored for exemplifying healthy behaviors or lifestyle changes that have resulted in significant improvements. - Leadership Award
Wellness managers or organizational leadership may be honored for inspiring others to join in the wellness movement, serving as role models or wellness champions, and ongoing participation and commitment to the worksite wellness program. They may have played a key role in advancing wellness as a top strategic priority for the organization. - Rising Light Award
Individuals who are participants in a worksite wellness program may be honored for taking initial steps in making lifestyle changes. They may have been resistant to change or found change to be difficult, at first. This award honors the employee for the steps they have taken in their wellness journey and may provide them with the encouragement to continue.
The deadline for nominations is Feb. 28.
The Wellness Summit will take place Thursday, March 29, at the Crowne Plaza Milwaukee West, 10499 Innovation Dr., in Wauwatosa from 7:30 to 10 a.m.
The event will kick off with a presentation by Dr. Thomas Van Gilder, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., market vice president and medical officer at Humana. Van Gilder will provide analysis about the latest trends in health care and health care reform.
The event will continue with a panel discussion by the leaders of established employee corporate wellness programs. The executives will share their insights and experiences about starting a wellness program, gaining employee buy-in and more. They will discuss the components of their programs and returns on investment.
The panelists will include:
* Rob Cowen, president and chief executive officer of Badger Alloys Inc., Milwaukee.
* Linda Hogan, vice president group leader, Bader Rutter & Associates Inc., Brookfield.
* Alan Petelinsek, principal owner, Power Test Inc., Sussex.
* Tyler Roberts, health promotions manager, Rexnord Industries LLC, West Milwaukee.
* Tina Semotan, vice president of human resources and organizational development, Franklin Energy Services LLC, Port Washington.
The panel discussion will be moderated by BizTimes executive editor Steve Jagler.
For more information, or to register to attend and to nominate for the awards, visit www.biztimes.com/wellness.
