Widely recognized by an assortment of titles, B. Ann Neviaser (MS ‘85) is first and foremost the President of Neviaser Investments, Inc., a company that owns and operates commercial real estate. As well as being managing partner of the DoubleTree Hotels in Madison and Milwaukee, she maintains a variety of roles within the community. Far from signaling the end of her relationship with the School of Human Ecology, Neviaser’s graduation from the Consumer Science program in 1985 initiated her embarkation on a decades long journey of business and philanthropy.
[Adapted from the nomination statement]
It is difficult to overstate Ann’s contributions to the School of Human Ecology. A founding member of the school’s Board of Visitors, she served as an advisor to three deans. In September of 2017, DoubleTree Hotel, one of Neviaser’s properties, acted as the Presenting Community Impact Sponsor at SoHE’s first annual Golf Scramble, helping elevate the event and double its intended goal of $10,000. She is currently serving as honorary co-chair of the SoHE All Ways Forward campaign, and in 2003 supported the publication of the book, The Challenge of Constantly Changing Times: From Home Economics to Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1903-2003. Neviaser’s understanding of this concept is clear, as is reflected in her statement regarding the new Human Ecology building that asserted it should include space for research in areas that “may not even have been discovered yet.”
Collaborating for Change
Ann has been an active member of the Madison community for over 30 years. She served over eight years on the Dane County Board, notably acting as the first woman to chair the Finance Committee. Additionally, Ann served on the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board as chairman, the Wisconsin Higher Education Aids Board, the Board of Trustees of Edgewood College, the Wisconsin Savings & Loan Review Board, the Wisconsin Psychological Examining Board, and is a current member of the Madison Downtown Rotary. The breadth of her interests is evidenced through this list, mirroring many of the disciplines available at SoHE. While Ann lends her voice to many of these groups, she often makes generous donations as well, as is shown by her status as a member of the Bascom Hill Society, an honor given to top donors of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her hands-on involvement combined with her financial generosity illustrates her dedication to philanthropy.
Empowering Women
In recognition of her support of the School of Human Ecology’s building campaign, Ann is one of SoHE’s 100 Women honorees. She recently participated in the collaborative endowment campaign to establish the 100 Women Chair in Human Ecology. This provided Ann the opportunity to honor her mother, C. Marie Burns Kraemer, as a 100 Women honoree as well. In the male-dominated investment industry, Ann’s success displays to aspiring young women, and the rest of the world, that people of all genders can excel with the right opportunities and a lot of hard work.