Patrick Rees Joins Capitol Bank as Assistant Vice President Commercial Lending

Madison, WI: Ken Thompson, President and CEO of Capitol Bank, is pleased to announce the hiring of Patrick Rees as Assistant Vice President Commercial Lending. He comes to Capitol Bank with 11 years of banking experience, 7 of which he has specialized in business banking. Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

“Early in his career, Patrick has proven himself as a Commercial Lender. We are excited to add his talent to an already strong and diverse team,” said Thompson.

Currently, Patrick serves as the Community Board Chair of the Rotary Club of Madison West Towne-Middleton. He also serves as a SCORE Mentor and was formerly a United Way campaign director.

Patrick and his wife live in Middleton with their two-year-old son and two Boston Terriers. His hobbies include gardening, cooking, bowling and following all Badger sports.

About Capitol Bank: Capitol Bank, locally owned and operated since 1995, is committed to serving the communities in which we live, work and do business. We are proud of the partnerships we have established with organizations, businesses and individuals in the Dane County area. Our philosophy of community support is demonstrated at the corporate level, as well as in the time and energy our employees devote to our community each year. Capitol Bank is Member FDIC.

Tonia Gregg Promoted to Account Executive

Madison, WI – Tonia Gregg was recently promoted to account executive at M3 Insurance. Specializing in employee benefits, Tonia’s evolving role at M3 will include consulting with and advising clients on the design, implementation and management of their benefit programs based on their current and future organizational goals.

Tonia joined M3 in December of 2017 as a senior account manager, bringing with her over 15 years of experience in the health insurance industry, particularly in the area of self-funding.

In her free time, Tonia enjoys volunteering for Dodgeville area schools as a coach for her two sons’ soccer teams.

_____________

About M3

M3 is a top 50 insurance broker and risk management firm in America. We’re leaders in the products we represent and the industries we serve. M3’s people are an extension of your team, providing world-class resources to help you manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide employee benefits. And our focus on community builds better places to live and work.

Apply to Leadership Greater Madison

Build your personal capacity, grow your leadership skills and learn how to become more connected to your community. Apply now to Leadership Greater Madison (LGM). The civic education and leadership training program kicks off on February 25^th.

LGM provides behind-the-scenes and hands-on opportunities to learn from community leaders and subject matter experts about topics such as equity, workforce development, education, public safety, taxes, sustainability and more.

The LGM online application can be found here. To learn more, contact Lynn Wood, LGM Program Director at lwood@wcgpr.com. LGM is a joint effort of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and Wood Communications Group

ALERT: Coronavirus email scam spreading malware

Infosec warns against clicking on phishing attempts

MADISON, Wis., Feb. 3, 2020 — Cybercriminals are now exploiting the intense interest and fear of the coronavirus outbreak to spread fake email messages containing malicious computer viruses and malware.

Infosec, a leader in cybersecurity education and security awareness training, warns as the coronavirus infection spreads, bad actors will try to capitalize on the terror and panic caused by the global outbreak.

“We can expect to see phishing emails containing malware in the U.S. soon,” said Jack Koziol, CEO and founder of Infosec. “Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for cybercriminals to use high interest, high concern events as a method of tricking people into clicking on links and documents that then unleash viruses and malware into their systems.”

The emails are currently being seen in Japan, according to a report released by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky and IBM. This tactic can be expected to spread to the U.S and other countries as the number of confirmed cases increases.

“Everyone should be on the alert for these emails during the coming days and weeks,” Koziol added. “The elderly are often targeted with these types of scams, but it’s also possible for businesses to be targeted under the guise of tips for keeping employees and customers safe.”

The fake emails in Japan appear to be sent by a disability welfare service provider and include information indicating cases have been discovered in the recipient’s region. The emails also include an attached Word document masked as offering updates and health information.  Opening the attachment unleashes the malware, according to IBM.

Additional tips for detecting phishing email:
•           Numerous misspellings and grammar mistakes.
•           A false air of urgency for you to click immediately on attachments.
•           The URL may be different or slightly altered from a legitimate business represented as the sender.
•           Requests for personal information, such as bank account and credit card numbers for “verification purposes.” Reputable organizations never ask for this.

The virus was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. More than 9,600 infections are confirmed worldwide. Eleven cases are currently confirmed positive in the U.S. All of those cases are imported from other countries. There is a report of one person-to-person coronavirus spread in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

###

About Infosec

Infosec has been fighting cybercrime since 2004. Thousands of organizations and over 2.68 million learners trust the wide range of security-specific classes and enterprise security awareness and phishing training to stay a step ahead of the bad guys. Infosec IQ, Infosec Flex and Infosec Skills provide the most advanced and comprehensive education and training platforms. Founded by CEO Jack Koziol, Infosec is based in Madison, with offices in Chicago and Dulles, Virginia. Learn more at www.infosecinstitute.com

Man Booker Prize-Winning Author Marlon James Coming to Madison for Free Lecture

Contact Information: Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Office: (608) 262-8862
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu

MAN BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR MARLON JAMES COMING TO MADISON FOR FREE LECTURE 

MADISON – Award-winning author Marlon James will speak at the Madison Central Library on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. about a range of topics, including writing, the Caribbean, race and gender, as part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) Committee’s free lecture opportunities.

The Jamaican-born author’s books include, “Black Leopard Red Wolf,” “A Brief History of Seven Killings,” “John Crow’s Devil” and “The Book of Night Women.” His work has been called gripping, action-packed, thrilling, intense and epic. 

The WUD DLS Committee is co-sponsoring this lecture with the UW-Madison Center for the Humanities. The lecture is presented in partnership with the Andrew W. Mellon Sawyer Seminar with additional sponsorship support from the Wisconsin Book Festival, the UW-Madison English Department, and the Cyril W. Nave Endowment administered by the Department of Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies at UW-Madison.

Additional speakers during spring 2020 include author and activist Megan Phelps-Roper on Feb. 4, sailor Jerome Rand on Feb. 19, science writer Rebecca Skloot on March 4, civic engagement activist Tiana Epps Johnson on a date to be announced in April as well as a presidential candidates forum March 30 and 31. 

“Marlon James is a fearless, passionate writer, who will speak about perspectives on many important issues and how fiction can put a spotlight on those issues,” said WUD Distinguished Lecture Series Associate Director of Marketing and Outreach Evanka Annyapu. 

The WUD DLS Committee brings engaging and influential people to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus to encourage thought-provoking conversations. WUD includes 10 committees and six Wisconsin Hoofers clubs that program thousands of events each year.

More information about upcoming DLS events is available at union.wisc.edu/get-involved/wud/dls. 

###

About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee contributes to the educational experience of University of Wisconsin–Madison students, Wisconsin Union members and community members by bringing engaging and influential people to campus. Founded in 1987, the series aims to expose the campus community to a diverse and vibrant array of people, backgrounds, and ideas. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/dls.

[Note to the editor: Click here to download a photo of Marlon James. Photo by Mark Seliger.]

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/marlon-james.