The mission of the Center for Professional Learning is to inspire individuals, organizations, and communities by providing resources and skills for leadership, innovation, and growth.

Meet Our Team

Student Fellows

Emma Wagner

Emma Wagner studies Business Administration at Viterbo University, graduating in the Spring of 2024. She is also a member of the Viterbo Women’s Basketball team. In addition to interning for the CPL, she is a student worker for the College of Business, Leadership and Ethics. Leisure activities she enjoys include playing board games, watching movies, being outside, and spending time with friends and family. As for her internship, she is most looking forward to gaining experience in another type of business environment.

Executives in Residence

Peter Hughes

Peter Hughes is the owner of Hughes Strategy LLC, a strategy consulting company. For more than 35 years, he's used Compression Planning® in both his professional healthcare career and as a community volunteer working with not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Hughes spent 35 years as a healthcare executive, retiring from the Mayo Clinic Health System in 2018, where he served as the Chief Planning Officer and Planning Administrator in Rochester, Minnesota. His primary responsibility was overall strategy development for the Health System, including regional and clinical service line plans.

His academic background includes a B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Evansville and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Cincinnati. He is also a graduate of The Ohio State University Executive Management Program for Healthcare Executives. In addition, Mr. Hughes has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Michigan, Slippery Rock State University, and Northern Kentucky University. He has been a guest lecturer at Pennsylvania State University, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and Viterbo University on the topics of Strategy Development, Marketing, and Research Methodology.

Mr. Hughes has volunteered on numerous community boards and is currently a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of La Crosse as well as Vernon Memorial Healthcare in Viroqua. He is also a member of the Downtown Rotary Club of La Crosse. His wife, Susan, is a retired faculty member of Viterbo University in the Department of Education. They have three grown children and eight granddaughters, all living in Wisconsin.

Leanne Johnson

Leanne is a digital marketing executive with 17+ years of experience in digital strategy, innovation, and data analysis. She is passionate about exploring consumer motivations and translating that into actionable and accountable strategic marketing plans. Her ability to seamlessly bridge the gap between digital and traditional has proven invaluable for clients working to weave an effective narrative across all channels. She has led teams in a variety of industries ranging from automotive, healthcare, retail, luxury, CPG, startups, insurance and sports. She creates innovative strategies that leverage real-time data to test, iterate and drive results. Prior to joining Perficient, Leanne led the digital team for the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Kristen Nyholm, M.S. Ed.

Kristen Nyholm is an Academic Advisor at Viterbo University. She has a master’s degree in professional counseling from UW-Oshkosh and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and Global Career Development Facilitator. Her personal mission statement is to share her knowledge and talents with others to help improve their lives in some way. She is the founder of the Knit-a-Thon program at Viterbo, which knits and donates blankets to children at Mayo Hospital. She is also working on writing a historical fiction novel set in the late 1800’s.

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