Serving Women and Girls in
Waukesha County since 2004!
Young Women of Tomorrow, Today
In celebration of the 35 th anniversary of the Women of Distinction Luncheon, we caught up with some of our past Young Woman of Tomorrow honorees to see what they were up to. We were delighted, but not surprised, to learn where their life journeys have taken them.
Jody Lowe
1986 Young Woman of Tomorrow

Jody (Rupple) Lowe was a student at Waukesha North High School when she received the YWOT honor. She now lives in Wauwatosa with her husband, Chris, and their three children, Ben, Rachel and Luke.

WGF: What is your current position?

Lowe: I am president and founder of The Lowe Group. We are a communications and marketing firm that specializes in financial services companies.

WGF: Tell us about your college studies.

Lowe: I received a Bachelor of Arts from UW - Madison and attended graduate courses toward an MBA at UW-Milwaukee.

WGF: Tell us about some of your previous positions.

Lowe: I began my career at Strong Capital Management, where I worked for 16 years as director of communications. I launched The Lowe Group in 2013 and today serve as president. Our company provides communications and marketing services to financial services companies including mutual funds, investment advisers, industry associations and service providers throughout the US.

WGF: Tell us about any professional or community organizations you have been involved with:

Lowe: I’ve held numerous board positions, including Waukesha State Bank and TEMPO Milwaukee. I was board vice president for both Wisconsin Philharmonic and the Wauwatosa Public Library Foundation. I was also a commissioner for the Wauwatosa Plan Commission, and participated in DSHA High School’s marketing committee and Milwaukee Youth Arts Center’s ad hoc communications committee.

WGF: How did the YWOT honor impact your life?

Lowe: The award was a terrific boost of confidence and meaningful as someone who spent so many hours at the Waukesha YWCA and knew many of the strong women leaders who created the award.
Michelle Thaller
1988 Young Woman of Tomorrow

Raised in Waukesha, Michelle now lives in Davidsonville, Maryland. Michelle was a freshman at Harvard University when she received the YWOT honor.

WGF: What is your current position?

Thaller: I am assistant director of science for communication at NASA.

WGF: Tell us about your undergraduate studies.

Thaller: I earned a Bachelor of Arts at Harvard University and a Ph.D. in astrophysics at Georgia State University.

WGF: Tell us about some of your previous positions.

Thaller: I began my career as a post-doctoral research fellow at Caltech, then worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, for 13 years. In 2009, I joined NASA’s Goddard Flight Center as the assistant director of science. I have also worked at NASA headquarters.

WGF: What are some of the highlights of your career/life to date?

Thaller: I have travelled to every continent, mainly as a lecturer for the Smithsonian Institution. I’ve done some television shows and podcasts. I am married to Dr. Andrew Booth, a NASA scientist from England I met while doing astronomy research in Australia.

WGF: How did the YWOT honor impact your life?

Thaller: The lovely painting you presented me is still hanging on my wall as constant encouragement.
Gena Cooper
2001 Young Woman of Tomorrow

Gena was a senior at Mukwonago High School when she received the YWOT honor. She now lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and has three children.

WGF: What is your current position?

Cooper: I am an attending physician at the University of Kentucky Pediatric Emergency Department. My role is to help assure quality and timely care for acutely injured and ill children.

WGF: Tell us about your undergraduate studies.

Cooper: I earned a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and an M.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

WGF: Tell us about some of your previous positions.

Cooper: After my residency, I completed a fellowship at Children’s Minnesota in the Twin Cities.

WGF: What are some of the highlights of your career to date?

Cooper: Prior to medical training, I served Wisconsin as the 58 th Alice in Dairyland. I also worked with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection on renewable energy policy development. I have been involved with Rural Medical Educators and the American Academy of Pediatrics. My goal is to help provide trauma care to children in rural America.

WGF: How did the YWOT honor impact your life?

Cooper: The honor gave me confidence at the start of my university training so that I could strive for improving the health of my community through my role as a physician.
The Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County, established in 2004, seeks to aid and enrich the lives of women and girls so they become thriving residents of their communities. Since 2005, the Women and Girls Fund has awarded nearly $900,000 to nonprofit organizations that promote the welfare, independence and self-sufficiency of women and girls of all ages.