2024 Alumni Awards

Christopher M. Howard

John Morgridge ’55 Former CEO/Chair, Cisco Systems UW Major: Business

retirement, she continued to teach students with disabilities. John graduated from the Wisconsin School of Business and earned a master’s degree at Stanford University. He joined computer networking firm Cisco Systems in 1988, and under his leadership as president, CEO, and chair of the board, the company grew to become a global tech powerhouse. Almost 30 years ago, the couple funded an endowment at UW–Madison to create the Morgridge Center for Public Service, which encourages civic engagement and service learning in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea. They also supported a major renovation of the center’s first home, the historic Red Gym. “Tashia and I believe that when public service is done well, everyone benefits,” John said on the 10th anniversary of the Mordgridge Center in 2007. In the decades since, the Morgridges have made ongoing gifts to support the UW’s academic excellence, technological advancements, and educational opportunities for students from around the world. In 2004, their gifts launched the Morgridge Institute for Research — an on campus, nonprofit home for privately funded Tashia Morgridge ’55 Former Teacher, Special Education UW Major: Education

In 1950, John Morgridge and Tashia Frankfurth were high-school sweethearts in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Five years later, they were both proud graduates of the University of Wisconsin. With their worldly possessions in the back of their Ford, they took off to start their married life in California, already inspired to give back to their alma mater. “Our first check to the UW was for $5 in 1967,” John said in a 2005 commencement address. “In recent years, we’ve added a few zeros. We are blessed people. It is our need and our duty to help.” In the 67 years since graduation, John and Tashia Morgridge have made philanthropic gifts to UW–Madison on an unprecedented scale. Through their visionary giving, the Morgridges have positively transformed every corner of the UW–Madison campus, supporting new facilities and creating enduring opportunities for discovery, teaching, and public service. Tashia, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the UW School of Education, also earned a master’s degree from Lesley University in Massachusetts. She launched her early career as a special-education teacher, and after

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