For SanDee Priser ’02, it all comes down to making practical impacts.
It’s what first drew her to University of Wisconsin Law School, what led to her writing two books and what most excites her about the school’s path forward today as a member of the Board of Visitors.
Priser has built a career at the intersection of law and business leadership. She’s a partner at Ernst & Young LLP on the risk management team helping teams operate within the regulatory requirements of auditor independence.
Prior to moving to risk management, Priser led forensic accounting investigations related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and helped improve regulatory compliance programs for global corporations, resulting in extensive experience providing services throughout Europe and Asia and across industries.
She’s also the author of two non-fiction books, with a third forthcoming.
The first is “enCharge: Transform Your Life From Within Through Your Life Success Factors,” published in 2020. Priser shares her “journey of exploration from tomboy on a farm to a successful career and satisfying life that were made possible by following my life success factors and moments of growth when loss of alignment frustrated achievement of my goals.”
In 2022, she published “Awakening: Inspirations & Motivations in Living Color,” a collection of her photographs and thoughts intended to motivate and inspire growth. “Daybreak: Seizing the Gift,” a companion to “Awakening,” will be published this autumn.
All proceeds from the sale of books benefit the enCharge Purpose in Action Scholarship Fund at UW Law School established by Priser.
“That ability to have practical skills before going into the field, that’s a real differentiator. I keep going back to the practicality of things and this seems like the essence of Law in Action.” – SanDee Priser ’02
“The scholarship assists Law students with a demonstrated record of pursuing their purpose, and that purpose will be furthered by a legal education,” she explained.
Priser’s books are available on Amazon, and you can learn more on her website. Priser’s objective in writing the books is to help people find more fulfillment in their lives through growth and purpose.
“I realize that I’m different than the person I was even a year ago, and if something I’ve learned along my path can help others, I want to share it with them,” she said.
That drive to provide practical support is why, in 2019, Priser joined the Law School’s Board of Visitors.
“One of my mentors, Kay Oberly, was on the Board at the time and she encouraged me to become involved,” she explained. “We, and the Law School, felt it was important to have a variety of voices on the Board because, while a legal education is beneficial to many career paths, like me, not all graduates end up practicing law.”
Priser is excited about the direction UW Law is headed, particularly in terms of the clinical program’s depth and breadth. UW Law’s commitment to clinical education is so strong, we now guarantee a clinical experience for every J.D. student.
“That ability to have practical skills before going into the field, that’s a real differentiator,” she said. “I keep going back to the practicality of things and this seems like the essence of Law in Action.”
She’s also excited about the recent investment in faculty whose work connects to Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. It’s designed to help address significant, complex challenges of importance to Wisconsin and the world through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration and increased student and educational opportunities.
“It’s becoming ever more clear that you may get a degree in something, but the world our graduates work in is very multidisciplinary,” she said. “The more we’re working with other schools, departments, etc., the more we set our students up for success and innovation.”