Our Board
Meet Our Board
The AE Cares board is comprised of a few AE Business Solutions team members, but all employees are proud to contribute to the AE Cares mission through initiatives like twice-yearly “AE Cares Days.”
John Harris
President
John is a founding member of AE Cares. John is currently the President of AE Cares and has served on the board since its inception in July 2020. John is also the President of AE Business Solutions. John currently serves as the board liaison to the AE Cares' Racial Equality Committee.
John has been known to say that serving within AE Cares outings and committees has been life changing and life giving. Through AE Cares, a unique opportunity for John has been giving back to a local retirement community in Oconomowoc where his parents happily spent their final days.
Rick Gordon
Vice President
Rick Gordon is the Vice President of AE Cares. He has served on the board since its inception in July 2020. Rick is also the CEO at AE Business Solutions.
We work in an ever-changing industry that requires close engagement with our employees, clients and vendors. The culture that goes along with this type of business requires building long term relationships with all stake holders. AE Cares is an opportunity to expand those relationships in ways that are not possible inside the company. The reception by our employees and the groups that we are working to support has been tremendous and we look forward to future growth as we learn about ways to better serve.
Amy Ragatz
Treasurer
Amy is the Treasurer of AE Cares. She has served on the board since its inception in July 2020. Amy also sits on the AE Cares Days committee. She is also the Director of Finance & Operations at AE Business Solutions.
“What I really enjoy about being a liaison to the AE Cares Day Committee is being able to see what other people’s passions are for helping others. Not only do I get to help our employees give back but I also get to use the local opportunities to involve my kids in giving back in our community. Being part of AE Cares has given me a much better awareness of many things I took for granted and has allowed me to practice a higher level of gratitude in my personal life.”
Jeanne Blachowicz
Secretary
Jeanne is a founding Board Member, serving as Secretary since AE Cares was formed in 2020.
Jeanne has held business development and leadership roles in telecom, IT training, application development consulting, enterprise software and IT hardware, and software consulting. Currently, Jeanne is Director of Solution Specialists at Microsoft.
Originally from Waukesha, WI, Jeanne lived and worked in the Chicago area after graduating from St. Norbert College. After relocating to the Madison area, Jeanne joined AE Business Solutions in 2007, serving in a variety of roles, and worked at AE for a total of 14 years.
Jeanne is honored to serve on the Board of AE Cares and looks forward to supporting the expansion of AE Cares’ mission in the coming years.
Matt Blanchard
Board Member
Matt Blanchard is Vice President of Sales & Marketing at AE Business Solutions, developing and coordinating district-based go-to-market frameworks, orchestrating all sales operations activity, and overseeing day-to-day client and partner relations. Within AE Cares, Matt served as chair of the Racial Equality Committee prior to joining the board.
Olga Rosales
Board Member
Olga Rosales is the Director of Business Insights at Waterstone Mortgage. She is passionate about all things data, especially data storytelling and visualization. Her favorite role at Waterstone is being a member of the Culture Club, where a team is focused on creating a workplace where employees feel connected and valued. Olga is a product of Milwaukee Public schools and attended UW Madison.
Olga shares her life with her awesome husband Leighton, her sons Sam and Max who live in Madison and attend the UW, her son Dane and stepdaughter Maggie who are sophomores in high school and her stepdaughter Kennedy who luckily still likes to hang out with her parents. Olga is always up for board games, going out to a new brunch spot or looking for the next best show to stream.
Olga has partnered with AE over the last 10 years, and is honored and proud to be a member of the REC and a new member of the AE Cares board.
Committee Leadership
Meet the Committee Chairs
Holly Davenport
Committee Chair, AE Cares Days
Holly Davenport leads AE Cares with a clear mission: Caring Loudly. She brings passion, purpose, and a heart for service to every initiative. With a talent for connecting people, Holly organizes impactful programs that support local families, seniors, and charitable causes. She believes small acts of kindness create big waves of change and that true impact starts with showing up and speaking out for those in need. Her leadership ensures AE Cares remains a vibrant force for compassion, connection, and positive change.
Kris Muth
Committee Co-Chair, Veterans
Kris, the son of a retired Army veteran, proudly serves as the Chair of the Veterans Committee. Since joining the committee in 2022, he has been deeply involved in numerous initiatives aimed at honoring, supporting, and empowering veterans in our local community. With a passion for building relationships and strengthening partnerships within the veteran community, Kris is dedicated to leading the committee in its mission to make a meaningful impact. He encourages anyone interested in joining or participating in AE Cares initiatives to reach out and get involved.
Jessica Strand
Committee Co-Chair, Veterans
Jessica Strand, the daughter of a WWII Army veteran and Purple Heart survivor, proudly serves as Co-Chair of the Veterans Committee. Inspired by her father's service and sacrifice, Jessica has carried forward a deep commitment to honoring veterans throughout her life. In 2003, she joined the American Legion Auxiliary in his honor, and she continues to give back today as a volunteer cashier for her local VFW post.
As Co-Chair of the Veterans Committee, Jessica channels that same dedication into the AE Cares program, working to create meaningful support for veterans in the community. If you'd like to get involved, she'd love to hear from you.
Miranda Bucalo
Committee Chair, Racial Equality
As Chair of the AE Cares Racial Equality Committee, Miranda is honored to lead the work advancing equity through partnerships, education, and action. She comes to this role knowing that she has much to learn and sees that as both a responsibility and a commitment to listen, to center those most impacted by inequality, and to leverage whatever platform AE Cares has for meaningful change. Through community partnership and ongoing advocacy efforts, the Racial Equality Committee is focused on creating real opportunity and impact. Anyone passionate about racial justice or eager to learn is welcome and encouraged to join in this critical work.
Who starts a local, charitable foundation during a global pandemic? We did.
In the late summer of 2020, when we started AE Cares, the idea was to build upon one of the core values of AE Business Solutions: Engage Locally, serve your community both inside and outside of AE. Little did we know the impact AE Cares would have on us and on our community.
We wanted to give back, but we wanted to give back in more ways than only writing a check or making a donation. The pandemic was raging, so there weren't many places we could serve. We knew caring and serving veterans was something important to us, but we weren't sure how, how we could make a difference? We began talking to our veteran employees and brainstorming ideas. Our support for veterans began simply, but powerfully. On Memorial Day, every Memorial Day, there are tens of thousands of gravestones across WI that need remembrance flags placed near the headstone. We jumped in and have been in the process of serving veterans in multiple ways throughout the year. On Memorial Days over the past few years, AE Cares volunteers have placed thousands, literally thousands of flags to help remember and honor those who gave their lives in support of our country.
In 2021, we, along with much of the world, watched the injustice of George Floyd's death. We instantly knew that racial equality was something we wanted to fight together for as AE Cares. We acknowledged that many of us, we were and are late to the fight, but we were reminded that even those who are late, the fight for racial equality needs more and more advocates, allies and friends. We didn't know where to start. We began learning and listening. We learned through past voices, current authors, community speakers, our friends, our colleagues and our community, and we agreed and committed to foster a culture of learning, advocacy and partnership. Our first partnership was with Maydm in Madison, and we're so excited to continue to partner with Maydm to help equip girls and youth of color in grades 6-12 with the technical skills to engage in and revolutionize the technology industry.
We also wanted to enable service opportunities for all the employees of AE Business Solutions, to serve anywhere and everywhere they desired. We created AE Cares Days and we provided each employee 2 days annually where they can each serve without being required to use PTO or personal weekends to give back. The employees of AE have served at retirement communities, at nature preservation and restoration sites, at food pantries and food banks, at churches, at community events, at holiday toy drives and so many other local, community service locations. There are 3 requirements: Recruit your fellow AE-ers and your friends to join you, take a picture if appropriate, and share an update and your picture within AE's Teams channel to update us on the impact serving within AE Cares had on you and those you served.
My hope: you'll join us at an AE Cares outing, you'll join an AE Cares committee, you'll consider a financial contribution to AE Cares, or you'll spur us on with stories of your own.
At AE Cares, we're just getting started and we'd love for you to join us.
— John Harris