Alumni spotlight: Keith Donnermeyer ’75

Keith Donnermeyer recommends that people concentrate on what they want to do in life instead of what they want to be.

“Too many people obsess over things and achievements, and as a result they miss the beauty of what life is all about,” Donnermeyer says. “Don't be afraid of taking risks. That is how you grow. Most importantly, cherish your family and friends.”

Donnermeyer “embodies what it means to be a true Blugold,” says Kimera Way, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Foundation CEO, describing the alumnus who was successful in his professional life while volunteering for nonprofit organizations before and during his retirement.

He worked for the public accounting firm Deloitte & Touche in Milwaukee, San Francisco and Sacramento for most of his career, being admitted as a partner in 1987. As a national leader of Deloitte & Touche’s life science and health care practice, he served in a number of industry capacities, including as dean and one of the program developers for the University of California, Berkeley, BioPharma Executive Institute from 2007-13; a presenter and the chair of the CBI Life Sciences Accounting & Reporting Congress from 2012-15; and a member of the board of directors of the BayBio Association in San Francisco for nine years. He also served on the boards of the American Red Cross and Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee and chair of the Sacramento and San Francisco chapters of the American Heart Association.

Donnermeyer, who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, has served on the UW-Eau Claire Foundation board of directors since 2015. As past chair, he guided the board during development of the Sonnentag project and construction of the Flesch Family Welcome Center.

Donnermeyer and his wife, Char, whom he met the week of UW-Eau Claire graduation in 1975, also have consistently responded to requests for support to invest in UW-Eau Claire and its students with their gracious, kind and generous gifts, Way says.

Donnermeyer was a recipient of the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association’s President’s Award in May 2023 that recognizes outstanding professional and personal achievements and service to UW-Eau Claire.