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By Mallory (Goebel) Hertel ?07

Kim (Hartlein) Underhill's ?82 journey from Mater Dei to her successful career and philanthropic endeavors has been shaped by the invaluable experiences and influential leaders she encountered along the way Reflecting on her time at Mater Dei, Underhill acknowledges the profound impact the school had on her personal and professional development stating, ?There is no question that Mater Dei was a huge part of my success ?As a student at Mater Dei, Underhill not only excelled academically but also actively participated in extracurricular activities. She played on the volleyball team, attributing much of her growth and leadership skills to her coach, Carolyn (Herrmann) Adler '65 Adler's guidance and influential style taught Underhill the importance of effective leadership ?At the end of the day, what I?ve learned is leadership matters

I remember we thought Coach Adler was so intimidating at the moment, but she had a way of bringing people together. We would have taken the hill for her! I think about all the different and challenging times in my career, and I come back to the point that in the toughest of times is when leadership matters the most.?Underhill's connection to Mater Dei runs deep within her family, with her parents, Ken '57 and Joan (Elfreich) '61, and her sisters, Deanna (Hartlein) Zeise '84 and Jennifer (Hartlein) Decamps '92, all attending Corpus Christi grade school followed by Mater Dei. This shared bond reinforces the sense of community and values instilled in her from an early age. Underhill credits her MD chemistry and physics teacher, Mrs Marie Hankins, for inspiring her to pursue an engineering degree at Purdue University Her influence helped set the course for Underhill's successful career,

?There were so many good experiences (at Mater Dei) that you don? t realize until looking back how much it impacted your career and what?s important to you.? Throughout her time at Kimberly-Clark, Underhill came to embrace the concept of "servant leadership." This approach guided her through challenging times and contributed to her achievements She says, ?I?ve often thought that my role as a leader is to serve others. This principle was true every time, even during my international roles.?If you keep that in mind, it really gives you perspective whereas a lot of times in my career I have come across leaders with huge egos It was all about them and material things, and that is just not how I was brought up I think those values have played out well for me. I just happened to apply that to the business world? up until now ?After a 32-year career at Kimberly-Clark, most recently holding the role of Group President of Kimberly-Clark North America, Kim decided to shift her focus to other things such as her board work for organizations like Foot

Locker, Inc, The Menasha Corporation, Glanbia PLCand ThedaCare Regional Medical Center. Charitable giving has become an important part of her life through not only her generous support financially but also as a volunteer with United Way Her family continues to support their passion for giving through her family?s Community Foundation trust, the Underhill Hartlein Family Fund As she transitions into this next chapter, Underhill has expressed a desire to devote more time and resources to her charitable work She believes that as a successful business leader, she has a responsibility to use her skills, experience, and influence to create positive change in the world. ?Now that I am entering the ?Next Chapter?, there is this huge give-back that is taking a big part of my life and my husband?s life now ?Kim and Rob recently supported her former grade school, Corpus Christi, with a generous technology enhancement Another cause that is close to Underhill's heart is STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, particularly female leaders in STEM areas She recognizes the importance of empowering the next generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders, and is committed to supporting programs and initiatives that foster STEM education and engagement. Seven years ago, Kim and her family established The Advancing Women in Science/STEM Scholarship awarded to a graduating female Mater Dei student with plans to attend a four-year science program The four-year renewable scholarship continues to be a sought-after scholarship among our female seniors. Kim?s commitment to philanthropy has been a constant throughout her remarkable career, and it shows no signs of slowing down as she enters her next chapter. She adds, ?I?m just getting started ?