Meet the Class

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Meet the Class

of 2017-2018

Platinum Sponsor:

Leadership Menomonie is sponsored by: Gold Sponsors:

Bronze Sponsors:

Dunn Energy Cooperative | Prevea Health | Xcel Energy

Adam Walesh, 3M Company

I have a degree in Paper Science & Engineering. I have most recently moved from Manufacturing Engineer into my current role of General Supervisor at 3M. I oversee 200 production employees in our MRO value stream through my 7 direct report Supervisors. My job as a General Supervisor is to implement and support 3M’s goals and initiatives through coaching, guiding and teaching. I look forward to joining Leadership Menomonie so I may network with other industry leaders; gain a better understanding of our local government, business and tourism; and learn how I can impact the latter. I like to spend time outdoors biking and sitting around the campfire listening to music with my wife.

Angie schroyer, Rotary Club of Menomonie

I moved to the Menomonie area a year ago to open my chiropractic office. I have been practicing chiropractic for 8 years and moved to the Menomonie area to be closer to my family. It was a great first year here in Menomonie, I became an ambassador for the chamber and became part of the Rotary club. Both the chamber and Rotary have helped me to meet many people in the area as well as be more involved in the community but I am really looking forward to having the opportunity through Leadership Menomonie to really get to know the community and what Menomonie has to offer. I am also looking forward to the friendships I will build throughout the program with all the participants that I will get to spend time with. Outside of work I love to spend time with family, friends and I am very active with sports and yoga. I recently got married over the summer and am now enjoying the married life.

Becca Kleist, Menomonie Market Food Co-op

Hello! My name is Becca Kleist, I am the Outreach and Education Coordinator at Menomonie Market Food Co-op. I’m responsible for our classroom, events, and assist in marketing & design. My background is in health, wellness & fitness from UW-Stout, which ties in great with promoting a thriving, healthy community at the co-op. My position was new when we opened our new location in 2015, so it has consisted of a lot of trial and error, especially since it is my first “professional” job, if you will. I’m looking forward to building more connections in the community and strengthening my role within the co-op, while working on professional and personal development throughout this program. In my free time I like to drink coffee, and recently took up calligraphy. I also enjoy hiking, camping, disc golfing and traveling in the warm months, and avoiding the outdoors in the cold months with Netflix and cats.

Ben Markl, UW-Stout

I have spent the past 17 years as a professional in full-time university/higher education positions managing facilities, people and/or programs. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Business Communication from UW-River Falls and my Master’s degree in Counseling and Student Personnel from Minnesota State University-Mankato. My current role is as Conferences and Events Coordinator in the Memorial Student Center at UW-Stout. I have only heard positive things about Leadership Menomonie from colleagues who have taken part in past years. I look forward to meeting other engaged community members and learning more about initiatives and opportunities in the Menomonie area. I grew up on a farm, value hard work and have an appreciation of nature. As such, I enjoy nature and just being outdoors whether it be gardening, yard work, walking, hiking, camping, etc. I also enjoy keeping up with entertainment/pop culture and current events as well as adding to my knowledge of random trivia. In general, I value doing worthwhile work and making a positive difference in the lives of others and to the world around me.

Beth Stone, Manpower

I spent 8 years in the banking industry starting as a teller and working my way up to a business and agricultural lender. I then spent 7 years in the insurance industry starting as an agent and developing into sales management, managing WI and MN. In April I made the transition to the staffing industry now managing the Manpower team in Menomonie. I spend my free time with my two sons and enjoying the outdoors. We are avid sportsman and truly enjoy just sitting out on the lake or hiking the woods. I am hoping to better understand the community connections within Menomonie and identify the best ways to support the development of our community.

Chloe Fetter, The Bridge to Hope

My name is Chloe Fetter and I am the Family and Youth Advocate at The Bridge to Hope. I currently enjoy being outdoors, spending time with family and friends, and benefit from a good book or TV show. I graduated from UW-Stout in 2015 and majored in Human Development and Family Studies. I knew I wanted to work directly with individuals in need and started my career as a Youth Advocate for AmeriCorps helping homeless and runaway teens. After my experience with AmeriCorps I worked briefly with individuals who struggled with chronic mental health disorders before finding my profession working with victims of abuse and violence. I am excited to begin my experience from Leadership Menomonie and hope to get a better understanding of our community and how to improve it, especially through education on laws and our government.

Craig Adams, WESTconsin Credit union

I earned a degree in Marketing/Real Estate from Madison Area Technical College in 1985 and have worked in management for over 25 years, most of that time while living and raising our family in Madison, WI. I was with CUNA Mortgage Corporation for 10 years, starting out as a Mortgage Closing specialist and eventually becoming their Default Management Supervisor. I then accepted an opportunity as a Claims Supervisor with Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation and was in that position for 19 years. In January 2016, my wife Janet and I relocated to the Menomonie area where I began my career with WESTconsin Credit Union as their Loss Mitigation Supervisor. Leadership Menomonie will allow me to further connect with area business leaders and open doors to learn more about the history and future of this wonderful community. I enjoy many outdoor activities including hunting, fishing and gardening. I raise shiitake mushrooms and started a new batch on our property near Elmwood, WI this past spring.

Elizabeth ritz witt, Free Clinic of the Greater Menomonie Area

I am a registered nurse and graduated from St. John’s School of Nursing in Springfield, IL in 1981. I moved to Denver, Colorado to continue working as a critical care nurse and completed my BSN at Metropolitan State University. I have volunteered in Sudan during a severe famine in 1985, and have lived in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), Greece, Australia, Singapore, India and Argentina in addition to Menomonie, WI and Tacoma, WA. My husband and I just celebrated 30 years of marriage and we have three grown children. I speak a small amount of language after living in countries where Arabic, French or Spanish were the primary language. I continue to work towards Spanish fluency. I enjoy traveling, hiking, biking, gardening, photography and cooking. I would like to learn more about the various sectors and industries represented in our community and the surrounding area. I would also like to network with our community leaders to promote health, wellness, awareness of community health needs, safety, and diversity that will continue to create a vibrant and welcoming community.

Gayle Ostermann, Chippewa Valley Technical College

I have been with CVTC for 17 years, and the majority of my time was in the Marketing and Recruitment department. Last February, I joined the Business & Industry department where I schedule and market continuing education classes for adults at our various campuses, as well as hire adjunct teachers to teach these classes. Attending Leadership Menomonie will allow me to learn more about this wonderful city and what it has to offer. I hope to build a supportive system of sharing information and developing new connections and friendships. I look to help strengthen the workforce needs in the area through awareness of CVTC and provide educational services. Tomboy, maybe…motor head, I don’t know…I have been referred to as both…my hobbies include motorcycling, boating, kayaking, four-wheeling, and hiking. I just started taking fly fishing classes. My husband and I enjoy getting way to our cabin in South Dakota with our dogs. You can say that I love the outdoors!

GLendy Thompson, 3M Company

I recently relocated to the great town of Menomonie in February of 2017 with my husband, Steve, from Austin, Texas. I am currently employed at 3M Menomonie Plant as a Manufacturing Product Manager. I received my Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA in Finance from Stony Brook University. In my spare time, I enjoy many outdoor activities including skiing, tennis, cycling, hiking, and running. My husband and I enjoy traveling to explore new sights and meet people, but our favorite by far is to discover any type of food scenes. The 2017-18 Leadership Menomonie program will be a great way to network and meet new people. I’m also interested in understanding all facets of the community and the impact we all make to it. And last, I want to take this opportunity to understand my leadership skills and enhance them in a way that I can better myself, the company I work for, the community I live in, and the people I engage with every day!

Greg Beskow, Andersen Corporation

I’m currently the Plant Manager at the Andersen Windows Assembly Plant in Menomonie. I’ve been with Andersen since 2003 in a variety of management and engineering roles. Prior to my career with Andersen I worked for Phillips-Medisize for 2 years in Menomonie and other northwestern Wisconsin facilities. I have a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering and a master’s degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. During Leadership Menomonie I am hoping to learn more about the Menomonie area and all that it has to offer along with expanding my professional network and connections in the area. My hobbies include woodworking, hunting, and coaching my children’s basketball and baseball/softball teams. My wife and I reside outside of Elk Mound where we are raising our two children, ages 12 and 9.

Ian Walker, Royal Credit Union

I have worked at Royal Credit Union for almost 7 years now. I recently moved to Menomonie about 8 months ago to work at our Menomonie North office as the Branch Team Lead. I started at Royal while attending UW-Eau Claire, where I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Business Finance. I hope to build my networking and leadership skills from Leadership Menomonie. While not at work I love to be golfing, running, enjoying some craft brews, or just being outdoors.

Jim Lorrigan, Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce

I was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and have spent my life living in the Midwest. I am a recent graduate of UW- Stevens Point with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. I am excited to be a part of the upcoming Leadership Menomonie! I am hoping to meet a lot of great people in this class and come out of it with a greater knowledge of the Menomonie area. I am an avid football fan and generally book off most of my Sundays for watching the NFL. Through the rest of the year I enjoy kayaking, camping, backpacking and listening to my large vinyl collection.

Joleen Sterk, Menomonie Public Library

I have lived in, and raised my family in Menomonie for the past 13 years. I received a Masters in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1993, and a BA in English/ Writing from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in 1990. I would like to learn more about different sectors of our local economy. I would like to learn best practices for leadership development from others in our area. And I am hoping to listen, and identify areas where the public library might be able to contribute in new ways, for the good of our community. I am an outdoor enthusiast. I love camping, swimming in lakes, kayaking, hiking, biking, cross country skiing, gardening and getting outdoors. Baking, reading, music, and movies are fun pursuits on rainy days, and when it’s dark out. My free time seems to be currently consumed by supporting my kids’ activities, but I’m looking forward to more travel and adventure in years to come.

Justin Utpadel, UW-Stout

I am a native of Menomonie and also graduated from UW-Stout in the Construction program. Since then I have worked in the construction industry, mainly in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and locally. I recently accepted a position as the Director of Physical Plant at UW-Stout, where I am joining a large team of great individuals that work hard to keep this University going. What I hope to glean from Leadership Menomonie is to have a chance to step back into the community as a person that can help Menomonie continue to improve but also keep its character and charm. I am excited to use this opportunity to meet new people and create valuable and lasting relationships. I enjoy spending as much time with my family as I can and we like to go camping, hiking, boating…. basically anything outdoors and fun.

Larissa Gunderson, Quality Auto Body

I was born in Menomonie and graduated from Boyceville High School. After high school I went to UW-Stout and graduated with a B.S in education. After I graduated from Stout, my fiancé and I moved to Minneapolis where we lived for four years. I worked at a collision center in Wayzata, MN for three years before I was offered a position back in Menomonie at my family’s collision center, Quality Auto Body. We moved back to Menomonie, got married, and recently bought our first home. Leadership Menomonie seems like a great option for being involved in the community and a way to meet people who have similar goals. I’m also hoping it will help foster some personal leadership growth within myself that I can bring into my career. When I’m not working I enjoy spending time with my husband. We love camping and recently upgraded from a tent to a pop-up! We love cooking at home, especially Japanese cuisine. We also love movies and get really into TV shows like Game of Thrones. We have two cats and very recently added a 2 month old Mini Dachshund (a teeny weenie, as I like to say) into our family.

Linda Borofka, UW-Stout

I have been employed at UW-Stout for almost 36 years. My current position is Secretary to Faculty in the Senate Office. Even though I live in Colfax, Menomonie is my second home. I registered for Leadership Menomonie hoping to gain additional insight into the municipalities and wonderful businesses in Menomonie. Not only do they help the economic growth of Dunn County and Wisconsin, I also shop at the businesses in Menomonie. As a Stout employee, I appreciate the partnership the City of Menomonie has with our university and want to continue the partnership for the future. My hobbies include traveling, camping/ rv’ing in Chetek, gardening, cross-stitching and attending the Packer games.

Michael Tiffany, Prevea Health

I am a Board Certified Ob/Gyn with Prevea Health Care. Achieved my B.S. in Biochemistry and Microbiology from UW Madison. Medical School at Des Moines University. Residency at University of New Mexico. With Leadership Menomonie, I hope to better understand the business environment in Menomonie as Prevea plans to expand into Menomonie in the very near future. Would also like to establish long term relationships with the leaders in the Community. I have 3 children, so my hobbies are non-existent! Prior to children, I love to golf, ATV, snowmobile, basketball, boating, and chilling by a camp fire. I also enjoy cars, and tinkering around the house on objects as they frequently get broken by “Mr. I Don’t know”.

Zenon Smolarek, UW-Stout

I was born and raised here in Menomonie. Graduated High School in 1992. I went to UWStout and received a degree in Industrial Technology and Technology Management. I worked in SE Wisconsin for 10 years at Alliance Laundry Systems as the Facilities Manager. In 2007 I began working at UW-Stout in the Physical Plant. We are responsible for all custodial, building maintenance, grounds, construction and engineering/planning. I am the Assistant Director of the Physical Plant and have roughly 80 people reporting up to me. My hobbies include gardening of all sorts, running and travel. I hope to gain a better knowledge of the businesses in the area and know the networking opportunities will pay off as well.

2017-2018 Class Schedule

September 7............................................ Retreat

February 15........................ Business & Industry

September 21.......................Ag & Environment

March 22.............................. Government & Law

October 19................. Arts, Heritage & Tourism

April 19......................Health & Human Services

November 9............................................... Media

May 17.............................................. Graduation

January 18.......................................... Education