Leadership Chippewa FallsEducating, Motivating, and Developing Chippewa Falls’ Future Leaders

Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce 2016-2017 Leadership Class

Travis Austad is the Center Director at the Chippewa Falls Boys & Girls Club. He has been there since 2011 and moved to Chippewa Falls in 2012 to open the Chippewa Falls Club. He started with the organization as a summer staff and worked his way up to his current position as a Center Director. Travis served one year of Americorps service with the organization from 2011-2012. He is married to his wonderful wife Leah and just recently became a dad to a wonderful daughter born 2 days before his own birthday in February. They have two dogs, Dodger and Digby, and spend lots of time with them. In his spare time, he plays softball on the national level and does a lot of traveling to compete across the state and country.

Mike Baldeshwiler has been a licensed insurance representative for Jeff Flaig’s StateFarm Insurance Agency since 2015. Previous to this, he spent 13 years working for a local automotive dealership where he worked as a Service Advisor, and also had experience in supervising and management. Mike was born and raised just north of Chippewa Falls, in Jim Falls, on a small dairy farm and currently resides in Hallie with his wife, Christina, his 2 children, Shelby and Riley, and their pet bunny, Lola. As of recent, the Baldeshwilers have become a weekend foster home for the Can-Do-Canine program though the Stanley Prison, where service dogs are trained to help people in need. Mike enjoys volunteering at the children’s schools, working on and restoring antique/classic cars, hunting, being outdoors and being with his family.

Cheri Barna moved to the Chippewa Valley in 2012. She started working at Xcel Energy in 2014 and brings 12 years of experience, working as a contract agent for electric and gas utility companies, and also various road and bridge projects with municipalities, counties, and the State of Wisconsin. She acquired her Wisconsin Real Estate License and is a Notary Public in three States. As a member of the International Right of Way Association, she earned the SR/WA – Senior Right-of-Way Agent Designation, and is also a member of the Realtors Association of Northwestern Wisconsin. Cheri volunteers for the United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley. Cheri and Joel live in Chippewa Falls with their dog, Sophie. They enjoy spending time on the water with family and friends, spending time with her daughter, Alexis, and agility classes with Sophie.

Travis Austad Mike Baldeshwiler Cheri Barna Dena Clark Lona Cook Connie Fedie Tena Hoag Alexander Jerry Jessica Joyce Nancy Kaeding Katy KileyRachel Krista Thomas Lea Lucas Lucier Brian Micolichek Lisa Poeschel Craig Ritzinger Josh Rizzo Jaclyn Sadler Katie Zehm

Thank you to these dedicated participants and their employers for supporting Leadership Chippewa Falls

Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce 1chippewachamber.org

Leadership Chippewa FallsEducating, Motivating, and Developing Chippewa Falls’ Future Leaders

Dena Clark is the Emergency Communications Center Director for the Chippewa County Sheriff’s O�ce. She has worked for Chippewa County since February of 2016. Dena was born and raised in Chippewa County, and graduated from the College of St. Benedict with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. After college, she came back to her hometown of Chippewa Falls and currently lives here with her husband and two children. She currently is a volunteer for Girls on the Run and is looking forward to expanding her volunteer involvement in the community. In her free time she enjoys photography, downhill skiing, and gardening.

Lona Cook grew up in Chippewa Falls and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as Northwestern Health Sciences University for her Doctorate of Chiropractic. With a passion for chiropractic and natural healing, she opened "Cook Chiropractic" in Chippewa Falls in January of 2010 and partnered to open sister chiropractic o�ces in Hudson and now in 2017 they are scheduled to open an o�ce in Cadott. Dr. Cook is also on the state association (CSW) board as vice president. She lives with her husband, Kyle and son, Jack on Lake Wissota. They love being close to family in the beautiful Chippewa Valley.

Connie Fedie was raised in Chippewa Falls, and is a graduate of McDonell Central High School. After graduation she attended UWEC for her bachelors and post graduate work at the University of Alabama-Birmingham where she discovered her passion for helping others. Upon returning to the Chippewa Valley she has spent the past 12 years working in human services field with 9 of those being at Chippewa County Human Services where she is the lead social worker in the Children, Youth, and Families Division at Chippewa County Department of Human Services. Connie enjoys staying active in the community as she teaches spin at the YMCA and volunteers numerous hours at the Chippewa Youth Hockey Association with her husband, Luke, and two children.

Tena Hoag was born in northern Wisconsin, and earned her undergraduate degree and MBA from UW-Eau Claire. In the years since then, she has been actively pursuing adventure across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Florida, sponsored by: Jennie-O Turkey Store, McCain Foods, HJ Heinz, and Phillips Medisize. Tena has most recently rooted in the Chippewa Valley as the CFO of Advanced Laser. Her best days have been spent demystifying finance for those who don’t speak numbers as their first language. The remaining free time is split among reading, crafting, and hanging out with her husband Shawn, their two children, Jacob and Julia, and their 8-lb dog, Monster.

Jessica Joyce has spent most of her life in the Chippewa Valley, currently residing in Altoona with her son and their two cats. She received her degree in ElementaryEducation from UW-Eau Claire in 2004. Jessica began working at Great Northern Corp. in 2011, and is currently the Customer Service Manager. She enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and helping in the community. She has recently become involved with the Diaper Bank of Eau Claire as a part of her involvement with Junior League – Eau Claire.

Alex Jerry graduated with the Chi-Hi class of “04”and has been a Chippewa Southsider for over twenty-five years. He began working for Schleppenbach Janitorial in 2002 at the age of 16. Alex held many positions with the company before purchasing the business in 2014. Aside from the cleaning business, Alex’s hobbies include: Investment properties, hunting, fishing and weekends at O’Neil Creek Campground. Alex and his longtime girlfriend, Kristine have one fur kid named “Dexter”.

Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce 2chippewachamber.org

Leadership Chippewa FallsEducating, Motivating, and Developing Chippewa Falls’ Future Leaders

Nancy Kaeding is the Controller/Business Finance Partner for TTM Technologies, Chippewa Falls Division. She has been employed at this facility since 1998. She holds an Associate of Applied Science – Accounting degree from CVTC and a North H.S. graduate. In 1992, she moved to Chippewa Falls with her husband Ronald. They raised two girls, Kari and Lori, both graduates of the Chippewa Falls School district. Over the years she was active in the Chippewa Falls High School booster club as a basketball parent representative and treasurer; the Wisconsin Pony of America club where she served as treasurer for 6 years. The family was active in Central Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls and currently Hope Lutheran in Eau Claire. She currently lives in Elk Mound and is active with their hobby farm caring for her horses, cats, dogs and gardening.

Katy Kiley is a Pre-College Specialist at Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC). She visits 17 high schools (including Chi-Hi) on the eastern side of the CVTC district and shares information about programs with students. She also helps students with the application process and coordinates campus tours for groups & individuals. Katy has been at CVTC for 3 years and previously worked for the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce for 10 ½ years.

Rachel Krista is a native of Chippewa Falls and is married to Eric Krista, a teacher for the Chippewa Falls school district. Together they have two children, Henry and Evelyn. Rachel attended UW-Stout for Business Administration and has been working at Mason Companies for the past 12 years in the Merchandising area. She manages the Apparel Merchandising team and enjoys the fast pace of product development.

Tom Lea is the VP of IT Infrastructure and Security at Royal Credit Union. He has been with Royal for over 11 years, and has been in IT and Information Security for over 20 years. Prior to working at Royal Credit Union, Tom was responsible for IT and cybersecurity for the US Army’s 1st Infantry Divisional Artillery in Germany, Iraq, and Kuwait. He earned a Masters degree from UW-Stout in Information and Communication Technologies, and holds the CISSP and GSLC Security Certifications. He resides in Chippewa Falls with his wife Sarah and their son, Nicholas.

Lucas Lucier grew up in Walhalla/Cavalier ND. He attended Jamestown College graduating with a degree in Health and Physical Education. He was a member of their wrestling team, serving as the team captain. He volunteered much of his free time with youth athletics and sports management at the YMCA in Jamestown. He attended the Univ. of MN, later graduating with a degree in Mortuary Science. Lucas and his wife, Dana, together have two sons, Riggins and Isaac, and reside in Lake Hallie. They both work at Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel. Lucas enjoys playing softball, riding motorcycle, being outdoors, and attending the boys’ games/practices. And of course wrestling with Riggins and Isaac.

Brian Micolichek has been employed with the Chippewa Falls Police Department for 19 years. He is currently serving as the Lieutenant of Investigations and is also responsible for Arson Investigations and is an Evidence Custodian. He formally served as a School Resource O�cer, Hostage Negotiator and was Detective Sergeant of Sensitive Crimes. He is married to Kelly and has two children, Lauren (19) and Ryan (17). He enjoys golfing, fishing and mowing his lawn.

Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce 3chippewachamber.org

Leadership Chippewa FallsEducating, Motivating, and Developing Chippewa Falls’ Future Leaders

2017-2018 Leadership Applications

Lisa Poeschel is the Sales & Marketing Coordinator at the Sleep Inn & Suites and 29 Pines, which together represent the hospitality branch of River Country Coop. Lisa was born in Durand, WI but now resides in Eau Claire. She is a 2014 graduate of UW River Falls with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Communications and is a softball, volleyball, bon fire, and dog lover.

Craig Ritzinger is originally from Custer, WI. He received a BS in ManufacturingEngineering from UW Stout in 1999. He worked at Kimberly Clark in Neenah, WI and Federal Mogul in Manitowoc, WI before starting at Mason Companies, Inc. Craig started at Mason 16 years ago as a Manufacturing Engineer and has since moved into the role of Facilities Manager, responsible for operating and maintaining all of the Mason facilities and grounds. When not at work, Craig enjoys racing snowmobiles cross country, jet-skiing, dirt biking, and spending time outdoors.

Josh Rizzo works for HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital and also serves the community through the Heyde Center, Vision 2020, Chamber Ambassadors and Toastmasters. He is married with one son and loves to bike and play guitar.

Jackie Sadler is a Client Relations Leader with Manpower in Chippewa Falls. She has been working with local companies to find top talent since 2005. Jackie grew up in the Chippewa Valley and graduated from UWEC with a degree in Organizational Communications and Women’s Studies. She enjoys spending her free time and traveling with her husband Shawn and their beautiful daughters, April, Jenna and Olivia.

Katie Zelm is the Teller Supervisor at Royal Credit Union on Woodward Avenue in Chippewa Falls. Starting at Royal Credit Union in 2006 she has worn many hats, working as a Teller, Teller Team Lead, Assistant Teller Supervisor, Member Account Representative and now a Teller Supervisor. Katie enjoys volunteering at Oktoberfest, Junior Achievement, Jason’s Presents and is on the committee for June Dairy Days all held in Chippewa Falls. Katie resides in Bloomer with her husband Drew. Katie and Drew have been married for 6 years and have a puppy named Chloe. In Katie’s spare time she enjoys vacationing, camping, cooking and spending time with her family and friends.

Historically the Chippewa Falls area has been fortunate in having excellent leadership from its businesses and various other segments of the community. Our area continually experiences many issues due to the constant

influence of change and growth. How these issues are managed depends, to a considerable degree, upon informed, skilled and concerned community leaders. This program offers a way to ensure that the tradition of

strong leadership continues in the Chippewa Falls area. This program acquaints participants with a broadunderstanding of community issues and civic challenges facing our community. Each month participants are

exposed to one sector of the Chippewa Falls community; community service/quality of life, business, infrastructure, government, education, healthcare, media and volunteer opportunities. They have the opportunity to meet key

leaders in these areas, discuss the challenges within the community, and determine how these challenges might be resolved. Leadership Chippewa Falls consists of eight half-day sessions and a recognition dinner. Attendance at the sessions is required for both the success of the program and the benefits you will receive from the program.

If you are interested in our next Leadership class please contact us for an application.