Alumni Spotlight

Jo Ann Preston

Jo Ann was a member of the SCIL Class of 2010-2011 and served on the SCIL board for several years after. What is she doing now? We caught up with her in July:

“Right now, I’m working in my final year of my career as I approach retirement at the end of 2024. It’s a very interesting experience to think about being “done,” and one that seemed so abstract until this year that I still can’t quite get my head around it. I’m not sure what is next, but one learns to listen to the heart and mind’s messages about timing. I feel ready for the next unknown.

I have worked professionally since 1981, my first job out of college at a community mental health center. In that job, and every one since, I’ve moved into a leadership role whether I wanted to or not. Most times I wanted to!

In top 10 fashion, here are a few things that have marked my 43 years of leadership experience:

1. Remember that in times of feeling like I am not making enough of a difference with my work, making a difference to one person is worthwhile.

2. Be the best listener possible, and continue to work on that.

3. Surrounding myself with people who are funny is the best antidote to stress.

4. Schedule and take breaks. No one else is going to arrange that for you, that’s for sure.

5. Diverse input is only a strength if I engender enough trust for people to take a risk with me, and that trust building is up to me in every action I take.

6. “Be kind. Everyone is fighting a hard battle.” I can’t know what someone else’s battle is but I can at least be kind in my interactions.

7. When values are clear, tough decisions also become much clearer.

8. Little habits make BIG impacts on health, quality of life, leadership, relationships, everything.

9. To a person, we all underestimate our impact on each other and the world.

10. It’s all about relationships.

Since graduating from SCIL, my biggest was turning my monthly leadership newsletter turned blog into a published book, “Lead the Way in Five Minutes a Day: Sparking High Performance in Yourself and Your Team.” SCIL was a great connector, especially living in a new community at the time. It was a wonderful group of people who expanded my understanding of how the breadth of leadership knows no one address. While my experience has been primarily in rural healthcare, fostering a workplace that brings out the best in people is what we are all working on no matter the industry. I’m so grateful for my SCIL experience and how it helped me to better understand my community, its needs and history, and be a part of my leadership learning – SCIL contributed something to every one of my top 10 mantras!”

Anne Horjus

I attended SCIL in 2010 with Serge Koenig, Jim Carter, Andy Moon, and Matt Warming.

For the past year and a half, I've been a full-time artist. Since moving to Baraboo from the Netherlands in 2003, I've been actively involved in our community. I've built sets for Baraboo and Portage high schools and the Baraboo Theater Guild, which helped me connect with many people early on.

I spent 16 years as the Youth Services Program Coordinator at the Baraboo Public Library, where community involvement was always a priority in my programs. The library director who hired me enrolled me in the SCIL program, where I formed valuable connections and friendships. During that time, I collaborated with organizations such as Devils Lake State Park, Sauk County Historical Society, Wisconsin Holstein Association, Baraboo's police and fire departments, and local utilities for field trips and library presentations. I also partnered with the University of Baraboo/Sauk County, the Campus and Community Choir, and Band to create puppet music shows for the Concerts on the Square series.

My wife and I continue to build puppets for music events. This November, we're performing with the nonprofit organization Artist Alive at the Orpheum in Madison, the Pablo Center in Eau Claire, and the Marcus Center in Milwaukee, raising funds for scholarships and art education.

My programming style led to an invitation to contribute to the Collaborative Summer Library Program manual for six years, reaching public libraries across the USA. This opportunity included collaborating with composer Eric Whitacre on illustrating two picture books based on the lyrics of his compositions by C. A. Silvestri. The illustrations were featured at esteemed venues such as The Royal Concert Hall of Amsterdam and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Additionally, I've spotlighted local businesses and organizations through virtual story times and craft sessions, promoting places like Circus World, the Crane Foundation, Devils Lake, and Baraboo in general.

While no longer affiliated with the Baraboo Library, I continue to present workshops for our South Central Library System and other library networks in Wisconsin. I've also served as a board member and past president of Kids Ranch in Sauk County/Rock Springs. Currently, I'm celebrating my tenth year participating in the Fall Art Tour and my sixth year as a board member. This event supports over 70 talented artists across Mineral Point, Spring Green, and Baraboo, drawing thousands of visitors every third weekend in October. The event's marketing materials also include dining and lodging suggestions, enhancing the experience for attendees.

All these involvements stem from the SCIL program's emphasis on community collaboration and the importance of understanding the stories behind everything before forming opinions.

Kimberly Schwarz

Kimberly Schwarz was a member of the SCIL Class of 2020 and has worked at Synergy Metalworks since 2015. In her role a Chief Innovation Officer, she focuses on enhancing the company brand, strategizing business decisions with the leadership team, and supporting staff.

Kimberly recently served on the Board of Directors for the Sauk Prairie FFA Alumni and also enjoys cruising around town in Moovin’ Mini, a cow car focused on promoting dairy products to community youth. Kimberly joined the SCIL Board of Directors in 2022.

Tywana German

Tywana was a member of the SCIL Class of 2010 and was a new resident to Wisconsin, moving here with her family from Chesapeake, Virginia where she had worked in human services most of her career. When she moved to Prairie du Sac in 2009, she was approached regarding the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director position and decided to take the position to have a change in the non-profit sector.

Looking back, Tywana is so glad she took the leadership role with the chamber, as she feels that the position allows staff members and volunteers to get to know the community in which they live and work. Tywana continues in that role fourteen years later and has had the opportunity to envision and create for many projects for Sauk Prairie. A few that she has led and completed that you may see in the Sauk Prairie community are the Great Sauk State Trail and the establishment of the Friends of the Great Sauk State Trail group, riverfront improvements to include Riverfront Plaza (pocket park) and Riverfront Park & Splash Pad, downtown placemaking initiatives to include façade improvements, and the development of the Sauk Prairie Riverway brand and signage, a collaboration with three villages and seven townships.

Today, you may see Tywana talking publically about childcare desert status throughout Sauk County and how it impacts local employees and their families while sharing a public-private model that has been developed between the Chamber, local municipalities, and the school district.

Tywana has been a long-time advocate for community leadership programs, having graduated from both local municipal and state-wide leadership programs in Virginia. In her professional career, she encourages area employers and residents to embrace SCIL, as she believes that leadership programs provide an excellent opportunity to build relationships with diverse stakeholders while learning about programs and policies that impact the community in which we live and work.

When asked to reflect on her time in SCIL, she recalls the Colors Exercise Jenny Erickson led. “I remember this was a defining moment in my career. I was in a new community that looked and felt different from where I had come from, and, if I am being honest, I was mourning leaving the ‘big city’. I was sixteen years into my non-profit career and thought I was a master of collaboration and influence. I realized, through SCIL, that each of us thinks differently, we approach projects differently, and we each have different skill sets – yet, ALL personality types are necessary to be successful. Change and new environments are GREAT and necessary for growth! It allows you to reflect and see the things that sometimes others may take for granted or simply overlook. SCIL taught me to embrace differences and how to work with people who are very different from me, yet share common goals for community betterment. I now intentionally recruit volunteers and staff members with opposing personality types so that my projects are vetted through diverse views and styles”.

Linda Spencer

Linda was a member of the SCIL Class of 2019. She has continued her role as the Campus Operations Manager at Madison College in Reedsburg since graduating from SCIL. For the last couple of months, her position has been extended to the Madison College-Portage campus. In this role, she oversees the physical buildings and assigned staff. She manages the internal operations for the campuses, including the planning and coordinating of schedules, projects, camps, continuing education classes and anything else that comes her way. She loves her job because everyday is different and it is an absolute joy to see students succeed and reach their goals. She is also currently a Boys and Girl’s Club Board member in Reedsburg.

Linda explains that: “SCIL is by far the best leadership course I have taken; it was an incredibly positive experience. I loved meeting in different communities throughout Sauk County, hearing about important issues and learning from different community leaders every month. I am grateful for being a part of SCIL and meeting so many wonderful people, including the facilitators, they are fantastic!

Serge Koenig

Serge Koenig is a dedicated professional who has been an integral part of the Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department since 1995. With a passion for environmental stewardship, Serge has tirelessly collaborated with landowners and various organizations in Sauk County to sustain and enhance its natural resources.

A staunch advocate of managed rotational grazing, Serge firmly believes in its potential as a tool for regenerating soils, improving water quality, and fostering human resources. His commitment to sustainable land management has made him a key figure in the region's efforts to address climate change, protect soil and water quality, and create a balance between agricultural productivity and ecological well-being.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Serge values quality time with his family. His interests range from gardening to traveling, hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting. He extends his passion for the outdoors to coaching and mentoring young individuals, contributing to the development of the next generation of environmental stewards.

Since graduating from SCIL, Serge has been at the forefront of a grazing movement in Sauk County. Under his leadership, nearly 5000 acres have been transformed into permanent grassland vegetation. This initiative not only supports the fight against climate change but also ensures sustainable income for producers, all while providing vital habitat for wildlife. Serge Koenig's multifaceted contributions showcase his dedication to creating a harmonious balance between human activities and the natural environment in Sauk County.

Serge graduated from SCIL in the class of 2010, and has been a guest presenter for the past several cohorts.

Char terBeest Kudla

Char terBeest Kudla was a member of the second SCIL class in 1999. She has been a full-time working artisan since starting her business, Helen’s Daughters Studio, in 1989. Char makes and designs handbags and sells them at art fairs, shows, and online. Before that she taught at the Baraboo middle school from 1979-1985. Originally from Minnesota, she joined SCIL to learn more about Sauk County and meet/network with the people not working in her field.

Char has been heavily involved in bringing the arts to Baraboo, Wisconsin, and beyond. She helped start the Fall Art Tour (celebrating 30 years!) It’s the oldest rural art tour in Wisconsin. She had a retail shop in Downtown Baraboo from 2002-2007, during which she helped start the five weeks of downtown Christmas promotions with DBI. After closing her shop, she started the Very Merry Holiday Fair, which just celebrated its 17th year. She’s also directed and will co-direct the Spirit Lake Arts, ArtJune Art Fair on the square, as well as The Runway - Baraboo, in March. She’s served on the board of Threaded Streams – A Makers' Experience.

Char has started other events, and in her words, “some succeeded, others not so much. I consider nothing a failure. I have learned something from everything I’ve tried.” A 22-year breast cancer survivor, she once told her oncologist that “we’re getting divorced; put that script pad away, i’m done.”

Char was glad to be part of SCIL. “It gave me an opportunity to meet men and women in business I would not have had the opportunity to meet. It gave me more confidence to try something new. It introduced me to new people, helped me see sauk county through their eyes and listen to new ideas without judgment.I am grateful for my SCIL experience. I am glad I was a part of SCIL.”

Jessica Bergin

Jessica Bergin was a member of the SCIL Class of 2019. She has been the Director of the Carnegie-Schadde Memorial Public Library in Baraboo since 2018.

We asked Jessica to speak about her experiences with the Library Expansion Project (with the total project completion and re-opening of the renovated part of the building expected December 1, 2023):

For the last 5 years, I have committed hundreds of hours to the renovation and expansion of our library building, and so have many others. Many other people have also played a critical part in this project: from participating in the “Get Loud for the Library” campaign; showing up and speaking out for the project at meetings; wearing a Get Loud t-shirt; putting a sign in the front yard; giving feedback in the building design process; donating money; and volunteering to move books. The passion, hard work, and perseverance from so many in this community is what built this beautiful library that was once just an idea (over 20 years ago!) and made it reality. We should all be very proud of what we have accomplished.

I have learned innumerable lessons throughout the course of this project, but it would take a book to list them all. One of the top lessons was: when you need help (or hands, funds, ideas, etc.), ASK. It helps when you already know some great people. That is an area where programs like SCIL are invaluable, which allowed me to make connections with other movers and shakers in the area. Those connections build a strong community network that can affect real change and take on big projects like the library building. Hundreds if not thousands of people pushed this project forward somewhere along the way. From my SCIL class alone, two fellow participants have been president of the Friends of the Library group, which is a major fundraising and volunteer group for the library. I can think of half a dozen others who either volunteered their time to help, donated money, or helped me with planning or problem solving. It has been important to me to also give back and be involved in other community groups as well, though I admit most of my time lately has been taken up by the building project.

In the last few years I have been on the board of the Baraboo Area Homeless Shelter (which has a number of SCIL alumni on it!), the board of the Baraboo Area Literacy Council, participated in school district projects, and spent one summer coaching T-ball for my kids team. Every time I volunteer on a board or help with a project or team, I meet more active, engaged people and that multiplies the strength of our community network from all sides.

Jeff Hoeben

I distinctly remember standing on the lawn at Durwards Glen on a beautiful September day during our retreat and Sgt. Rocco was a bit late for our team building session. Morgan was looking at me as a Camp Director and wondering what I could come up with on very short notice for some team building exercises. Thankfully, as I was surveying my resources and devising a plan, Sgt. Rocco arrived. That's leadership, being flexible and adapting to unforeseen circumstances.

Back then, we still had a SCIL project as part of the program, I was a bit stressed about adding something else to my plate. As the Executive director of Camp Gray, I was undertaking the biggest challenge of my career and perhaps my life. I was planning, designing and fundraising for a $3.6million dining hall project and a $2.4million gymnasium at Camp. I rolled that tremendous undertaking into my project and my SCIL cohort gave me exactly what I needed. My peers gave me a support network outside of my normal sphere. My peers were able to check in on my progress and support me as friends not intimately involved in the project and that was so refreshing.

SCIL certainly opened me up to my community around me. I served on the Network for Charitable giving board with fellow SCIL members, which was another great connector for me to my community. I feel far more tied to my community since my time in SCIL. In Morgan, I gained a mentor and bike riding partner(literally a partner as he took me on my ever first tandem bike ride). There is a small group of fundraisers who gather together regularly to support one another, and that too grew out of SCIL. The other crucial aspect I gained from SCIL was a new hobby

While in class at the Leopold center one day, I sat at the beautiful quarter sawn White Oak tables. Later in the day, Alan Anderson came back for a second SCIL appearance to give us a tour of the shack. I came to find out that he was the craftsman responsible for all of the tables. I asked if he had ever taken on an apprentice and his eyes lit up. He was all self taught and he welcomed the opportunity to pass on some of his knowledge.We've been working together since then and our friendship and my skills have grown. I bring it up in the context of SCIL because it was that connection that provided for me an outlet from my leadership role. Leaders need a place to be productive and creative that is outside of their daily realm. Woodworking has been that for me and I came to it through SCIL.

I suppose that I should add that after 20 years at Camp Gray, I have moved on. I am currently working remotely as the Director of Advancement for Camp Wojtyla, a Catholic outdoor adventure program in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.

Jeff was a member of the SCIL class of 2017.

Paul Wolter

Paul was a member of the SCIL Class of 2003 and is currently the executive director of the Sauk County Historical Society (SCHS), a position he has held since 2015. Before that he served on the board of directors and was president of the board when he attended SCIL. SCHS has expanded greatly in the past 20 years especially after acquiring the historic and under-utilized Island Woolen Mill office building in 2006. This was rehabbed for use as the Sauk County History Center which opened in 2013. Currently the historical society owns the historic Baraboo Depot and Division Office Building with plans to restore and renovate the structure for exhibits and community space.

Paul has been involved with the Sauk County Historical Society since joining the board in 1996. He also currently serves as the vice-president of the Al. Ringling Theatre Friends and on the board of the Network for Charitable Giving of South Central Wisconsin. Paul is passionate about local history and historic preservation and is the current chair of the State Historic Preservation Review Board which meets quarterly to review and approve Wisconsin's additions to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

David Olson

David was a member of the SCIL Class of 2017. He’s an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin Platteville Baraboo Sauk County (formerly known as “Boo-U”). David has served on numerous campus committees both on the local campus and main Platteville campus, including on the Academic Planning, Scholarships, Curriculum, and Bylaws committee, and in his current role serving as the Baraboo campus Steering chair, which oversees the campus governance structure.

Locally, David has been on the board of the Baraboo Community Scholarship Corporation, the Baraboo Range Preservation Association, and has helped plan the Sauk County Conservation Film Fest. Recently David ran unopposed as the first district representative for the Baraboo City Council, and will be sworn in on April 18, 2023. He is excited to learn more about local government issues.

In his free time, David helps manage a number of restoration projects in the county, including on the Van Zelst Prairie and the campus Moraine Prairie. David shares that “the knowledge I gained in the SCIL program was invaluable in all of these endeavors. Local government operations, Sauk County programs and resources, group dynamics, interpersonal skills, leadership through service. All are important. My main takeaway from SCIL was the idea of personal growth going from dependence to independence to interdependence. We thrive when we are connected to a community that we joyfully serve.”

Kyle Crosby

Kyle Crosby was a member of the SCIL Class of 2017. He works as the Director of Operations for the Boys and Girls Club of West-Central Wisconsin, which includes the Baraboo, Reedsburg, and Tomah clubs. He is part of a team that is actively working to open a club in Portage.

Since graduating from SCIL, Kyle has transitioned from Unit Director, to Area Director, to the Director of Operations for the Boys and Girls Club. He also serves as a CPR Instructor and a Safety Peer Consultant for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In his free time he helps coach the Learn to Skate hockey program through Thunderbird Youth Hockey. Kyle joined the SCIL Board of Directors in 2021.

Kyle is a regular contributor to the “Frame of Reference” podcast, most recently on the “Tackling the Trials of Teens” episodes.

Julia Randles

Julia Randles was a member of the SCIL Class of 2020. She currently works as the Executive Director of the SSM Health St. Clare Foundation. In this position, Julia works with donors to raise funds that improve the quality of health care services in the greater Baraboo, Lake Delton, and Wisconsin Dells area. Gifts made to the foundation allow for vital purchases of medical equipment, assistance to those who are uninsured, and development of new heath care and educational programs, services, and initiatives.

St Mary’s Ringling Hospital and SSM Health St. Clare celebrates 100 Years

In November of 1922, the Sisters of St. Mary’s answered the call to form a hospital in Baraboo and created a health care legacy that continues to grow. It is Julia’s privilege to work on projects this year that support that growth and honor the history including the creation of a Heritage Wall at St. Clare Hospital, the Centennial Celebration Gala, and securing funds to help serve the community for the next 100 years.

Kurt Wenger

Kurt Wenger was a member of the SCIL Class of 2017. He started Drop Frame Productions, a multimedia production company located in Prairie du Sac, in 2001. Drop Frame helps companies and organizations tell their stories and sell their products using video. Since graduating SCIL, he has served on the membership committee of Riverway Business Connections, and in 2020 became President and Treasurer of the Words on Water Toastmaster chapter in Sauk Prairie. Kurt began as a member of the SCIL Board of Directors in 2021.

When he’s not doing video shoots Kurt enjoys spending time with his wife Jenny and daughter Katelyn. Katelyn is 9 and loves biking, swimming, and dancing. Kurt & Katelyn have been biking the Great Sauk Trail this year and about 3 years ago they tried a family class at Midwest Professional Karate and have stayed with it. Kurt got to a blue belt there in grade school and took a 30 year break. The style is Tae Kwon Do and Kurt is preparing for a black belt test sometime in the next year.

Nicki Cabaj Green and Ashley Dietsch Schreiber

Ashley is a Realtor with RE/MAX Grand serving both buyers and sellers throughout south central Wisconsin for the past 7+ years. She is also a wife, mom to two toddler girls, Vice President of the Baraboo Young Professionals for a 4th year, and serves as both a Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and on the Boys and Girls Club Gala Committee.

Nicki is the marketing officer for Community First Bank, serving the bank’s 10 branches in southwest Wisconsin. In addition to serving on the SCIL board of directors, Nicki is the current president of Baraboo Young Professionals. Nicki has two kids, Rylee (11) and Evan (8).

Nicki and Ashley are 2019 SCIL alumnae and have both been members of Baraboo Young Professionals (BYP) since its start in the spring of 2017. One of the main goals for both BYP and Nicki and Ashley was to host new and unique events in Baraboo. Since September of 2018, Nicki and Ashley have co-chaired seven Baraboo Night Markets, which are an open-air mash-up of local art and craft vendors and experiences, food trucks/carts, beer garden, live music (except in December), and more! These events are a huge undertaking and attended by thousands of people, and have attracted attendees from hours away.

BYP also hosts: Putt Putt Pub Crawl (Ashley's SCIL project), an annual mini golf bar crawl; Sips and Swings Glow-in-the-Dark Golf Outing, an annual nighttime golf outing featuring beer or wine tastings on every hole; and Fresh Food Fest (Nicki's SCIL project), an annual market showcasing our community's finest farmers and producers.

Profits from BYP events support BYP's Scholarships for Baraboo High School graduates, BYP's efforts to attract and retain young professionals in the Baraboo area, and have been donated to other local non-profits, including the Baraboo Boys and Girls Club, Odyssey of the Mind, and Baraboo Area Homeless Shelter.

Becky Radke

Becky currently works at BrightStar Care of Madison, a familiar workplace to which she has returned after an eight-year break. In her first 7 years with BrightStar, Becky opened the BrightStar Baraboo office and led the team as Branch Manager. Becky has recently returned to BrightStar as the Customer Experience Manager for the greater Madison area where referral source and client engagement will be her primary focus. Just prior to her BrightStar return, Becky worked as an Annual Giving Specialist for the Agrace Foundation in the Baraboo Region. She thoroughly enjoyed developing donor relations and planning events in her role as Annual Giving Specialist.

Becky Radke is a class of 2016 Alum. Becky likes to say that SCIL was one of the best leadership education experiences she has ever had because it was a great way to "get to know" Sauk County on a deeper level, while developing valuable leadership skills! Becky loved her SCIL experience so much she joined the Board of Directors in 2018 and is currently serving her second term. Becky also serves on the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors where she serves as the Membership Committee Chair.

Bobbie Coons

Bobbie Coons is a SCIL alumna from way back in ’06 when she worked for the University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County campus. Currently Bobbie has taken the mantle of Development Manager with Agrace, a nonprofit, community-based health care agency. Agrace provides hospice and supportive care services across southern Wisconsin.

Bobbie likes to say that her time with SCIL opened her eyes to what gifts, resources, and opportunities there are in the county and how she could play an active role in making it better. She did/does this both through her profession and her community involvements. Professionally, with the confidence and leadership skills she learned through SCIL, she jumped into the role of Executive Director with the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce, Circus World Museum Foundation, and now Agrace. In the community she served on the SCIL Board of Directors for several years, took leadership positions at work, and still serves on the Board of Directors of the Baraboo Theatre Guild.

Her ultimate leadership role though is raising her three sons to be active, productive members of society. She has two Eagle Scouts, and a three sport (four if two didn’t happen in the same season) athlete.