2013 Clean Lakes Alliance Community Board
About the Board
The Community Board is composed of stakeholders, business people, and experts with the common goal of advancing the Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan within the Yahara watershed. The board will review the overall path and progress of the Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan for Reducing Phosphorus, including project prioritization, funding, and execution.
The Community Board is made up of three groups: Community & Business Representatives, Organization & Association Representatives, and Government & Municipalities Representatives. Our diverse, talented, and accomplished Community Board of Directors is dedicated to one common goal: Advancing the Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan within the Yahara River watershed. Period.
We are pursuing this goal with such single-minded focus because of the innumerable economic, health, and quality-of-life benefits associated with having clean lakes. But none of these benefits can be realized until the watershed is protected and the lakes and waterways it nourishes are clean.
We invite you to meet these dedicated and committed individuals.
Community Board Leadership Team
| Community Board Chair | Michael Gerner CLA Board of Directors Lake Mendota Representative |
| Community Board Vice Chair |
John Kothe Owner of Kothe Real Estate Partners Clean Lakes Alliance Board of Directors Business Community Representative |
| Co-Chair of the Clean Lakes Festival |
Jacci Meier Clean Lakes Alliance Board of Directors Administrator, Baird & Associates |
| Stacey Neu Vice President, Spectrum Brands Business Community Representative |
|
| Randy Peterson Vice President, Lands’ End Business Community Representative |
Community & Business Representatives
| Business Community | Dave Lumley CEO at Spectrum Brands |
| Business Community | John Kothe President of Kothe Real Estate Partners |
| Communications | Brennan Nardi Morgan Murphy Media |
| Business Community | Randy Peterson Vice President Engineering and Corporate Services and Sustainabilty at Lands’ End |
| Business Community | Tim Metcalfe President at Metcalfe’s |
| Business Community | Stacey Neu Spectrum Brands |
| Lake Business | Tyler Leeper Owner of Wingra Boats |
| Recreational | Chris Clark Head Coach of Men’s Crew University of Wisconsin – Madison |
| Law | Brian Potts Foley & Lardner LLP |
| Mendota | Michael Gerner Consultant at Michael S. Gerner CPA |
| Regional | Bob Sorge President at Madison Community Foundation |
Organization & Association Representatives
| Friends of Clean Lakes | Marilee Gorman President |
| Mad-City Ski Team, President | Teri Bell T. Wall Properties |
| Friends Group | Jim Lorman Professor at Edgewood College |
| Lake Waubesa Conservation Association, Designee | Eric Christenson Christie’s Landing |
| Kegonsa | Bryon Thompson Executive Vice President of TermSync |
| Dane County Towns Association | Lyle Updike Board Member at Dane County Towns Association |
| Chairman at Lakes and Watershed Commission | Melissa Mallot Clean Wisconsin |
| Yahara Lakes Association Representative | Carol Gillen President |
| Farm Representative | Jeff Endres Owner at Endres Berry Ridge Farm |
Government & Municipalities Representatives
| Monona | Bob Miller Mayor of Monona |
| Dane County Executive Designee | Dave Merritt Policy and Program Development at Dane County |
| Dane County Office of Land and Water Resources | Kevin Connors Director at Dane County |
| State of Wisconsin, DNR | Lloyd Eagan Director at State of Wisconsin |
| City of Madison Mayor Designee | Katie Crawley Assistant to Madison Mayor Liaison to Public Works (including Parks, Streets and Storm Water Utility) |
| Madison Metropolitian Sewerage District (MMSD) | D. Michael Mucha Chief Engineer and Director |
| Capital Area Regional Planning Commission (CARPC) | Kamran Mesbah Deputy Director |
| Dane County Board of Supervisors | John Hendrickson Chair |
Community Board Member Bios
Community Board Leadership Team
Michael Gerner Community Board Chair
CLA Board of Directors
Lake Mendota Representative
Michael Gerner lives on the north shore of Lake Mendota with his wife and their four children. Because his kids enjoy summer and winter recreation, Mike says his family uses the lake year-round. They boat on it, ski on it, sail on it, and skate on it. And protecting the Yahara River Watershed is the best way Mike knows to protect the lake that he and his family love.
Through his efforts on our Community Board of Directors, Mike is not only helping improve our lakes, he’s also adding to his already extensive record of community engagement. A CPA and the managing partner of the Madison office of Grant Thornton, Mike served a six-year term on the board of the United Way, as well as a five-year term on the Blackhawk Country Club board. He is a past president of the Yahara Lakes Association, and served on the executive committee of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.
John Kothe Community Board Vice Chair
Owner of Kothe Real Estate Partners
Clean Lakes Alliance Board of Directors
Business Community Representative
John Kothe has plenty of reasons — both personal and professional — for wanting to help clean up the Yahara lakes. First, his wife and their three daughters are involved in the Mad-City Ski Team, and John estimates that his family spends 150 days a year on our lakes.
Second, as a veteran of the area’s commercial real-estate industry, John knows the important role lakes play when companies decide to locate in Madison.
“One of the selling points of Madison is outdoor recreation,” he explains. “If the lakes are not clean, one of our biggest attractions turns from a positive to a negative, and that hurts not only the marketability of Madison’s commercial real estate but also local companies’ ability to attract and retain world-class talent.”
Currently the owner of Kothe Real Estate Partners, John has a long history of success in working with commercial leasing. He previously served as the chief operating officer for T. Wall Properties in Madison and managed a variety of Chicago properties as well. Now, he says, he is committed to helping our Community Board of Directors preserve and restore one of Madison’s best business-recruiting tools: the lakes.
Jacci Meier - Co-Chair of the Clean Lakes Festival
Clean Lakes Alliance Board of Directors
Administrator, Baird & Associates
Jacci Meier has been involved with the Clean Lakes Festival since its inception and serves as the Festival’s representative on our Community Board of Directors. “I am so excited about how the Festival has grown and that the Clean Lakes Alliance has come about as a result,” she says.
An administrative assistant with W.F. Baird & Associates, Jacci grew up next to Lake Michigan. Today, she loves living in Middleton, where there’s always water nearby. But with a husband on the Mad-City Ski Team and a preschool-aged daughter who wants to play at the beach, Jacci is concerned about the quality of that water.
“Our lakes are such an amazing resource,” she says, “but it’s getting to the point where we can’t use them the way we want to.”
In the Alliance, Jacci sees an organization ready to tackle the big problems facing the Yahara lakes.
“It’s such a good mix of all the right people and all the right organizations and groups. There are so many facets to cleaning up our lakes that getting it all under one umbrella will help us make progress,” she says.
Community & Business Representatives
Dave Lumley – Business Community Representative
CEO of Spectrum Brands
Dave Lumley is president and CEO of Spectrum Brands, a $3.1 billion consumer-brands company with products in stores all over the world. He and his family live on a Madison lake, so he has seen for himself the year-by-year decline in water quality that concerns everyone at the Clean Lakes Alliance. When the company headquarters moved here recently, Dave had yet another reason to be conscious of the state of our lakes.
“Our lakes are a major draw and we want to help clean them up,” he says. “The key here is to make people aware of the situation, give them a simple path — regardless of time — and raise money to keep it going.”
Dave says that when he first attended the Clean Lakes Festival and learned about what the Alliance was trying to accomplish, he knew he wanted to participate. Today Spectrum Brands sponsors a number of CLA events, and Dave continues to share his time, leadership, and passion for our lakes as a member of our Community Board of Directors
John Kothe – Business Community Representative
President of Kothe Real Estate Partners
Randy Peterson -Business Community Representative
Vice President at Land’s End Inc.
Randy Peterson leads sustainability efforts for Lands’ End, a company that takes the concept so seriously that it’s part of his official title: Vice President of Engineering, Corporate Services, and Sustainability. He’s been with Lands End for 13 years, and before that he held engineering, project management, and corporate leadership roles with companies such as Sperry, Northrop Grumman, and McDonnell Douglas.
Randy’s experience is one reason we are so pleased to have him on our Community Board of Directors; he’s a big-picture expert who knows that details and logistics can make or break the best-laid plans. His commitment to cleaning up our lakes is another: as a recreational user of Lake Mendota and other lakes in the area, Randy knows the water quality needs to be improved.
“My hope is that, through the work of the Alliance, we can make changes that will have a long-term positive effect on our lake system for the benefit of all,” he says.
Tim Metcalfe -Business Community Representative
President & Co-Owner of Metcalfe’s Market
Tim Metcalfe believes in community service. He says it’s a belief passed down from his late father, Tom: “We are responsible for the welfare of the communities in which we live, work, and play,” is how Tim explains it.
Today, as president and co-owner of Metcalfe’s Market, Tim translates his words into action by serving on the advisory boards of the American Family Children’s Hospital and the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. He also organizes the World’s Largest Brat Fest, which raises nearly $100,000 each year for worthy causes while simultaneously kicking off Madison’s outdoor party and grilling season. And, of course, he serves on our Community Board of Directors.
“In high school I skied almost every day on Lake Monona,” Tim says. “I have a great passion for the quality of our lakes and for creating opportunities for access for all, as I feel they are one of our biggest economic catalysts as Madison looks to the future.”
Jim Lorman -Friends Group Representative
Professor at Edgewood College
Jim Lorman is a professor at Edgewood College who specializes in watershed management. For that alone, he would be a valuable addition to our Community Board of Directors. But for Jim, specializing has meant decades of teaching and research, coupled with service on nearly every water-related board and committee in the area. Friends of Lake Wingra, the Dane County Lakes & Watershed Commission, and the Yahara Lakes Legacy Partnership have all benefited from Jim’s leadership and support.
Jim’s official title is Professor of Biology. He is also the Academic Program Director of the Sustainability Leadership Graduate Program at Edgewood, and he has taught natural science, biology, and interdisciplinary environmental studies for almost three decades. Now his expertise and dedication to community involvement and sustainable waterway management is also being utilized to help guide the policies and efforts of the Clean Lakes Alliance.
Tyler Leeper -Lake Business Representative
Owner of Wingra Boats
Tyler Leeper used to work at Wingra Canoe & Sailing Center. That was before he bought the company and expanded it from eight to 33 employees and opened a second location. Now, every year, thanks to Wingra Boats, more than 20,000 people get out and enjoy an hour or a day on the water.
So when poor water quality closed Vilas Beach for days on end in 2006 and again in 2007, Tyler couldn’t help but notice the impact on his business.
“I felt the impact immediately,” Tyler says. “Wingra Boats revenue decreased by 30 percent.”
Need proof that clean lakes are an economic engine in our community? This is Exhibit One.
Since then Tyler has been on a mission to build awareness of the importance of clean lakes. Wingra Boats created an education station at both of their rental locations, partnered with Edgewood College to offer a three-credit graduate course about the Wingra Watershed, and even offers free weekly educational workshops. And, of course, Tyler has brought his substantial organizing and fundraising skills to his seat on our Community Board of Directors.
Chris Clark -Recreational Representative
Head Coach Men’s Crew at University of Wisconsin – Madison
Chris Clark has spent more time on more bodies of water than anyone we know. He is not only the hugely successful head coach of the UW-Madison men’s rowing program, but has also coached American teams at the World Championships, the Pan American Games, and the U.S. Olympics. He spent his college years rowing at Stanford University and the University of California and won three Pacific Coast Championships. Across the pond, he competed for Oxford University (although he presumably didn’t actually row his way over there). Since 1979, Chris has rowed and medaled in regattas in 10 different countries.
Clearly, he could coach anywhere. But Chris has been leading the Badgers to championship after championship since 1994, which is why the health of Dane County’s lakes are so important to him.
“I have spent an enormous amount of time on Lake Mendota since my arrival in Madison in 1994. During that period, the water quality has eroded significantly,” he says. “No pun intended, but as a rowing coach and as a concerned citizen, I know how important it is that we all pull together to save our lakes.”
Brennan Nardi CLA Outreach Committee Chair
Editor of Madison Magazine
Communications Representative
Brennan Nardi brings the perfect insider/outsider perspective to our Community Board of Directors. She grew up in Virginia, spent summers in northern Wisconsin, and earned her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications from UW-Madison. Today she is the editor of Madison Magazine, which has earned more than two dozen press club awards and three national journalism awards. Not coincidentally, Brennan was named Editor of Year in 2007 by the Milwaukee Press Club.
She joined our Community Board of Directors to lend both the magazine’s support and her own efforts to help improve the lakes.
“CLA’s efforts perfectly align with — and complement — Madison Magazine’s mission to inform, entertain, and affect positive change in our community,” she says. ”As a clearinghouse for ideas, information, and solutions — and as host of a terrific public celebration and demonstration of our most precious natural resource — CLA will succeed in knitting the right groups together for positive, attainable results.”
Bob Sorge CLA Nominating Committee Chair
President of Madison Community Foundation
Regional Representative
Bob Sorge is known from his successful 15-year tenure as executive director of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Not as many people know, though, that Bob has also had a hand in many of Madison’s other public endeavors. So it’s appropriate that his current title at the Madison Community Foundation is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, because forming partnerships and leveraging their value for the betterment of all involved has been a theme throughout Bob’s working life.
In addition to his work on our Community Board of Directors, for example, Bob also serves on the boards of the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Spirit of Greater Madison. And he volunteers with the American Red Cross, belongs to the Nature Conservancy, and is a past president and two-time Paul Harris Fellow with the Rotary Club of Madison.
“The Clean Lakes Alliance serves as an intersection for many different interests,” Bob says. And he cites the lakes as a critical asset to the quality of life and economic development of the Madison area. Bob is also a member of the steering committee of the new Madison Cultural Plan, in which the lakes play a key role.
“There are several efforts afoot to provide greater public access to our lakes, but they must be clean for people to want to use them,” he says.
Lars Barber -Engineering Representative
Principal at W.F. Baird & Associates
Lars Barber knows shorelines. The principal-in-charge of the Madison office of W.F. Baird & Associates, Lars is also a registered landscape architect who has headed multimillion-dollar shoreline development and restoration projects and studies both here at home and abroad. From waterfront improvements throughout the Midwest to boardwalks and harbors in the Caribbean and Canada, Lars has worked with miles of river, lake, and ocean coastline.
As a result, Lars brings decades of relevant experience and specialized expertise to his work with our Community Board of Directors. And his big-picture perspective is enhanced by his passionate personal commitment to Dane County Lakes, as evidenced by the fact that he owns a home on Lake Waubesa and is cofounder and vice commodore of the Waubesa Sailing Club.
“The Dane County lakes system provides very unique and diverse opportunities that are unsurpassed on a national scale,” Lars says. “They provide both an urban and natural setting for great fishing, wildlife and birding, power boating, sailing, kiting, paddling, ice-fishing, ice-boating, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.”
We couldn’t agree more!
Brian Potts - Law Representative
Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP
Chair Economic Impact & Resource Committee
Michael Gerner Lake Menodata Representative & Community Board Chair
Consultant at Michael Gerner CPA
Jim Welsh - Environmental Advocacy Representative
Executive Director of the Natural Heritage Land Trust
Jim has been Executive Director of the Natural Heritage Land Trust in Madison, Wisconsin since 2003. He leads the Land Trust’s work to conserve farm land, wildlife habitat, and recreation areas in Dane County and the surrounding area. Since Jim took the helm there, the Trust has more than doubled the amount of land it has protected. In addition, he has helped Jefferson County and several communities in Dane County set up farmland conservation programs.
Jim has devoted his professional career to land conservation and has worked with leading conservation groups — such as The Nature Conservancy — in Wisconsin, California, Michigan, and Washington, DC. Jim is a member of the Collaboration Council, a regional economic development group that seeks to grow the Capital Region’s economy in ways that preserve and enhance our quality of life. He serves on the Dane County Zoning & Land Regulation Farmland Preservation Plan Subcommittee and the Dane County Task Force for the Prioritized Revision of Chapter 10 Zoning Ordinance. Jim has master’s degrees in ecological restoration from the University of Wisconsin and natural resources policy from the University of Michigan.
Jim is an avid cyclist, gardener, and woodworker. He enjoys working in his backyard garden and canoeing and kayaking on the Madison Lakes and Wisconsin River.
Organization & Association Representatives
Bryon Thompson – Lake Kegonsa Representative
Executive Vice President of TermSync
Bryon Thompson and his family (wife Daniele, daughter Hannah, and son Colby) live on Lake Kegonsa in Stoughton. They are an active family that water skies, swims, boats, fishes, skates, and enjoys lake living all year round.
Bryon is the Executive Vice President of TermSync. In addition, Bryon has served as Board President for Leadership Greater Madison, a Chamber of Commerce program that teaches community leaders the importance of a holistic view of the community. He is also on the board of the Friends of Lake Kegonsa Society.
He’s excited to put his skills and network to work on cleaning up Madison’s lakes – something that’s so near and dear to his family and this great community.
Carol Gillen - Yahara Lakes Representative
President
Jeff Endres - Farm Representative
Owner at Endres Berry Ridge Farm
Melissa Mallot - Lakes and Watershed Commission
Chairman at Lakes and Watershed Commission
Stefanie Brouwer - Friends of Pheasant Branch Representative
Friends of the Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Inc.
Lyle Updike - Dane County Towns Association Representative
Board Member at Dane County Towns Association
Lyle Updike is the Town Chair for the Town of Sun Prairie, and he joined our Community Board of Directors to represent the perspective of people who live in Dane County towns.
“Town residents are the stewards of most of the land in the watershed,” he explains.
But Lyle is also the vice chair of the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission, a Boy Scouts of America chapter advisor, a volunteer for the county parks system, and an wilderness canoeing enthusiast. So he brings a wealth of professional, civic, and life experience with area waters to his work with the Clean Lakes Alliance.
Lyle predicts that the public/private partnerships in the Alliance will lead to cleaner Dane County lakes.
“I believe that citizen advocacy and direct action with our local governments are the most effective mechanism to maintain and improve the quality of our land and water resources,” he says.
Government & Municipalities Representatives
Bob Miller - Lake Monona Representative
Mayor of Monona
Bob Miller is well known for his service on the boards of many Madison-area professional, community, and civic organizations, all of which are better for his leadership. He’s a past chairman of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, for example, as well as a past board president of the Yahara Lakes Association, the Madison Boychoir, and CTM Madison Family Theatre. He has also served on the Urban League of Greater Madison Executive Committee and on the Board of Trustees for the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
No wonder Madison Magazine dubbed him “the top draft pick” of area cultural and service groups and noted that Bob is connected, creative, and committed to making Madison better. We couldn’t agree more with that assessment, which is why we are so pleased that he is a member of our community board of directors.
Bob is currently the mayor of Monona. He is also the owner of Compound Profit-Wisconsin and the sales director of General Communications, Inc. He is the former chief operating officer of a statewide multimedia production company and was the vice president and general manager of WKOW-TV for nearly a decade. A graduate of the UW School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bob also worked as a television reporter in a number of markets.
“Having spent much of the last 10 years working and volunteering on Yahara lake issues, I was pleased to join the CLA community board,” Bob says. Their vision and passion aligns with my own: cleaner, healthier lakes.”
Dave Merritt -Dane County Executive Designee
Policy and Program Development
Dave Merritt can seemingly be found wherever competing interests in Dane County are working together for cleaner air and water. He directed the Dane County Clean Waters Initiative, for example, which brought government regulators, farming stakeholders, business leaders, and environmental advocates together at the same table. The result was an innovative, cost-effective program to reduce phosphorus in the lakes that has laid the groundwork for a stronger local economy and more sustainable agricultural development.
Dave is the former executive director of the Citizens Utility Board and a former project coordinator for the Dane County Clean Air Coalition. Also in Dane County, Dave was instrumental in coordinating the building of the state’s first community manure digester, which not only contributes to cleaner lakes and streams but also creates green energy, green jobs, and strengthens the county’s dairy industry.
Dave’s success in bringing together diverse groups to work toward common goals for the benefit of all is greatly appreciated by everyone on our Community Board of Directors!
Kevin Connors -Dane County Office of Land and Water Resources
Director at Dane County
Kevin Connors earned his degree from UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural Engineering in 1975. Since then his career has focused entirely on the impact that people have on the waters of Dane County.
Kevin started as a soil conservation technician with the Dane County Soil & Water Conservation District and then spent several years as the County Conservationist for the Dane County Land Conservation Department. He has been director of the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department since its inception in 2005. In addition, Kevin is a past president of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Soil & Water Conservation Society and has chaired the Dane County Land Information Office for more than a decade.
Our lakes may well be the most-studied lakes in the world, as is often claimed. But they are definitely the most studied lakes in Kevin’s world. He says that’s why he joined our Community Board of Directors.
“The best efforts I’ve seen to really clean up water bodies — and where we have had the most success — has happened through a community-led involvement,” he says. Now the Clean Lakes Alliance is taking that effort to the next level.
Lloyd Eagan – State of Wisconsin, DNR
Director at the State of Wisconsin DNR
Lloyd Eagan oversees all Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources programs for the department’s 11-county South Central Region. She holds a Master’s Degree in Water Resources Management from UW-Madison and has worked at the county, state, and federal level on almost every kind of water-related initiative imaginable: water quality plans, flood-damage studies, acid rain programs, environmental assessments for navigation projects, and more.
An avid kayaker and passionate advocate for improving southern Wisconsin’s air and water quality, Lloyd says her position as a DNR regional director has brought her full-circle back to the lakes she once served as Dane County’s first lakes and watershed coordinator. It’s also allowed her to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with the lakes to her service on our Community Board of Directors.
“The Clean Lakes Alliance is a group that can bring new energy and resources into the ongoing efforts to clean up the lakes,” she says.
Katie Crawley – City of Madison Mayor Designee
Assistant to Madison Mayor – Liaison to Public Works (including Parks, Streets, and Storm Water Utility)
Katie Crawley began her position as an Assistant to Madison Mayor Paul Soglin in May of 2011. Her duties include acting as a liaison to issues involving public works, such as Parks, Streets, and the Storm Water Utility. The preservation and health of our area lakes play an incredibly important role in many areas in which she works.
Prior to her current position, Katie served as a staff assistant to United States Senator Russ Feingold for 18 years. She served both as a regional representative for eight Wisconsin counties and as Press Secretary for the entire state. She has called the area her home since 1985, when she moved here to accept a position as a reporter for a local radio station.
Katie resides in Madison with her husband and three children.
D. Michael Mucha – Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)
Chief Engineer and Director
D. Michael Mucha is the chief engineer and director of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. He previously served for more than a decade as the director of public works for the city of Olympia, Washington, where he advanced a bold vision of creating a waste-free community.
Because of his history of success in bringing people together to tackle tough projects, Michael knows how important it is to build a relationship of trust and respect between interests that sometimes compete with each other.
“The key to trust is discovering reasons to work together to make a difference,” he says.
The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District plays a significant role in the stewardship of water throughout Dane County, so Michael is pleased to be able to represent the District on our Community Board of Directors.
“Along with others, we believe we are caretakers for tomorrow’s water,” he explains, “so we are excited to work with a broad cross-section of the community toward the important goal of clean lakes for everyone.”
