There have been a lot of changes to the United Way of Kenosha County (UWKC) Board of Directors (BoD). Some leaders have moved on to their next chapter while others recently joined us. We are proud of all these community leaders no matter which direction they are headed and are excited to share and celebrate the following updates to our Board of Directors with you.
To start, back in the fall, we said goodbye to two influential leaders — Terri Wruck and Dr. Jen Freiheit. Terri Wruck left the board following her retirement after almost 30 years at Snap-on. Her leadership left a positive mark not only on our organization but across our entire community, consistently showing up where needed most. Additionally, Dr. Freiheit concluded her term when she moved on to a new role outside of Kenosha County Health. We wish both Terri and Jen all the best and know they will continue to make a positive impact in service to their community.
Continuing the catch up from 2022, we welcomed three new members: Mitch Ferraro, Family Legacy Real Estate, Rob Moore, 4D Business Group, Bill Roberts, Abbott Retiree, and Tanya Ruder, Kenosha Unified School District. To us, it is clear that each new member brings a unique perspective and expertise that will help guide our organization into the future.
Further, on March 22, 2023, UWKC held its annual meeting. At the meeting, we welcomed several more new members: Cyndean Jennings, Gateway Technical College, Ann Iverson, University of Wisconsin – Parkside, and Lauren Neri, Uline. The continued growth of the Board of Directors inspires all of us to stay committed to serving each person in Kenosha County.
Of course, at the same time, we also had to say more farewells, which included recognizing Nick Smith, Advocate Aurora, Pat Demos, KUSD Retiree, and Jordania Leon-Jordan, University of Wisconsin – Parkside) for completing their six-year terms. We also wished Nina Taylor, Kenosha County, all the best as she ended her term along with her retirement. Each left their own mark on United Way of Kenosha County. Nick made an immeasurable impact throughout his service, leading the BoD as President. Pat has served our community in so many ways for so long and left a message to our community on the impact of giving back and getting involved. Jordania long shared her love for reading by participating in events like Read Across Kenosha and brought valuable insights from her background in information technology. Nina served as secretary and could always be counted on to lend a helping hand. As a result of their leadership, the organization is ushering in a more impactful United Way.
Among all the changes, we also elected and congratulated our new officers. Jacqueline Morris, Gateway Technical College, was elected as Board President, Rob Hogan, Johnson Financial Group, was elected as Board Treasurer, Mark Holmes, LMI Packaging, was elected as Audit Committee Chair, and Cyndean Jennings was elected as Community Investment Committee Chair. Thank you to these community leaders for stepping into new roles and bringing visions of change to United Way of Kenosha County!
Since the annual meeting, FIVE MORE members joined as board members: Kristie Geil, Advocate Aurora Health, Karin Graves, Carthage College, Dr. Michele Hancock, Carthage College, Eric Peterson, O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Lang, and Carol Ratliff, Lakeside Curative Services, Inc. It is so greatly appreciated to have so many new members now in UWKC’s corner. With more voices advocating for our mission, we can ensure we are having the biggest impact possible and stay closest to our community’s ongoing needs.
Lastly, the Board of Directors was recently challenged to raise 30 thousand dollars in contributions towards our Centennial Campaign. To make a donation in honor of one of our board members, please click here. Stay tuned for more updates on the dedicated leaders who choose to Live UNITED every day.
To learn more about joining the United Way of Kenosha County board, please click here.