Board

Board

Wayne C. Defferding
Wayne grew up in Appleton and obtained a bachelor of science in Geology from UW-Madison.  After service in the United States Navy and several years of employment with D.I.A. in Washington, he obtained a juris doctor degree from Valparaiso University School of Law.  He then began a career with AAL and retired from the position of director of government relations.

Wayne is an Appleton alderperson and an Outagamie County supervisor and serves on standing committees of both governmental bodies as well as on several community-wide boards and committees.  Wayne and Bette have two adult children and one grandchild.  Wayne enjoys biking, reading, woodcarving, and playing stupid card games.

Katie Drescher – Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group
Katie earned her undergraduate degree in Art History from Lawrence University and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.  She practiced real estate and estate planning law in Appleton with her husband Park for ten years prior to taking time out to raise her children, John (aged 12) and Will (aged 9).  Today Katie is professionally engaged as a realtor with Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group.  She is pleased to share her time with the Appleton Art Center to foster a passion for the visual arts in the Fox Valley community.

Alyce Dumke – McCarty Curry Wydeven Peeters & Haak, LLP
Alyce is the chief operating officer of McCarty Curry Wydeven Peeters & Haak, LLP, Attorneys at Law.  She is responsible for the development and delivery of strategies related to human resources, practice management, client development, marketing, finance, information technology, and facilities.  In addition to serving on the board of directors of the Appleton Art Center, Alyce serves on the boards of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, LEAVEN, and the Fox Cities Alliance for Education.  She also is a member of the president’s council of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

Alyce and her husband, Lloyd, are proud to call the Fox Cities home.  They’ve lived here for nearly 30 years and have two married daughters who recently returned to Appleton; life doesn’t get any better!  Heather and Steve have two sons, Jack and Charlie.  Leah and Matt have one son, Keaton.  In addition to spending time with their family (and most especially their grandsons), Alyce and Lloyd enjoy traveling, volunteering, wine-making, refinishing antiques, and football (the Badgers and the Packers).

William H. Gibson, Jr., Ph.D. – Kimberly-Clark Corporation
William Gibson is the Appleton Art Center’s 05-06 2nd Vice President.

William has lived in Appleton for nearly seven years. Born in Tennessee, he received a B.S. from Knoxville College.  He then went on to graduate school at University of Illinois were he received a doctorate in Microbiology. Bill is currently employed as manager of the Compliance Testing Facility at Kimberly-Clark. He and his wife, Gwendolyn, have four adult children and two grandchildren.  After completing formal education, Bill joined the faculty of Rutgers University and has maintained a continued interest and involvement in education at some level since.  Past community involvement includes past president of the board of directors of Methodist Youth Services (Northern Illinois) and past president of Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education (Naperville, Illinois).   He firmly believes that the cures for many of our society’s ills will be found in education, including the arts.  Bill is active as a teacher at his local church and continues to look for ways to serve the community.  He became interested in the board activity of the Appleton Art Center in 2000 while taking his first of many adult classes.

Carol Heid
Carol has lived in Appleton since she was five years old. She recently retired from Appleton Medical Center after 35 years as an OB Nurse and prenatal/postpartum educator. She started a support group for new moms 15 years ago and she now volunteers with the support group.

She has been active in numerous nursing organizations and served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley, the advisory committee for the Lawrence University Program in Biomedical Ethics, the Wisconsin Well Woman Program, and the March of Dimes . She is also a member of the Infant Circle of the Kings Daughters.  Carol is married to Paul (Heid Music). They have three children, two grandsons, and one granddaughter.  Kim and Rich Mantey live in Appleton with their sons Max and Gus; Paige and Bob Lamey live in Madison; and Todd and DeDe live in Sherwood and have a daughter Braelyn Grace.

Amy Henselin – Grant Thornton
Amy is the Appleton Art Center’s 05-06 Treasurer.

Amy Henselin is an assurance manager with Grant Thornton, LLP. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a B.B.A. in Accounting and Finance, she is a licensed C.P.A.  Prior to becoming involved with the Appleton Art Center, Amy was the chair of the Family Partnership committee of the Greater Fox Cities Habitat for Humanity.  Other community involvement includes serving on the United Way audit and financial review committee, being a member of her church’s audit committee, PULSE Young Professionals, and the Executive Women’s’ Golf Association.  She and her husband, Steven, recently welcomed their first child, Emma, on August 13, 2005.  Amy enjoys volleyball, golf, and reading.

Richard Jelinski – Artist
Richard E. Jelinski has been an artist in the Fox Valley area for over fifty years. After serving as a U.S. Naval photographer during the Korean War, Jelinski attended and graduated from Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, majoring in graphic design, with concentrations in medical illustration, painting & sculpture.  He subsequently returned to the Fox Valley and in 1960 founded his own design studio, servicing the paper and printing industry as an award-winning designer, art director, watermark, and color consultant.  Jelinski, now retired from his commercial business, has returned full time to his art.  His painting, drawing and photography reflects over fifty years’ experience in diving the seas of the world and canoeing in northern Canada.  In addition, Jelinski has been active over the years in the arts community, including exhibits and art shows statewide (Wisconsin Salon, Wisconsin Painters & Sculptures) as a participant and judge, a founding partner in the Hang Up Gallery in Neenah, a teacher, a former member of the Appleton Artskeller and board member of the Appleton Gallery of Arts.

Susan Jones – ACUITY
Susan Jones has lived in Appleton for eight years and is employed as territory manager at Acuity.  She is married to Andy, who is a principal at New London Middle School.  Susan and Andy have two children, Jennifer and Brian.  She has an interest in the Appleton Art Center because of her work at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI.  Susan worked there for five years doing various duties.  One area in which Susan would like to help the Appleton Art Center is getting the word out to all the young families in the Fox Cities Area on the benefits of becoming members.  She received a master’s degree in Business from Silver Lake College and a bachelor of arts degree from UW-Whitewater in Speech Communications/Public Relations with a minor in Music.  Susan enjoys music, volleyball, and water sports.

Kyle Knoke – Allen/James Design
Kyle is the Appleton Art Center’s 05-06 Secretary.

Kyle Knoke is creative director at Allen/James Design, a graphic design and marketing communications agency with offices in Appleton and Chicago. Prior to his current position, Kyle spent several years with Kimberly-Clark Corporation serving as an account executive for the Scott and Cottonelle Brands. Kyle received a bachelor of science degree in Fashion Design and Business from UW-Stout in 1990, after which he designed and produced a line of clothing under the label Kyle Allen. He worked in the fashion industry in Chicago until his career turned to marketing and advertising in 1996. For several years, Kyle owned Allen/Thomas Gallery in Neenah, a contemporary art gallery which featured locally and nationally recognized artists.

Cheryl McChesney
Cheryl McChesney in the Appleton Art Center’s 05-06 Board President.

Cheryl has enjoyed the visual arts since beginning in grade-school art classes in rural western Illinois where she was raised on a farm.  After completing her M.D. degree, residency and fellowship training, Cheryl and her husband moved to Appleton in 1985.  Cheryl was a private-practice psychiatrist in Appleton for eleven years before she closed her practice to have more time for her family.  An oil painter, Cheryl participates in open studio at the Appleton Art Center.  Cheryl is interested in helping the Art Center continue to grow to meet the future opportunities of enriching the lives of people of all ages with the visual arts.  Cheryl enjoys reading, painting, traveling, and visiting with family and friends.

Andy Mead
Andy Mead is the Appleton Art Center’s 05-06 1st Vice President.

Having moved to, from, and back to the Fox Cities multiple times, Andy has become involved with the center to increase the awareness of the visual arts and the cultural and economic benefits that they bring to the Fox Valley.  A graduate of Lawrence University, he went on to earn a master’s degree in Business at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the marketing department at Kimberly-Clark.  One of the highlights of his career with K-C was the experience of working and living in Austria and England with his family during the late 1990s.  Andy is married to Anne Atwood Mead and lives in Neenah with their two daughters.  An avid reader, runner, skier, and traveler, he and Anne enjoy remodeling older homes as well.

Beth Nemecek – AmeriPrint Graphics
Beth Nemecek was born in Neenah and moved to Fremont in the early ’70s. She attended college at Ripon and graduated with a degree in psychology and education. She found her way back to Neenah in 1980 to find love in the weight room of a Neenah health club, where she met husband Wayne. Beth continued teaching in the Valley until she and Wayne decided in 1992 to start AmeriPrint, a commercial printing company. This community has been good to Wayne and Beth, along with daughter Alexis, and they are passionate about the importance of giving back. A strong belief in education, mentoring and providing opportunities has led to involvement in a wide range of non-profit organizations in the Fox Valley. They are improving their community through a commitment to volunteerism.


Amy Oelhafen – Grubb & Ellis | Pfefferle
Amy Oelhafen has been a lifelong resident of Appleton.  She attended Xavier High School and went on to receive a bachelor of arts from St. Norbert College.  Amy has worked for Grubb & Ellis | Pfefferle since 1998.  She holds her real estate license and manages City Center Plaza in downtown Appleton.  Amy has served on the Board of Directors for Octoberfest, License to Cruise, and Appleton Downtown, Inc.

Amy is married to Eric and has two children, Emma (four years) and Eddie (five months). 

Robert A. Pedersen – Goodwill Industries
Bob Pedersen is President and Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin.  Prior to joining Goodwill in 1991, he was the associate executive director of programs and services for the Brown County Association for Retarded Citizens, a position he held for seventeen years.

Bob provides executive leadership, vision, management and administration for a team of 1,190 people delivering services to more than 30,000 people with disabilities and disadvantaging conditions and other barriers to employment annually, managing 24 human services workforce development programs.  Goodwill Industries of NC Wisconsin serves more than 1.9 million shoppers and donors annually in 18 retail/donations/training centers within a 35-county territory, with total operating revenue exceeding $30 million.  Bob facilitates partnerships, including 27 nonprofit organizations located on the Goodwill Community Center Campus, collectively serving 100,000 people annually in a one-stop environment.

Bob was appointed as member of the 1999-2000 class of Frances Hesselbein Community Innovation Fellows by the Peter F. Drucker Foundation.  Bob was also appointed as a member of the 2001 class of Stanford University Community Innovation Fellows.  He has served on the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries International, Inc.

Additionally and perhaps more importantly, Bob is married to Shawn O’Brien.  They have four wonderful and productive daughters and nine beautiful grandchildren.  His interest in Appleton Art Center stems from his long-standing commitment to the arts and humanities.  Bob is a poet, musician, actor, and artist who believes that the arts enrich our lives and inform our humanity.

Constance T. Pirner – Green Bay Botanical Gardens
Connie Pirner is the director of development & publicity at Green Bay Botanical Garden.  Her responsibilities include advancing the organization’s case for support congruent with strategic priorities.  In addition, she works collaboratively with the marketing team, developing initiatives and enhancing the brand in both community relations and in written and printed material.  Having changed careers from health care in 1996, Connie became acutely involved with the art and museum sector through her previous tenure with the Paine Art Center and Gardens, Oshkosh.  Connie has two married daughters, Petra and Greta, and three lively grandchildren.  In her free time she is invigorated by ballroom dancing, road biking, travel, and working an occasional weekend in an upscale art gallery.

David Schuelke – Chase
David Schuelke is region president and group executive with Chase.  He leads Chase’s commercial banking effort for Northeast Wisconsin that includes Green Bay, Appleton, Neenah, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac.  A Wisconsin native, he has lived in the Fox Valley for six years.  David is married to Carolyn and has two children, Allison and Peter.  He is also on the board of directors of Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin and the board of governors for Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges, and formerly a board member of The Parenting Network.

Phil Sealy – Artist
Phil Sealy has been a resident of Appleton since 1961, and a member of the Art Center since 1962 (former Appleton Gallery of Art).  Phil has served on the board for well over twenty years as President and Vice President several times.  He is a recipient of the Phil Sealy Award, Renaissance Award, and the 1968 Governor’s Award.  He is represented in public, private, and corporate collections in the U.S. and abroad and was published in Ridges, Wild Places of Door County in 2001.  He has been married for 50 plus years to Faith and has four grown children and ten grandchildren.  Phil received a bachelor of arts from Hobart College in 1951 and spent two years, 1944-1946, in the Army Air Force during WWII and Japanese occupation.  His teaching experience has been with the Appleton Art Center, Vocational Tec., University of Wisconsin, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, private workshops, and demos.  Currently, teaching expression is vital to the health of our society; the Art Center is a real part of our opportunity to exercise this right.  Phil is also a founding partner of Hang-Up Gallery.

Barbara Stack – St. Elizabeth Hospital Community Foundation
Originally from Shawano, Barbara attended Ripon College for one year before completing her B.A. in non-profit theatre administration from the University of Minnesota.  During her college years, Barbara worked at various non-profit arts organizations, including The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, PepsiCo International Performing Arts festival in New York, and Riverside Studios in London.  She began her professional career in development with the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, followed by development positions at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and AIDS Project Los Angeles in California.  In 1995, Barbara returned to Wisconsin to be near family.  She served as executive director of major and planned giving at Lawrence University for eight years before becoming executive director of the St. Elizabeth Hospital Community Foundation in 2003.  Barbara is a member of the downtown Appleton Rotary Club and the Fox Valley Estate Planning Council.  Barbara is married to Rick Stack, an attorney in Appleton.  They share their home with Houdini the cat and a Maltese/Yorkie mix named Macy.