Leadership

LeeAnn Glover

Secretary

LeeAnn is the Real Estate and Workplace Solutions Director and one of the founders of sustainability at American Family Insurance. She has a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from UW-Madison, a Master’s in Management from Cardinal Stritch University and a Master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership from Edgewood College. In 2013 she was the recipient of the InBusiness magazine “Sustainability Visionary of the Year”. LeeAnn has served on the Board of the Wisconsin Sustainability Business Council and was a Fellow for the Nelson Institute in 2012.

Nathan Fredrick

Treasurer

Nate is the co-Portfolio Manager for the ESG Microcap Opportunities Strategy and a CFA Charterholder. He received a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in Economics and an MBA from University Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Investment Management Certificate Program. Prior to Riverwater, Nate worked in personal banking for BMO Harris. Nate is an avid reader, enjoys golfing and composting.

Joe Bonnell

Board Member

Joe Bonnell has been involved in international work for over 30 years, including two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica from 1990-1992. Joe also has strong ties with the Dominican Republic, having led multiple study abroad programs and completed a Fulbright project there focusing on watershed management. His focus in his international work is on environmental sustainability, water resource management, and sustainable agriculture. He is currently a Natural Resource Educator with University of Wisconsin – Madison in the Driftless Region.

Emmy Swift

Emmy Swift is a passionate and devoted leader of climate and environmental impact teams. As senior strategist for sustainable business at American Family Insurance, she spearheads enterprise-wide climate and resiliency programming, lifting a century-old insurance company into the modern environmental context. Beyond AFI and her earlier environmental work at Allstate, Emmy gives her time to nonprofit causes, including disability advocacy and women’s empowerment. A regular representative on leadership boards of sustainable business organizations, she is pursuing her Master of Science in Environment and Sustainable Management at Georgetown, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin.

Robert Fischer

Board Member

Robert spent eight years of his childhood growing up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he speaks French and Haitian Creole.  It is because of his passion for the people and culture of Haiti that we have established a second Haitian program. Robert has over ten years of experience in national and international program implementation, and when he’s not supporting Wisconsin Microfinance’s mission, he is the president of GTiMA, and a technology and policy advisor to Mandli Communications. Both Mandli and GTiMA work with national, international, and regional authorities to advance smart city standards, policies, and best practices. Robert currently resides in Mauritius.

Trevor Franda

Board Member

Trevor is an Actuary at Travelers Insurance in Saint Paul, MN. Originally from Milwaukee, Trevor attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and there developed a passion for economic justice and sustainable business initiatives. He is a former Wisconsin Microfinance executive director, and is thrilled to continue to support the organization as it grows to impact more lives. Trevor has degrees in Economics and Finance, and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Mark Johnson

Board Member

Mark is a senior fellow at the UW Madison School of Education with passions in international relations and global health systems.

Jane McCurry

Board Member

Jane is a former Wisconsin Microfinance executive director and UW-Madison graduate with degrees in Operations and Technology Management and Environmental Studies. A cornerstone of the organization, Jane is a tireless advocate for change whose experience with Wisconsin Microfinance makes her an invaluable member of the board. Jane is currently the Executive Director of Clean Fuels Michigan where she works to advance the clean transportation industry.

Paul Ohlrogge

Board Member

Paul Ohlrogge has been involved in community development and international work for 35 years. Prior to retirement, he was the County Director for UW-Extension in Iowa County and an Associate Professor of Community Resource Development. In the 1980s, Paul was in the Peace Corps for 4 years and then spent an additional 6 years in the Philippines working with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees – working with the resettlement of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian and Hmong refugees. Paul has also worked on short term assignments in Rwanda, Cambodia, Uganda and Haiti. Paul graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa with a degree in Communications and Theology and has a Master’s in Public Administration from Southern Illinois University.

Annalise Ebert

Board Member

Annalise is a student at UW Madison, studying Economics and Spanish.  During the summer of 2021, she served as the director of outreach and donor relationships for Wisconsin Microfinance.  Her studies in economic development and female empowerment, combined with her analytical background, underscores the important research she does on the success of borrowers.  Raised in Wisconsin, she has extensive international travel experience.

Felissa Hong

Board Member

Felissa’s passion for international work started in 2014, when she spent a summer working as a Vietnamese medical translator. She continued to cultivate her curiosity about the world at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she received her bachelor’s degree with certificates in Gender & Women’s Studies & Global Health. Her interests lie in the intersection of global health, disaster management, education, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. She is a current 2024 MD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. She enjoys baking, running, rollerblading, traveling, and reading.

Walter (Wally) Orzechowski

Board Member

Wally retired in 2023 after 20 years as the Executive Director of the Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program (SWCAP) a rural, anti-poverty program located in southwestern Wisconsin. Wally has over 40 years’ experience in non-profit management including start-ups. He has a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Political Science and Mass Communications along with a Master’s of Science Degree (MSPH) in Public Health and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA). From 1976 to 1978 Wally served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in a Rural Health Unit in Kalibo, Aklan on Panay Island in the Republic of the Philippines.

Vicki Elkin

Board Member

Vicki Elkin is the founding executive director of the Fund for Lake Michigan, a private foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that creates benefits for the people and communities that depend upon the system for water, recreation, and commerce. Vicki has also worked as a Policy Initiatives Advisor to the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), and Executive Director of Gathering Waters, a non-profit umbrella group for Wisconsin’s land trusts. Vicki holds an M.S. in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. from Oberlin College in Ohio.  Before going to graduate school, Vicki worked for the Inter-American Foundation distributing grants to community-based organizations in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ecuador, and Bolivia. She also spent a year in Costa Rica researching pesticide use among small scale subsistence farmers who were transitioning to export crops.

Rhyomi Sellnow

Board Member

Dr. Sellnow is a medical professional with a passion for sharing clinical information with physicians and patients. She received a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison and a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Michigan State University. She devotes her professional life to advocating for patient communities, particularly patients with rare diseases, and is committed to honoring and expanding women’s rights. As an expert in communications, she recognizes the importance of accurate and ethical information to patients and doctors faced with complex health and socioeconomic challenges.

Sara Fitzpatrick

Board Member

Dr. Sara Fitzpatrick works with health plans, hospitals, health systems, and employers, helping them optimize pharmacy benefit strategies. She is a trained clinical pharmacist and is a Vice President of Pharmacy Consulting at Aon. She received her doctorate from the University of Minnesota and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sara’s passion is people and she mentors students and assists new graduates and colleagues by identifying tools and connections to advance their career. As someone who grew up in a small family business, she recognizes and appreciates the importance of focusing on individuals and understands how individual success contributes to family and community success. As a pharmacist, she understands the positive impact our work can have on health outcomes.

Loveleen Kaur

Board Member

Loveleen Kaur started working with Wisconsin Microfinance as an intern after graduating from UW-Madison with a degree in Economics. She currently serves as an Area Manager for Amazon. She is attracted to Wisconsin Microfinance’s mission of empowering and supporting business-women in the developing world and sees her participation on the board as a way of making a difference. She brings both analytical skills and creative skills to the organization and is excited about the future of Wisconsin Microfinance!