2026 Conference Speakers
Monday–Tuesday, March 30–31, 2026 | Havenwood Event Center | Sparta, WI
Speaker Spotlight: Kevin Riley, Mayor, City of Sparta
Kevin Riley is the current Mayor of the City of Sparta. He was first elected in 2022 and then re-elected in 2025 and is currently serving…
Speaker Spotlight: Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez, Garrison Commander, Fort McCoy
Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez assumed duties as Garrison Commander at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, on July 19, 2024. Immediately prior to this…
Speaker Spotlight: Tina Thompson, President / CEO, Tomah Chamber & Visitors Center
Tina Thompson is the President/CEO of the Tomah Chamber and Visitors Center. A Tomah native, Thompon completed her undergraduate…
Speaker Spotlight: Cassie Mordini, Director, Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation
In January 2024, she became director. During her first four years, she was integral to building the infrastructure of the Office. Mordini…
Speaker Spotlight: Shobi Zietlow, Founder and Owner, RSS – Your Talent Partners
Shobi Zietlow is the Founder and Owner of RSS – Your Talent Partners, a locally owned staffing and recruiting firm serving Monroe County…
Speaker Spotlight: Jill Billings, Representative, Wisconsin State Assembly
Jill Billings currently serves as the ranking Democratic member on the Assembly Committee on Children and Families and the Assembly…
Speaker Spotlight: Steven C. Deller, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Steven C. Deller is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison…
Speaker Spotlight: Errin Welty, Senior Downtown Development Director, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Errin Welty is the Senior Director of Downtown Development at WEDC, working primarily with Main Street and Connect Communities which…
Speaker Spotlight: Brad Pfaff, Senator, Wisconsin’s 32nd Senate District
Senator Brad Pfaff is a proud son of the rolling hills, coulees, and valleys of northern La Crosse County. He learned the value of hard…
Speaker Spotlight: Nancy VanderMeer, Representative, Wisconsin State Assembly
Representative Nancy VanderMeer was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2014. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin…
Speaker Spotlight: Claire Bakalars, Interim Director, Western Wisconsin Workforce Development Board
Claire Bakalars is an advocate, a mother of 11- and 12-year-olds, and a hands-on learner who believes the best way to understand systems…
Speaker Spotlight: Cedric Schnitzler, Emcee & Host
Serving on the Wisconsin Counties Association Board of Directors and the Wisconsin Mutual Insurance Board of Directors, Cedric Schnitzler…
Speaker Spotlight: Stewart Eskew, Assistant Teaching Professor – Philosophy, UW-La Crosse
Stewart Eskew grew up in California’s Central Valley and completed his undergraduate degree in philosophy at California State University…
Speaker Spotlight: James Hanke, Vice President Wisconsin Community Support Program, CEDA
James Hanke joined CEDA in 2023 to facilitate CEDA’s growth into the Wisconsin market. As a lifelong resident of western Wisconsin…
Speaker Spotlight: Greg Zingler, Owner, Zingler Sign & Design
Greg Zingler, the Co-owner of Zingler Sign & Design in Tomah, Wisconsin prides himself in being a life-long resident of Monroe County…
Speaker Spotlight: Melissa Revels, Owner, St. Mary’s Distillery
Cory and Melissa Revels are the husband-and-wife owners of St. Mary’s Distillery, established in 2018. In 2010, they purchased a 224-acre…
Speaker Spotlight: Sheila Everhart, Executive Director, Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association
Sheila Everhart, a city girl, married a farmer 45 years ago. Everhart Farms raises beef cattle, corn, soybeans, hay, and pumpkins for…
Speaker Spotlight: Sawyer Meisel, Regional Economist, Western Wisconsin at the Office of Economic Advisors
Sawyer Meisel currently serves as the regional economist for Western Wisconsin at the Office of Economic Advisors. Graduating from…
Speaker Spotlight: Chris Hardie, CEO, 7 Rivers Alliance
Chris Hardie has been the CEO of the 7 Rivers Alliance, one of nine regional economic development organizations in Wisconsin, since…
Speaker Spotlight: Sylvia Burgos Toftness, President, Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association
Sylvia Burgos Toftness serves on the board of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association. She is a past board member of the…
Speaker Spotlight: Rebecca Giroux, Community and Economic Development Officer, WHEDA
Rebecca is the regional contact for 19 counties in Central and Southwest Wisconsin. As part of WHEDA’s CED team, Rebecca collaborates…
Speaker Spotlight: Kahya Fox, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region
Kahya Fox has served as Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region since 2016, bringing over 20 years…