Board of Directors – Discovery Center

Eric was elected Chair of the Board in July 2020.
Originally from the east, Eric has lived in Buzzard’s Gap Virginia, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Fairfield, Connecticut and Colesville, New Jersey. He moved to Wisconsin to attend Carthage College in Kenosha where he met wife Mary. Mary and Eric have two daughters and three grandchildren.
Eric received a master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Wisconsin and worked many years with disabled adults in the field of vocational rehabilitation, and more recently in student services at Gateway Technical College.
Upon retirement Mary and Eric have made the north woods their permanent home where they enjoy the great outdoors, making maple syrup, biking, fishing, traveling and pursuing hobbies of stained glass and art welding.
Eric served on the Kenosha County Multiple Sclerosis Society board, is past president of the Hiawatha Lake Association, and currently serves on the Manitowish Waters Presbyterian Church Session and the Winchester Lions. He has been a member of the NLDC board since 2014.

Richard has been a member of the NLDC Board since 2019 and was elected Vice-Chair in 2020
Richard grew up between the Chicago suburbs and London, England. He received his undergraduate degree in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M University and his law degree
from the University of Illinois, where he met his wife Carol. Carol and Richard have three sons.
He spent 35 years working as an attorney for a major energy company in Houston, Texas--- but vacationed principally in the North Woods. Richard and Carol retired in 2017 and now live between a home in Presque Isle and a home in central Texas. Richard and Carol love canoeing, hiking, snowshoeing, land conservancy and “almost anything outdoors.” They particularly enjoy the Boundary Waters.
Richard was Scout leader for 20 years and did a variety of other volunteer work. He served 20 years on the Board of the Intellectual Property Owners’ Association, serving as its President for a term and was active in other national and local Intellectual Property organizations. He is delighted to no longer be practicing law.

Tom Joseph is a retired commercial property manager/developer and attorney turned fiction writer. He has lived in Manitowish Waters all the summers of his life, and full time since 1991, serving at one time as its municipal judge. He has volunteered at the Discovery Center since its inception, the Manitowish Waters Lakes Association (former vice-president), and North Lakeland School. His passions for the outdoors include cross country, back country and downhill skiing, fishing, mountain biking, canoeing, and wilderness travel.

Karen Dixon Immediate Past Chair

Karen was elected to the Discovery Center board in July of 2013 and served as Secretary before being elected as Board Chair in 2015 until July, 2020. She was raised in Oconomowoc, WI and attended UW-Whitewater where she received a B.S. and M.S. in Communicative Disorders. Karen worked for the Janesville Public Schools as a Speech and Language Pathologist for 40 years. She is married to Mike and has a son Morgan. Her interests include history, nature, outdoor activities, reading, painting and music. She grew up surrounded by lakes in Waukesha County and has always loved being near water.
Karen served as president of the Manitowish Waters Lakes Association for 10 years, stepping down in 2016. She was also on the Manitowish Waters Alliance board for 10 years, served as Chair of the Janesville Board of Appeals, was Board President of the Janesville Community Day Care Center, and an active member of the Janesville Education Association. Current secretary of the Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Board.

Rolf Ethun - Capital Campaign Coordinator

Rolf was one of the founding members of the North Lakeland Discovery Center in 1996, and was the first full-time Executive Director from 1997 to 2003. He has served several terms on the Board of Directors, including holding several officer positions, and is an active volunteer. Currently, he is managing the Discovery Center's $6 million capital campaign to finally provide the tools to more effectively pursue our mission, with a year-around Welcoming and Learning facility, with classrooms, an expanded Nature Nook, meeting space and efficient office space; an endowment for permanent operational support, and a overall campus plan to enhance its natural beauty.

Contact Rolf for questions on: Capital Campaign inquiries at 715-686-2139 or rolfappraisals@centurytel.net

Dianne Briggs

MS Industrial Technology and MS in Vocational Rehabilitation.
Self-employed Entrepreneur for 35 year; returned injured workers to work; assisted employers in modifying jobs; represented Social Security disability claimants; served on rehabilitation teams with clinics.
Certified Master Naturalist and dedicated NLDC volunteer; Coordinator Salvation Army Bell Ringers for Sayner, Star Lake, St. Germain, and Boulder Junction. Chain of Lakes Ruffed Grouse Society Committee member; past VISTA and Habitat for Humanity volunteer.

Marc Kettleson

St. John's University, MN, BA Business Management; Cannon Investment School.
Currently Portfolio Manager WoodTrust Bank and Owner Tonka 5 properties; Supply chain management positions for Best Buy and Manhattan Toy 2011-2012.
Woodson YMCA Board member and treasurer; Finance committee member of Wausau Conservatory of Music; WoodTrust Bank Charitable Foundation; Former events chair of St. John's Alumni Association.

JoAnn (Jody) Miller

Tom Olson

Stephen Russell

B.A. Haverford College; Master of Divinity at Andover Newton Theological School.
Numerous positions as pastor and chaplain; recently retired chaplain at Wausau Regional Hospice.
Affiliation with Manitowish Waters Community Presbyterian Church and Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ. Volunteers for Koller Library; Mental Health Services in Wausau; and statewide offices for United Church of Christ.

Russ Schroeder

BA in Business at Carthage College - Kenosha; Gateway Associate degree in Information Technology.
Retired from S.C. Johnson Wax in Racine. Information Technology and Customer Service.
Volunteer experiences-Wisconsin Youth Soccer League Director; Racine Area Soccer Association, BOD Chair; Racine Chapter Ducks Unlimited; Pike Lake Chain Lake Associate VP; Ascension Lutheran Church Maintenance Committee and Community Dinner volunteer; Sturgeon Patrol; Certified Master Naturalist; dedicated NLDC Volunteer

Beth Wetzler

Beth was elected in July 2020 for a first 3-year term

• BA in Art History and MA in Museum Education
• Curator of Education at Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, VA; Curator of Education, Haggerty Museum of Art, Milwaukee, WI; Curator of Education, Las Vegas Museum of Art, Las Vegas NV; Customer Support Manager, Paciolan (museum software provider), Long Beach, CA; Event and Community Coordinator, Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce, Minocqua, WI; Director, Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce, Mercer, WI; Deputy Clerk, Town of Mercer, Mercer, WI (current).
• Friends of the Mercer Library, Mercer Senior Center Board, Mercer Education Foundation Board, Iron Range Master Gardeners, Manitowish Waters Community Foundation Board, Lakeland Rotary, Lakeland Kiwanis Board, Northwoods Wildlife Center Board
• Mercer Library Fall Celebration Chairman, Mercer Library front desk volunteer, Mercer School Strategic Planning Committee, Solstice Festival Committee, Lupine June Fest volunteer, Run for a Vet volunteer, Turtle River Pursuit Committee

Brent Jelinski - North Lakeland School Liaison

A lifetime resident of the northwoods, Brent is the Superintendent of North Lakeland School District -- a school that prides itself on its extensive outdoor education program and high student achievment. Brent received his B.S.E. from UW-Whitewater in Broadfield Social Studies and a M.S. in Educational Leadership from Marian University. Brent and his wife Amber have four active kids and love spending time together as a family.
As the North Lakeland School Liaison, Brent looks forward to providing an educational perspective to the Discovery Center Board while maintaining the strong relationship between both organizations. Brent has been a board member since 2012.

Craig Dalton - DNR Liaison

2021/22 Board of Directors

Make a donation