Birch Creek Board of Trustees & Administrative Staff

Board of Trustees

Birch Creek is governed by a twenty-member board selected to serve three-year terms. Trustees are Door County residents identified for their accomplishments in the arts, humanities, business, education or public service. The board includes members from urban and rural areas across Door County and from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds. Board members set policy for Birch Creek and work with the executive director to approve budgets annually.

Executive Committee

  • Jane Berg, President
  • Marcia Peterson, Vice President
  • Shaun Tauber, Secretary
  • Patti Jo Hedeen, Treasurer
  • Gregory Mox, Past President

 

Trustees

  • Rudolph (Bud) Barta
  • Thomas Birmingham
  • Peter Cristall
  • Miriam Erickson
  • Joan Guasta
  • Grace Gunnlaugsson
  • Jan Johnson, President, The Associates
  • Keith Kasen
  • Donald Makuen
  • Fred Mann
  • Lolly Ratajczak
  • Tom Regan
  • Sue Vineyard
  • Zita Wessa
  • Tom Young


Administrative Staff

Please use the "Contact" page on this Web site if you wish to contact Administrative Staff.

Kaye Wagner, Executive Director

Kaye Wagner became Birch Creek's first Executive Director in 1998, bringing with her an impressive background as an arts administrator, performer, and instructor. A Wisconsin native, Kaye holds a BA in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and an MS in Continuing and Vocational Education from UW-Madison. She has held positions as Coordinator for Adult Programs at the Kaufman Center's Lucy Moses School in New York City, Director of the Pikes Peak Suzuki Association in Colorado Springs, and founding board and faculty member of the Wausau Conservatory of Music. Her love for teaching has taken Ms. Wagner to the University of Louisville School of Music, UW-Marathon Center, and the school systems of Stevens Point, Wausau, and Marathon. Among her performance credentials are positions as principal flutist with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs and assistant principal flute and piccolo with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. Kaye is a member of Door County's Peninsula
Arts and Humanities Alliance (PAHA).

Kate Rericha, Director of Grants

A leading grants administrator and grant writer for nonprofit organizations in the arts, health and human service, and public education, Kate Rericha is an arts educator with over forty years of experience in a variety of environments including PK-12 public and
private education, technical college, and nursing home program administration. Kate holds a Bachelor of Art Education degree from UW-Oshkosh with a minor in English. As Secretary of the Board of the Egg Harbor Business Association and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Arts Wisconsin (Madison), Kate serves her local community through board leadership and her state community through arts advocacy and program evaluation. She has been with Birch Creek since 2005.

Cathy Knipfer, Director of Marketing & Public Relations

Cathy joined Birch Creek as Director of Marketing and Public Relations in 2011. She holds a degree in arts management with a minor in graphic communications. Her employment experience includes positions in advertising in the Appleton area and marketing in the Milwaukee area.

Jenn Neuville, Operations Manager

Hired in 2011 as Operations Manager of Birch Creek’s expanding campus, Jenn brings six years of facility management, volunteer coordination and membership recruitment for Wisconsin School Music Association & Wisconsin Music Educators Association to Birch Creek. She holds a degree in arts management with a business administration minor, and adds a technology-savvy component to our organizational growth.

Mary Hall, Registrar / Office Manager

Mary Hall joined Birch Creek's year-round staff in October 2010 as Office Manager / Registrar. Mary graduated magna cum laude from Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind., with a Bachelor of Arts degree in applied music (voice). Her 10 years of experience at the Door County Maritime Museum and music background makes her well-suited for the position. As well, Mary is the Choir Director at Hope Church, Sturgeon Bay, and her volunteer activities as an actress and performer with Isadoora Theatre Company bring added dimensions to her role at Birch Creek.