Meet our Board of Directors
Demaris Kenwood - President
Demaris has taught French at Whitefish Bay Middle School since 2008 and worked with the MS Green Team since 2010. She loves exploring the world through world languages with students. She lives in Whitefish Bay with her husband and has two daughters who attended WFB schools. She is grateful to the foundation for supporting so many initiatives that make WFB schools great such as starting the Middle School Compost Program!
Curt Smith
Curt joined the Foundation Board in 2018. Curt has been a lifelong resident of Whitefish Bay, and he and his wife, Katie, currently have four children attending Whitefish Bay schools. His background is in commercial real estate.
Kara Bzdusek
Tim Cigelske
Tim is Director of Integrated Content at Marquette University and an adjunct professor teaching social media analytics and measurement, media writing and the honors seminar The Art and Science of Creativity. His daughter and son, Clara and Xavier, attend Cumberland Elementary. His wife, Jess, is a realtor with Shorewest.
Ana Conant
The warm community and excellent schools in Whitefish Bay made for an easy transition from New Jersey to Wisconsin in 2010. My husband and I have two daughters, one an alumna of the Middle School, and both Whitefish Bay High School alumni. Now an empty nester, I chose to serve on the Whitefish Bay Education Foundation board to give back to the schools that gave our daughters such a positive, enriching experience. The teachers, coaches and staff really impressed me with their selfless dedication and professionalism.
Tammy Herpel
Tammy Herpel has served on the Board since 2014. After earning a Master of Architecture degree from UW-Milwaukee she practiced architecture and married a Whitefish Bay native who attended K-12 Whitefish Bay Schools. She and her husband made Whitefish Bay their family's home in 2002 and have two daughters attending their father’s alma matter. Tammy now utilizes her architectural expertise to help families along the North Shore as a realtor with Tammy Herpel Realty - Keller Williams.
Shannon Izquierdo
Anne Kearney
Laura Koski - Secretary
Laura Koski has been a resident of Whitefish Bay since 2015 and joined the Foundation Board in 2018. She and her husband are expecting their first child next year and are looking forward to officially becoming part of the Whitefish Bay School District in a few years.
Ginger Lazovik
Ginger Lazovik has served on the Board since 2018. She and her husband live in Whitefish Bay with their 3 daughters who attend Whitefish Bay schools. Kevin teaches 2nd grade at Richards Elementary School and runs various basketball programs for the Whitefish Bay Park and Recreation department. Ginger is a realtor with Shorewest NorthShore and enjoys being a trusted adviser to clients during important life transitions. She is passionate about education and looks forward to helping serve the community through involvement with the Education Foundation.
Steve O'Connell - Treasurer
Catherine Mattke
Catherine has a long family and personal history in the local education community. After graduating from Shorewood High School, she attended UW-Madison and studied Elementary Education. She taught sixth grade for 11 years at Lake Bluff elementary school in Shorewood, following in the footsteps of her mother, who taught in the Whitefish Bay School District for more than 30 years. Currently, Catherine has two children at Cumberland School, where she also runs the school book fairs and organizes the yearbook.
Ashley Mueller
Ashley Mueller has served on the Board since 2019. She and her husband, Nick, live in Whitefish Bay with their young son and daughter, who will soon attend the Whitefish Bay schools. Ashley’s parents were both public school educators in eastern Iowa, and she is passionate about education and enriching the lives of the students in her community. Nick is an Actuary with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Ashley is an Assistant Vice President of Commercial Banking at Park Bank (soon to be First Midwest Bank). Ashley and Nick both donate their time to the annual Run the Bay event.
Jim Phillips
Jim has served on the Foundation Board since 2010, initially as a representative from the Whitefish Bay School Board during his 9 years as a Board member of the District. Jim has been a resident of Whitefish Bay for over 35 years, and all three of his children attended Cumberland School, WFB Middle School and WFB High School. Jim is an attorney practicing tax and business law at Godfrey & Kahn, S.C.
Angela Romersi
Russ Sagmoen
Russ Sagmoen joined the Foundation Board in 2018. Russ and his wife, Emily, have been residents of Whitefish Bay for over 10 years and have three children. His background is in commercial real estate and he is heavily involved with music in the area serving on the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Forte Leadership Board. He looks forward to working with the board to maintain what prior board members have created and increase awareness of the foundation in the community.
Igor Stevic
Igor was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and moved to the United States in 1995. He has been calling Whitefish Bay home since 2005 and has been on the board since 2018. He is an electrical engineer and has spent the past 15 years at GE Healthcare in various roles in medical device research and development. He and his wife have a son and a daughter who attend Whitefish Bay schools. Both are currently middle school students with their daughter transitioning to the High School in the fall. Igor’s wife, Catherine (Kit) is a faculty member in the College of Nursing at Marquette University.
Jackie Thompson
Jackie has served on the Whitefish Bay Public Education Foundation since 1992 and is a member of the original Educational Foundation steering committee. Jackie continues to lend historical perspective to the Board. She has headed the Nuss Grant committee, Whitefish Bay Spirit afghan sales, and Run the Bay. Both of her daughters attended Lydell, Richards, WFB Middle School, and WFB High School.
Jessica Wintheiser
Anna Gibson
Anna Gibson is the teacher representative on the board from the High School. She has taught at the High School for seven years in the social studies department. Along with teaching, she is the advisor to Bay Gives Back, Mock Trial, and the Prom Committee. She has also coached the varsity girls tennis program. She strongly believes in the mission of the work of the board and building relationships between the community and the schools.