88th Annual Meeting of The Ridges Sanctuary

You are invited to The Ridges Sanctuary Annual Meeting!  Followed by a family style dinner and social!

You’re invited to a special evening to celebrate the impact we’ve made together over the past year and to look ahead to the exciting road ahead.

This event offers an opportunity to hear important updates from our leadership and staff on our work in preservation, education, and research. It’s also a chance to reconnect with fellow members, share stories, and welcome the incoming board members who will help shape our future.

Registration for the Annual Meeting is now closed. Please call (920)-839-2802 with questions.

2025 Board of Directors Nominees

Deneen Wiske – Nominated for First Term

Deneen Wiske is the founder and executive director of The Kairos Project, Inc, a nonprofit that creates nature-based programs connecting people with nature and one another. Before Kairos, she was the executive director of Auricle Productions, a nonprofit environmental journalism organization based in Montana. Her 25+-year career in the nonprofit sector spans strategic planning, governance, operations, communications, fundraising, program development, and team building. 

She holds a BS in biology and chemistry from Old Dominion University and a graduate certificate from the College of William & Mary. She was a research biologist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science before shifting her focus to the nonprofit sector. Deneen also serves on the boards of the Climate Change Coalition of Door County and the Door County Land Trust. She and her family live full-time in Baileys Harbor.

Deb Fitzgerald – Nominated for Second Term

Originally from Massachusetts, I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from DePaul University in Chicago and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Vermont College.   She moved to Door County permanently in 1999, working as a freelance writer for both local and large-city newspapers and eventually took a permanent position as a reporter with the Door County Advocate.  During her tenure there, she earned a hands-on Fellowship at the Institute of Journalism and Natural Resources to study Great Lakes environmental issues which allowed her to successfully engage in environmental reporting.   She took a managing editor position with a Minnesota newspaper before being tapped for the editor position at the Peninsula Pulse in 2020.

She considers it an honor and privilege to serve The Ridges and its staff members as a steward and board member, helping to oversee the protection and management of such a beautiful, vulnerable and rare natural resource.

Chuck Germain – Nominated for Second Term

Chuck earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting and finance from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He began his career in public accounting, spending seven years at KPMG before moving on to Allen-Bradley/Rockwell Automation.  He held a number of senior level finance positions at Rockwell Automation with a significant portion of his time spent in international finance roles.  After twenty-eight years at Rockwell Automation, he took a position as Corporate Financial Officer for a mid-market, private equity owned hydraulics manufacturing company in Milwaukee.  After seven years as CFO he elected to retire when the company moved its corporate headquarters to Traverse City.

Since his retirement in 2016 I have spent the majority of my time in Door County, where we have owned for 25 years.  He is currently the chair of the finance committee at Stella Maris.  Since his retirement he has been a member of the Wednesday Crew at The Ridges.  I have always been involved in “silent sports” and volunteer at a number of the events that are held in Door County.

Sher Rockway – Nominated for Second Term

With a biology major and general science minor from Illinois State University, she began her teaching career in 1971.  Additionally in 1986, she became the K-12 Science Coordinator for Indian Prairie #204 in Naperville/Aurora, IL.  In that role, she provided leadership to the district K-12 teachers in designing, implementing, and assessing science curriculum to align with state and national science standards. She earned a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Iowa.  From 2002 to retiring in 2004, she taught in the high school classroom full-time.

She and her husband, Todd, have been full time residents of Door County since 2017 and Ridges members since 2009.  They had been coming to Door County since 2001 and often hiked or snow- shoed in the Ridges.  She serves on the Development Committee and volunteers with Orchid Research and the Wednesday Crew.  She has participated in the Festivals of Nature and frequently uses the trails at the Nature Center as well as Logan’s Creek.

She wishes to contribute to The Ridges Sanctuary vision and mission, especially in the area of education, while also supporting additional opportunities for research and advocating for partnering with other environmental and educational organizations.

Bill Wolff – Nominated for Second Term

Bill is a former high school teacher from the northern suburbs of Chicago.  After retirement he and his wife, Kathy, moved to Door County in 2005. He has been associated with The Ridges since that time.  His first opportunity was as a member of the Wednesday crew on which he still participates.  He has also volunteered as a hike leader which he continues to do and as a front desk volunteer.  He served as a Board member from 2013 to 2018, completed an appointed term from 2021-2022, replacing a former Board member.  As a Board member he has served as Chair of the Governance Committee and is presently a member of that committee.

Bill feels that The Ridges is at a point in their history when the future looks very bright and the potential for growth and service is at its highest.  He hopes that his history will provide a link to the many efforts that have gone on before to get us to this point.  His promise is to work hard to help The Ridges Sanctuary continue on its path and represent our membership in a way that will always be viewed with a positive attitude.

Can’t make the meeting but still want to cast your vote for the 2025 Board of Directors Election – CLICK HERE to cast your vote today! The election closes on August 2nd, 2025.

To review the minutes from the 2024 Annual Meeting Click Here