Annual Meeting

Michelle Hefty

Michelle Hefty grew up in Mt. Horab, WI and always enjoyed being outdoors, whether at her grandparent's farms or at the family cottage outside of Hayward, WI. Although most folks expected Michelle to go into music, the woods and water were calling her in life. She attended college at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Madison where she graduated with a BS in Resource Management, specializing in Outdoor Area Management. After graduation Michelle was hired as a crew leader for the Wisconsin Conservation Corp, where she worked out of Ellsworth, WI. In 1988 she landed her dream job as a State Park Manager for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She was permanently stationed at Newport State Park in late 1989 and also took over day-to-day management and operations of Rock Island State Park in 2016. Michelle was instrumental in getting Newport State Park designated as the first internationally recognized dark sky park in Wisconsin and only the second in the Midwest. Michelle has a great appreciation and dedication to educating individuals of all ages about our natural resources and their importance to future generations.

Jone Kiefer

Jone Kiefer has a Master of Arts degree in Education from National Louis University in Chicago, an Elementary Teacher Certification from Edgewood College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development from UW-Green Bay. Jone retired with more than 25 years of experience as an educator in the Madison Metropolitan School District. She also worked as a Education Supervisor for the UW-Madison Professional Development School. She is drawn to The Ridges because it values environmental sustainability and seeks to enhance the well-being and knowledge of people who interact with nature. Jone was appointed to the Board in August of 2022 as a replacement for a board member resignation. Jone is nominated for her 1st year of a 3 year term. She is also serving as the Education Committee Chair.

Bill Lee

An early adopter of an ecological mindset and developer of new methods for strategy and rapid new product development with end users and customers, Bill Lee has assisted companies with business strategy development, innovation, and market offer development through a wide sustainability lens for over three decades. He has been awarded numerous US patents and international awards for his client work ranging from consumer packaging to high-tech electronic diagnostic equipment. His consulting clients have included entrepreneurs to small and middle market organizations to large corporations including Amazon, Coca-Cola, Hewlett Packard, Johnson Wax, McDonald’s, Motorola, Porsche and Steelcase. In 2007, Bill founded UICO, LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of demanding environment capacitive touch screen solutions. He has served on boards for companies ranging in revenue from $25M to $200M and is the founder and principal of Brand Design, LLC, a consulting company dedicated to assisting forward thinking enterprises with strategy development, business challenges and innovation opportunities.

Mr. Lee has created and led online classes for Marlborough College, England, and taught in the United States at The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Lehigh University, and The Savannah College of Art and Design where he also served as Chair of the Design Management department for five years. For the last 3 years he has taught for Northwestern University’s online Executive Education program. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Management & Marketing in the School of Business & Economics at Carthage College, Kenosha, WI. Bill studied engineering at Syracuse University, and earned a BFA in Industrial Design from The University of Michigan and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Rick Johnson

Rick Johnson is a nationally recognized senior executive who has specialized in organizational and workforce health strategies. For over 30 years he worked with boards and senior leaders to create programs which improve organizational and individual “health”. His clients included Fortune 500 companies, public and private companies, health systems and not-for-profits. After a short stint in the NFL, Rick was Managing Director and Global Healthcare Practice Leader for Mercer Consulting Firm where he managed a $400M consulting practice. Rick’s focus now is helping environmentally impactful conservation organizations as a board member or advisor. This includes strategic planning, stakeholder(s) engagement strategies, developing Board Policies & Procedures Manuals, integrative performance review processes, facilitating collaboration/partnership opportunities with current and new organizations and focusing on major donors. Rick has a BA from Pacific Lutheran University and has done graduate work in biochemistry and nutrition. He is enrolled in the University of Chicago Graham School of Professional Studies. He has written four books on human resources and health-related initiatives.

Laura Landergott

Laura Landergott has a Master of Business Administration degree from Alverno College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Communication from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Laura has held marketing leadership roles with Northwestern Mutual, a Fortune 90 financial services company, and several privately held printing and communication firms in the Milwaukee area. In 2019, she launched Whole Growth Partners, a concierge marketing agency with a niche serving elite wealth management and financial planning firms around the country. She and her team of eight provide corporate branding, custom collateral, website development, signature client event and community sponsorship management. Laura’s expertise is in business leadership, marketing strategy and business development. Laura also serves on the board of Elmbrook Humane Society in Brookfield, WI. She lives in Baileys Harbor and Port St. Lucie, FL.

Grace Rossman

Grace Rossman was born and raised in Door County, Grace's parents were the editors and owners of the Door Reminder, a shopper newspaper. She, with her twin brother Gerry, explored every beach and woods in and near Ellison Bay as kids. Grace studied journalism at Drake University in Des Moines where she met her husband and created three restaurants, a bakery, and catering service. The Rossman’s have lived next to the Mud Lake Wildlife Refuge near Baileys Harbor for decades. Her three daughters are Gibraltar graduates. Grace was a Certified Financial Planner for 29 years, representing Thrivent Financial in Sturgeon Bay. She has, or is currently, serving on a number of boards, including the United Way, Sunshine House, Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran, the Sturgeon Bay Noon Rotary, the Door Community Auditorium and the Door County Community Foundation. She cares very deeply about creating a strong community in which everyone can thrive and looks forward to serving the Ridges. Grace was appointed to the board in 2020 to complete the term of a resigning director.