By Don Golembiewski

The Nominating Committee presents the following candidate slate of candidates for the election to be held at the May 9 Chapter meeting.

President: TBD
Vice President: Topf Wells (incumbent)
Treasurer: Marty Chiaro (see bio below)
Secretary: Henry Nehls-Lowe (incumbent)
State Council Delegate: Michael Williamson (incumbent)

Director positions:

• Jim Hess, one-year board member (Past President and Conservation Committee Chair)
• Dyan Lesnik, board member at large (see bio below)
• Don Golembiewski (incumbent)
• Kevin Maes (incumbent)

Marty Chiaro
I’ve lived in Wisconsin’s driftless area for the past 50 years and currently live in Sauk City. I am a recent retiree having worked at American Family Insurance for the last 17 years primarily serving in Treasury and other financial functions.

My primary interests in joining SWTU and serving as its Treasurer is to help it achieve its conservation goals in the Southern Wisconsin region, making new friends and some hands-on conservation work. I have previously focused my fishing pursuits on walleye in the Lower Wisconsin Riverway near Gotham. Having recently joined SWTU, I’m also looking forward to broadening my fishing skills to include trout fishing in Wisconsin’s trout streams.

Dyan Lesnik
I’ve been a member of SWTU since 2018, first becoming involved through the SWTU Vets on the Fly program with my husband. After we both retired from the military we had the chance to move back to my home state of Wisconsin, now both working for the VA. I grew up in the Milwaukee area, but my love of the Driftless Area is strong! While my husband is the fly fisherman and fly tier, my interest lies more with supporting SWTUs conservation and education mission.

My love of the outdoors and education in plant ecology, as well as being a Master Gardener drives my interest in wanting to do more within TU. I appreciate the link between all facets of the environment; water, plants, animals, soil and how they are all linked. Stream restoration, cold water stewardship and the love of the land has far-reaching benefits for everyone. Every workday I’ve participated in has been educational and a lot of hard work, but I’ve enjoyed every wet and muddy day! Attending the 2023 Driftless Area Stream Restoration Symposium makes me want to do that much more for this beautiful, unique part of the world.

There is still flexibility and opportunity to join the Board. The Nominating Committee, in particular, continues to reach out to a diverse range of potential candidates. Our need for a candidate who is willing to serve as president has become critical. If you or someone you know is interested in a role on the board, please contact Nominating Committee Chair Don Golembiewski or any other current member of the board.

The selection of officers and directors is a democratic process and will be decided by a majority of members present and voting.

At the May 9 meeting, the nominees or a member acting on their behalf will be given the opportunity to present any information relevant to their candidacy.

In addition to the nominees selected by the committee, the chapter bylaws provide that any member may make a nomination from the floor. For those positions with more than one candidate, secret ballots will be used.

MANY THANKS to Mark Maffit, Nick Jackson, Pat Hasburgh and Curt Reidl who have served our Chapter with great passion and talent and are now stepping off the Board.