Size of Board Doubled from Six to Twelve at September Meeting
Common Cause Wisconsin (CC/WI), the state’s largest nonpartisan democracy citizens advocacy organization, with nearly 10,000 members and activists in every county and corner of Wisconsin, added six new members to its advisory board at its September 10th quarterly meeting in Madison. The advisory board now numbers 12 members and is chaired by former Wisconsin State Rep. Penny Bernard Schaber of Appleton.
Elected were:
· Cindy Carter, also from Appleton who is a long-time citizen activist and has been involved in numerous organizations and causes over the years including the Fair Maps Coalition, the League of Women Voters, Citizen Action, the Fox Valley Area Labor Council (currently serving as Secretary), Alliance for Retired Americans and many other groups including more than a dozen environmental and wildlife organizations. She brings multiple connections to CC/WI and is well versed in many different issues.
“I believe in the mission of Common Cause Wisconsin and have been an active participant in democracy since as long as I can remember,” Carter said. “I have always been one to fight for the underdog,” she added.
· Ann Groves Lloyd of Lodi currently serves as the nonpartisan mayor of the city of Lodi, a position she has held since 2020. She served as an Alderperson in Lodi for five years prior to being elected Mayor and she was also a candidate for the Wisconsin Assembly in 2018. Groves Lloyd was a petitioner in the successful gerrymander lawsuit that brought fair state legislative maps to Wisconsin in early 2024. She received her BS, MS and PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she then served as Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs in the College of Letters and Science there. She is involved in many civic organizations including the Lodi Library Board and Lodi Optimists Club, the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras and others.
Groves Lloyd’s passion is working on grass roots advocacy for her community and Wisconsin and supporting the work Common Cause is a natural fit. “I am honored to be serving on the Common Cause Wisconsin Advisory Board and I look forward to working on non-partisan reforms to improve our democracy,” she said.
· Peter Igel of Mequon is a retired sales and marketing representative for various healthcare, manufacturing and corporate entities. A native of St. Louis, Igel has resided with his family in Mequon for over 30 years and had been very active in the community as a youth sports coach, referee, scheduler and trainer as well as a volunteer at the Mequon Nature Preserve and Riveredge Nature Center, and as a stream flow monitor for the Wisconsin DNR. He serves as an election official both as a poll worker and a special voting deputy.
· Mary Ann Phalen of Middleton is a long-time member and strong supporter of CC/WI and has served in a variety of professional capacities throughout Wisconsin, Chicago and in Montana including developing a pilot outreach program for the USDA as a liaison serving Native American farmers and ranchers. She also worked in the Renewable Energy Department for the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corps which held the state contract for the “Focus on Energy” program. A Madison-area native and UW-Madison graduate, Phalen has been active in many community and democracy organizations including the local food movement, the Fair Maps Coalition and other democracy and fair election groups and initiatives.
“I am concerned about safeguarding fair access to the ballot, supporting a free press and working toward common sense gun laws,” Phalen said about her decision to join the CC/WI board. “If I have the means, the values and the time, I feel I have the responsibility to contribute and act by serving on the Common Cause Wisconsin board,” she added.
· Wendy Sue Johnson of Eau Claire currently serves as a nonpartisan Eau Claire County Court Commissioner. An attorney, she has practiced family law. She served on the board of the Eau Claire Family Resource Center and volunteered for the Afghan asylum seekers back in 2021. She has taught in high school including coaching dance teams and founding a local dance studio. Johnson was one of the original “Whitford plaintiffs” back in 2018 challenging the gerrymandered Wisconsin state legislative maps. Johnson also ran for the Wisconsin Assembly in a gerrymandered district in 2018.
“I am interested in joining the CC/WI Board because I value community service but am prevented from engaging in partisan activity by judicial ethics rules,” Johnson said. “During this critical time in our nation, I want to join others to promote ethical, responsible, democratic government,” Johnson added.
· Mark Unak of Milwaukee is an economist who consults on labor, education and investment trends for public policy and university organizations. A Yale University undergraduate and University of Chicago PhD in economics, Unak has worked for many well-known corporations and banks including AT&T and in developing AI for Google Maps and other applications. He also consults on labor, education and investment trends for public policy and university organizations.
“In these turbulent times, economic issues in Wisconsin surrounding labor, insurance, banking, and telecom are even more important given the chaos and uncertainty due to climate change, rapid automation using AI, and the large changes in demand for agricultural products and their resulting effects on rural areas,” Unak said. “These are all issues that I see Common Cause needing to address with actionable recommendations for the common person,” he concluded.
The six new board members join the current six CC/WI State Advisory Board members; Penny Bernard Schaber of Appleton, Mary Lynne Donohue of Sheboygan, Kristin Hansen of Waukesha, E. Michael McCann of Pewaukee, Calvin Potter of Sheboygan Falls and Wanda Sloan of Beloit.
If you would be interested in serving on the CC/WI State Advisory Board, please let us know and we will be happy to put you in touch with our Chair to discuss this opportunity for civic involvement and service with you.
All best.
Jay Heck, Executive Director, Common Cause Wisconsin
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152 Johnson St, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
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