Board of Directors

Joel Weitz
Owner, President, & PGA Professional, Vitense Golfland
Board Position: Chair
Joel, the owner and president of Vitense Golfland, a family-based recreation business since 1955, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 1996, he has been a member of the Professional Golfers' Association of America, and in 2005 he was recognized as the Wisconsin PGA's Golf Professional of the Year. Joel presently serves on the Board of the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau and on the Pastoral Council of Our Lady Queen of Peach Church.

William Haight
President, Magna Publications / In Business Magazine
Board Position: Immediate Past Chair
Bill, a native of Madison, is founder and president of Magna Publications, Inc., a producer of periodicals and conferences for higher education institutions. In 1988, Magna acquired the business magazine, In Business. Bill also serves as a member of the Mendota Gridiron Board. In 2001, Bill received the Madison Advertising Federation's Silver Medal Award for "Lifetime contributions to the field of advertising" Bill enjoys his home on Lake Mendota with his wife, Nancy, and their three children, Will, Vicki and Ginny.

Jim Bradley
President, Home Savings Bank
Board Position: Treasurer
Jim is a native of Madison, having earned a Bachelors of Business Administration degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jim is very active in several community-based initiatives, and is an acknowledged leader in several efforts associated with Madison's strong eco-friendly culture. He is a board member of Downtown Madison, Inc., Sustain Dane, Center for Resilient Cities, and National W Club. Jim has served as Race Director of Crazylegs Classic for over 20 years, and enjoys biking around the picturesque and rolling hills of Dane County. He and his wife Libby have three children and live in Madison.

Jeanette Riechers
Owner, Cornblooms & Madison Sole
Board Position: Vice Chair
After earning a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication at UW-Madison, Jeanette spent over a decade at a Madison publishing company as the editor of a monthly magazine circulated nationally to restaurant owners and operators. She then joined a Madison-based advertising and public relations agency where, as vice president and associate director-public relations, she worked with a variety of national clients. In 1999, she and her husband, Larry, purchased the long-established Madison shoe store, Cornblooms, located at Hilldale Shopping Center. Two years later, they opened a second shoe store, Heartland Birkenstock, located on Madison's famed State Street. Their son David attends UW-Madison, and son Michael is a student at Madison East High School.

Board Position: Secretary
Bob is a native of Burlington, WI and received a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts from UW-Madison. Prior to taking the newly created position at the MCF, Bob served as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. His volunteer activities include the Parkwood Hills Neighborhood Association, Walbridge School, American Red Cross, and Rotary Club of Madison Foundation Board of Directors. Bob has served as past president of Rotary Club of Madison and has been named to In Business Magazine's Top 40 Under 40 list. He has attended the Leadership Greater Madison and Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management (Harvard Business School) leadership programs. Bob lives in Madison with his wife, Lisa and their two sons Phillip and Peter.

Deb Archer, CDME
President & CEO, GMCVB
Board Position: President & CEO
Since April of 1995, Deb has been at the helm of the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau. Deb previously held the positions of VP of Convention Sales at the GMCVB, Associate Director of Sales at the CVB of Greater Kansas City and CEO of the Park City, Utah Chamber of Commerce/Convention & Visitors Bureau. Deb's professional affiliations include PCMA, WSAE and ASAE. Deb is also a member of DMAI and serves on its Board of Directors. She currently chairs the Governor's Council on Tourism and is also an Instructor of Destination Management at Madison Area Technical College. Deb holds a B.A. degree in Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management from Michigan State University. Community activities include Rotary, TEMPO-Madison and serving on the board of the Black Hawk Council of Girl Scouts. A native of Libertyville, Illinois, Deb is actively involved with her church and enjoys walking and spending time with her family - husband Dean, VP Meetings & Special Events at CUNA, and daughter Jenna.

Jennifer Alexander
President, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce & Thrive
Jennifer Alexander was named President of Thrive in January 2007.  She continues in her role as President of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, a post she began in January 2004.  Prior to these roles, Alexander was appointed and subsequently reappointed Secretary of the Department of Workforce Development by Governor Tommy Thompson and subsequently reappointed by the McCallum administration.  In this role, she successfully managed an agency of 2300 employees and a $2.1 billion biennial budget.  Prior to this cabinet post, Alexander was Division Administrator of Technology Management, where she was responsible for management of the statewide telecommunications network as well as technology planning and development.  Alexander was also a founding partner of Alexander, Wegner & Associates, a management consulting firm focusing on workforce issues, economic development and government reform.  Their clients included organizations like the University of Wisconsin System and Deloitte Consulting.  Prior to her leadership positions with the State of Wisconsin and business roles, Alexander was a teacher and principal in the West Bend School District.
 

Paula Bonner
President / CEO, Wisconsin Alumni Association
Paula Bonner was born in Sumter, South Carolina and attended both the Unviersity of North Carolina - Greensboro and the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  Bonner is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Council of Alumni Association Executives, and TEMPO.  She serves on the boards of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, Wisconsin Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the Big Ten Alumni Association.  Bonner has been awarded with the Madison Civic Club Pioneer Award and as a CAAE Forman Fellow.  She enjoys visual arts, theater, cooking, and spending time with her partner, Ann.

Eliot Butler
President, The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company
Eliot Butler is president of The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company, was born and raised in Great Neck, NY, graduating from Vassar College with a BA in Psychology. Eliot moved to Fort Myers, FL to work in a new brewery/restaurant where a college friend, Rob LoBreglio, had been named Head Brewer. The two decided to open their own brewpub in Madison, WI, worked in local restaurants while he developed a business plan, looked at potential locations and attempted to raise money for his own business. In November 1994, The Great Dane Pub opened, with Eliot as company president. 1996, The Great Dane expanded, adding a pool hall and increasing brewing capacity. Since that time, The Great Dane Pub has opened locations in Fitchburg, at Hilldale in Madison, a fourth location in Wausau, WI and, in 2010, the fifth location opened on Madison's eastside. The original Great Dane has been called "the quintessential brewpub in the nation" by the editor of American Brewer Magazine and is in the top 10 of U.S. brewpubs in brewery production. Eliot served as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Madison Children's Museum Board of Directors from 2005-2010. He was a UW Hillel board member from 2005-2010, and continues to advise the Board's Food Service Committee. Eliot remains committed to increasing The Great Dane's involvement with community nonprofit organizations and charities, specifically those that aid young people in the Madison area.

Mark Clarke
General Manager, World Dairy Expo
Clarke, a life long native of Wisconsin, received his B.S. degree in animal science from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. Following graduation from UW- River Falls, Clarke owned and operated his own business as an Independent Sales and Marketing Representative for ABS Global. He joined Pharming Health Care in July 1999 as Operations manager of Vienna Pharms, a transgenic cloning cattle facility near De Forest, Wisconsin. There he started up and managed a first of its' kind cattle facility which raises animals that will produce biopharmaceutical drugs for human use from the milk of the cloned transgenic animals. In 2004, Clarke moved into the equipment side of the dairy industry by assuming a position of product manager of milk harvest equipment for BouMatic. In addition to milking equipment, Clarke also served as trade show manager. In fall of 2007 Clarke took over as General Manager of World Dairy Expo in Madison WI. Here he oversees the daily operations of the largest dairy cattle and exhibit show in the world. 

Mark Clear
District 19 Council Member, City of Madison Common Council
Board Position: Appointee, City of Madison Common Council

Justin Doherty
Associate Athletic Director, UW-Madison
Board Position: Appointee, UW-Madison Athletic Department
Justin has been with Badger athletics since 1994 and is currently a member of the department's senior staff. He oversees several external units, as well as serving as the sport administrator for the men's and women's soccer programs and the men's basketball program. Justin's career has included stops at Northern Michigan University and the University of North Dakota, as well as media relations roles at the NCAA Final Four, Frozen Four, numerous bowl games and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He is the author of four books about Badger football, and has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State and a M.A. in journalism from UW-Madison. Justin has been on the Board of Directors of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) since 2003-04, and served as president in 2009-10. A native of Southfield, Mich., Justin enjoys reading and playing hockey. He and his wife, Martha, have a daughter, Erin.

Dave Florin
President/Partner, Hiebing
As president of Hiebing, an integrated marketing and brand development firm, for the past 10 years, Dave keeps clients on the front edge in target-market-led communications. His professional passion is Hiebing's commitment to brand strategy and creative excellence for clients like Culver's, Schneider National, Kwik Trip, Kerry Products, Adidas/TaylorMade, American Family Insurance, Dean Health System, Famous Footwear, Coca-Cola and General Motors. Dave teaches marketing planning at University of Wisconsin and has been an invited speaker for national organizations like the National Retail Federation, the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association and the Investment Council Institute. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Dave served eight years as a Board member for the Wisconsin Alumni Association and was named chairman in 2012. An avid reader, Dave also enjoys the great outdoors with his wife and three daughters-and anything Wisconsin Badger-related.

Greg Frank
Managing Partner, Food Fight Restaurant Group
Greg Frank is a graduate of UW-Stout with a B.S. in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He was founder, owner and operator of Madison's The Radical Rye from 1989-2000. Greg joined FoodFight in 2007, which has grown to include and currently operate 17 area restaurant and catering businesses including Johnny Delmonico's, The Coopers Tavern, Fresco and the Eldorado Grill. He is a member of Downtown Madison Rotary, a board member of the Madison Central Business Improvement District and Madison Festivals, Inc., and is also a member of the Downtown Coordinating Committee. Greg lives in Madison with his wife Jayme and has been a resident of the city since moving here with his family at age six. He enjoys running, biking, dining out and travel.

Dianne Hesselbein
District 9 Supervisor, Dane County Board
Board Position: Appointee, Dane County Board of Supervisors

Lynn Hobbie
Senior Vice President, Madison Gas & Electric
Lynn is a Senior Vice President at Madison Gas and Electric Company. MGE is an investorpowned utility in Wisconsin that serves the Madison and Dane County communities. Her responsibilities include marketing, energy efficiency and conservation programs, renewable energy programs, new products and services, corporate communications, and economic development. Lynn has worked at MGE for over 20 years. She has a Bachelor's degree in History and a Master's degree in Land Resources, both from the University of Wisconsin. She is a graduate of the Energy Analysis and Policy program. 

George Kamperschroer
President & Managing Partner, Neider & Boucher, SC
George is a business lawyer in a Madison law firm, helping people start up and deal with the issues that a business faces. A major part of his practice is helping people start up or buy or sell businesses. George is an (almost) lifelong resident of Madison and has seen a lot of changes over the 50+ years he has been here. He went to the UW-Madison for both his undergrad work (BA in Political Science) and his law degree. In addition to being a lawyer, George is a CPA. George actively participates in the community, and currently serves on the boards (and numerous committees) of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Meriter Hospital and Habitat for Humanity of Dane County. He also is a member of United Way's Housing in Action Leadership Team, and is on the Madison Police and Fire Commission. George is particularly proud of the fact that he was on the Board and Vice President of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra when it started the Concerts on the Square in the mid 1980s. George and his wife Julie have three grown children, two sons living in Minneapolis and a daughter in Madison. George is a part time photographer, concentrating mostly on urban images. He also enjoys golfing and biking (in that order).

Lalia Rach
Founder & Partner, Rach Enterprises
Rach, former divisional dean and professor of the NYU Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, recently returned to teaching full-time, conducting research, and mentoring students at the Tisch Center. Prior to working at NYU-SCPS, Rach served as dean of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management and professor of hospitality studies at the University of New Haven (CT). Rach has authored numerous articles and chapters on customer service, hotel sales and marketing, and consumer demographics, and delivered keynote speeches and seminars on a variety of consumer issues and perspectives. She serves as a board member for NYC & Company (Convention & Visitors Bureau), New York City Academy of Travel and Tourism, New York Society of Association Executives, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (Americas), and the World Association for Hospitality and Tourism Training. She is also a member of the Travel Business Roundtable, Industry Real Estate Finance Advisory Council (IREFAC), the Women's Forum Inc., the Women in Lodging Council, and the New York Hospitality Council. Rach holds a B.S. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University.

Jason Salus
General Manager - Quality Inn & Suites/Candlewood Suites/Tuscany Mediterranean Grill
Board Position: Appointee, Greater Madison Hotel & Lodging Association
For more than 15 years, Jason Salus has worked in Madison-area hotel/facilities management, and holds a Certificate in Hotel Administration. After six years of board service for the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association, he recently stepped down to serve as current president of the Greater Madison chapter. An advocate and volunteer for Madison NFPs that serve children, Jason is the current President of Red Caboose Day Care of Madison. He is a raconteur, a bartender, a cinephile and a terrible golfer. Jason and his wife, Renee Moe, live on the North side of Madison, and have two young children, Nick and Nora.

Ruth Shelly
Executive Director, Madison Children's Museum
Ruth, a native of Milwaukee and graduate of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has held leadership positions in museums across the country since 1976. She has served as executive director of Madison Children's Museum since 2003, and led the organization through expansion to its new home on Capitol Square. The museum employs more than 50 people and serves more than 200,000 visitors annually, with a strong commitment to featuring local talent and products in its exhibits and programs. Ruth also serves on boards of the Rotary Club of Madison Foundation, Downtown Madison Inc., and the national Association of Children's Museums. She enjoys singing in Madison Symphony Chorus, supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and traveling with her husband Kevin and her teenage daughter Maggie.

Susan Springman
Mullins Group
Springman's career has spanned executive level positions in the non-profit, private and public sectors. Her first position as a legislative assistant in the Wisconsin State Senate piqued her interest in how public policy decisions impacted business and real estate decisions leading her to become the Executive Director of the Central Madison Council (now named Downtown Madison, Inc) during its formative years in the late 1970's. Later she was Mayor Skornicka's business liaison working with local developers and businesses on issues within the City of Madison. Her career in real estate development included a 14 year career as Vice President of Development & Leasing with the Munz Corporation, owning her own real estate consulting business, serving as President of Executive Management Inc. and an appointment by former Governor Tommy Thompson as an Administrator for the agency that managed the State of Wisconsin's real estate leasing and building management portfolio. Recently, Springman joined the Mullins Group to assist them with their extensive downtown real estate portfolio.

Vince Sweeney
Vice Chancellor for University Relations, UW-Madison - Chancellor's Office
Board Position: Appointee, UW Athletics
In Vince's capacity as an Associate Athletic Director, he manages the department's branding and revenue-generating components, including marketing and promotions, ticketing, fund raising and development, multi-media rights and corporate sponsorships. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, Sweeney is a past board member for the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators. He also has served as a member of the NCAA's subcommittee on Basketball Marketing and as consulting editor for Collegiate Sports Marketing. A native Madisonian, Vince graduated from UW-Madison with a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications. He and his wife Sharon have two daughters, Kelsey and Keara.

Jeff Tyler
Vice President & Market Manager, Clear Channel Radio 
Jeff Tyler is the Vice President and Market Manager for Clear Channel Media + Entertainment's six-station cluster in Madison, Wisconsin (WIBA FM, WZEE FM, WMAD FM, WXXM FM, WIBA AM, WTSO AM) Milwaukee, Wisconsin (WMIL FM, WRIT FM, WKKV FM, WRNW FM, WISN AM, WOKY AM).  Jeff began his career in radio in 1976 over summer breaks during school.  Working on an AM Top 40 station (in those days you had to work on FM until you were good enough to work on AM!) Coming through the on-air side, Jeff was an air personality (disc jockey) and programmed stations in formats from CHR, Rock... to News/Talk and Sports in Appleton, Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as stops in Detroit, Michigan and Houston, Texas.  He moved into the sales and marketing side as a GSM in 1994 and was tapped as the Manager for the Madison cluster by then owner, Capstar Broadcasting, in 1997, which morphed into ownership by AM/FM, Inc. which merged into Clear Channel. Jeff was named the Market Manager of the Milwaukee station in November of 2009.  Jeff is married to the love of his life with five great children, three grandchildren, a collie named Tucker, a Harley and a sense of humor. He is extremely competitive, loves to win! Along with serving on the GMCVB Board, Jeff is on the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and the Board of Directors of the NFL Alumni Association-Madison Chapter. He also finds time as an Assistant High School Boys Basketball coach at Waunakee High School. 

Jack von Rutenberg
Co-Owner, Von Rutenberg Ventures
Jack is a native of Madison and is a graduate of the University of Iowa. His 40-plus years in the hospitality industry includes managing (with his brothers Bill and Robert) the company's many successful businesses, which include Mariner's Inn, Nau-Ti-Gal, Captain Bill's, Betty Lou Cruises, and Westport Marine. Jack is a member of WRA (Wisconsin Restaurant Association) and NRA (National Restaurant Association). His hobbies are all water sports, snow skiing and snowboarding, and any of his kid's activities. Jack's wife is Tammy and their children are Jeremy, Jordan and Marina.

Steve Zanoni
General Manager, The Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor's Club
Stephen Zanoni is the General Manager of The Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor's Club and CEO of Burwell Hotels whose hotel portfolio includes the Silvertree Hotel in Snowmass/Aspen Colorado. He is a Madison native who has been a leader in Madison's convention and tourism marketing for over 20 years. Stephen previously served as the VP of Sales & Marketing for The Madison Concourse Hotel while working for Burwell Hotels, Larkin hotels and Marcus Hotels. His community leadership includes serving on the boards for the WI Innkeepers Assn Madison Chapter, the Wisconsin Restaurant Assn Madison Chapter, Executive Board for the NFLA Association of Madison, the Madison Symphony and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. He has previously chaired the GMCVB's Convention Marketing Committee and was a longtime member of State of Wisconsin, Governor's Convention Marketing Committee. Stephen enjoys biking, running, skiing and many other outdoor activities. He and his wife Dawn have one son, Zach.