MARCH 2019 BACC NEWSLETTER
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The Bay Area Community Council is the leading organization in engaging community leaders in understanding and shaping the future of the greater Green Bay area.
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President's Letter, Fr. Paul Demuth
I remember a lesson someone wiser than myself taught me long ago:
“
If you are in conflict with a person or group that has a very different interpretation than yours about life or one of its principles, don’t begin a dialogue by going directly after the conflicting position. Rather begin by trying to establish a relationship. Speak about topics that are safe and common to each of you or work together on a mutually agreeable project. Then you can move to speaking about and acting on the more contentious issue.”
It’s called BUILDING TRUST.
At a recent Bay Area Community Council Board meeting, we had an example of this process. Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach, Oneida Nation Tribal Chairman Tehassi Hill, and Oneida Nation Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Melinda Danforth spoke to our group. We were all aware of the sometimes contentious relationship that has taken place among area governments, especially regarding payment of fees in lieu of property taxes removed from properties purchased by the Oneida Nation as part of their endeavor to reclaim reservation acreage. Yes, this topic was addressed, but not at first. Instead they shared with us the mutual respect that each had for the other, both personally and as community leaders. They spoke about the common goals they had for making our community a better place to live and work in our shared territories. They discussed the varied but mutual cooperation that already exists in employment, health care and education. You didn’t feel tension between them — even in the midst of thorny issues. Rather, we sensed common hopes for the future of the Oneida Nation and Brown County.
Isn’t this the better way for all of our many forms of government, education, nonprofits and business entities to proceed? I believe that there is a renewed sense among leaders of our area to develop cooperative stances rather than “divide and conquer.” It is said that all politics is local; perhaps our common goal is rather to be a shining example for state and federal governments of a political arena where people dialogue, build trust, and work together for the common good.
P.S.
Beginning soon, BACC aims to post Q and A from Green Bay mayoral candidates on our
Facebook page
. Click on this
link
and "follow" and "like" our page now so you don't miss it!
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Know your BACC Director: Dave Wegge
Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you were raised, past and current professions and careers, how long you have lived in Brown County, and some of your favorite pass times
I was born and raised in a small town in northwestern Minnesota, Thief River Falls, population of about 8,000. If you are a John Cougar Mellencamp fan, his songs “Small Town” and “Cherry Bomb” capture life in a small town pretty well. My roots are blue-collar and rural. In high school I played hockey and golf; they continue to be strong interests of mine today.
After high school, I attended Northland Community College and then the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) graduating in 1970, majoring in political science and journalism. I met my wife Susan at UMD and we were married in July 1970. I entered the US Air Force (USAF) three days after our wedding and served until 1974. In the USAF, I served as a Technical Instructor in the School of Health Care Sciences at Shepherd Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.
While in the USAF, I received my master’s degree in political science at Midwestern State University. I received my Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1978. I taught one year at University of Wisconsin Parkside and joined the St. Norbert College faculty in August of 1979.
St. Norbert has been a place for me to grow in so many ways. In 1983, I started the St. Norbert College Survey Center and served as the Director until 1998. In 1998, while still on the faculty, I started a research consulting business, Wegge Strategic Research (WSR), and continue to run this business today. In 2009, St. Norbert College outsourced the Survey Center to my consulting business and rebranded the Survey Center into the St. Norbert College Strategic Research Institute (SRI) in 2011.
I retired from the Faculty in May of 2014 and was named Professor Emeritus. In 2015, I returned to the SRI at the College and stayed on in a part-time capacity until October of 2016. In 2017, President Tom Kunkel asked if I would step in as the Interim Dean of the Schneider School of Business & Economics after the founding Dean became the President of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have served in this role from May 2017 to the present. When a new Dean is named at the Schneider School, likely by this summer, I will have retired three times for the College. My brother-in-law says I am a failure at retirement.
I must say I had no grand plan for my life following high school. Looking back on my life I see that someone was clearly guiding me and presenting me with a series of doors. In most cases, the doors were opened for me and it was my decision to walk through or to close the door. I mostly walked through. I have always been a bit of a risk taker and willing to take measured chances.
I have been fortunate to be called to take leadership roles in many different organizations. I served on the Board of Directors for the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) for eleven years and served as the Chair of the Board for three years. More recently, I was asked to step in as the Interim Dean of the Schneider School of Business & Economics at SNC. In each of these leadership roles I have learned a great deal. In 2020 I will take a lead role in the BACC.
On a personal side my wife Sue and I have been married for 49 years and have two wonderful children. Our daughter Kristine is an orchestra director in the East De Pere School system and very active in the music community. She has two sons, Lawson (11) and Duncan (9). Her husband Dan is a guitar instructor. Our two grandsons are very involved in De Pere Hockey and the performing arts. I am an avid St. Norbert College hockey fan and Sue and I have attended all 12 Frozen Four St. Norbert College championships. Our son Jon lives in Houston, Texas and is a professional bass musician. He manages a band, The Royal Dukes, and plays with various jazz artists in Houston. Jon’s wife, Jackie, is a plastic surgeon.
Health issues are near and dear to my heart. Our family has a congenital kidney condition, polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Sue had a kidney transplant 20 years ago, Kristine had her transplant 6 years ago and Jon had his transplant 18 months ago. So please promote organ donation; it is truly the gift of life.
Describe your relationship to the BACC—when did you start on the BACC, what are your hopes for the BACC, what personal gifts do you bring to the BACC mission?
I was involved with the BACC when it was first formed in 1990. At that time, we created the Brown County Quality of Life study which has since has transitioned into the LIFE Study. I served on the BACC Board for several years and was involved in a number of the “white paper” reports that were created.
My personal vision for the BACC is that it will continue to play a significant role in moving our community forward. I believe that this means that we need to get every community leader thinking strategically about the future. Changes are coming at us in such a rapid pace these days and if we are not focused on the future we will be left behind. My goal is to play a small role in helping the BACC achieve its vision.
What do you like most about life in Brown County?
The greater Green Bay area offers a high quality of life. We have great educational systems at all levels, excellent health care, a strong economic base with creative business leaders who are committed to our communities and a community minded “can-do” spirit. I really like being in a community in which I know I am able to have an impact!
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MARCH 14 BACC Board meeting
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The Northland Hotel welcomed the BACC Board to sample the new hotel for its monthly meeting. Several BACC representatives toured the hotel after the meeting.
Dave Wegge outlined the April through July foresight analysis training that Board members will receive from Garry Golden. Golden's presentations will be delivered livestream; St. Norbert College has gracefully offered its conference space for the Board training. The four month training, including outside readings and exercises, will help the Board crystallize the brand image of the BACC and enable Board members to become more proficient in foresight analysis. The Board is thankful to Nicolet National Bank for its support of this training.
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach, Oneida Nation Chair Tehassi Hill, and Oneida Nation Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Melinda Danforth delivered a panel presentation on trends, successes, and challenges in intergovernmental relations. The panelists noted that cooperation between the County and Nation is a win/win situation and based on partnerships, relationships, and trust.
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Applying foresight analysis to greater Green Bay's history, present, and future
BACC Director Natalie Bomstad provides the second installation to a six month series by BACC directors connecting forecast analysis to our community's history, present, and future well being.
There is a post-it on the bulletin board next to my desk. It reads “Innovation: Allowing strategy to evolve, pivoting when needed, and having the courage to explore new frontiers.” When I think about my role as Executive Director of Wello, a community initiative to equitably improve health and well-being in Greater Green Bay, and the work of the BACC’s foresight analysis workshop, I think about this definition. Here’s why.
I had the opportunity to join the BACC’s first foresight analysis cohort in the fall of 2018. Our 11 member cohort group learned how to integrate and embed foresight tools into our organizations. This experience ushered in a new way of thinking about how to capture signals of change and utilize them to build better strategy, make more informed decisions, and develop sustainability. As a result, Wello has created a new Board committee that focuses on long range planning that utilizes foresight analysis methodology as we think about the future of well being in greater Green Bay and beyond.
Allow Strategy to Evolve: So what is the future of well being? To answer this question, we must be willing to give up our long held assumptions of what creates health and well being and focus on the root causes of healthy people and communities. National research combined with local experiences have shown the importance of place and community engagement’s strong association with health and well being. As a result, our strategies on how and where we take action have evolved to incorporate more direct community engagement.
Pivot When Needed: At Wello, we believe in setting a direction and testing it, a process often referred to as continuous improvement or PDSA cycles (plan-do-study-act). Wello established the Well-Being Influencer Network (WIN), a free, community focused, place based well being team, after hearing there was a community need for a place to unite around a sense of purpose to improve well being in Greater Green Bay. This was a pivot from previous methods that focused on passive rather than active community engagement.
Courage to Explore New Frontiers: To prepare for our well being future, we need to find avenues to activate and empower those most affected in the development of local solutions through effective, data driven interventions. Personalized technology based platforms have the ability to democratize data, build community advocates, and pinpoint areas in most need and are exactly what Wello is looking to implement in Greater Green Bay. This new frontier will require courage and long term commitment.
Foresight analysis helps to put some structure around the sphere of uncertainty that is the future. Integrating these tools into Wello’s strategy allows for representative community voices to be heard in the development of solutions and ensures that our community conditions make it easier for children, families, businesses, and our community to thrive today and into the future.
Favorite resources and news you can use
Recent news stories, articles, books, videos, Websites or venues of interest to the BACC supporters and newsletter readers, recommend by the BACC staff and directors. Also community events of interest to the BACC supporters
Final Candidates Forum for Green Bay Mayor
Wednesday, March 27
6 pm-7:30 pm
Auditorium, Central Branch of Brown County Library
Sponsored by League of Women Voters of Greater Green Bay
Public invited by Environment Committee, League of Women Voters Green Bay
Saturday, March 30
Central Branch, Brown County Library, Lower Level, Rooms 1-2
1 pm--visit information tables of local conservation organizations
1:30 pm--documentary viewing of
Oceans: The Mystery of the Missing Planet
2:30 pm
--Mark Walter, Brown County Port Resource and Recovery Administrator, addresses local recycling issues.
A Time for Action: School Funding Report Forum
Thursday, April 4
6:30 pm-8 pm
Auditorium, Central Branch of Brown County Library
Sponsored by League of Women Voters of Greater Green Bay
Brown County Start Smart Breakfast
Friday, April 5
7 am-9 am
Rock Garden, 1951 Bond St., Green Bay
This is event is intended to bring together early childhood educators, program administrators, students, healthcare professionals, business professionals, local and state representatives, community volunteers, and all advocates for early childhood. Click
here for more information and to register.
Nan Nelson, Board Secretary of the BACC, was recognized by the
Green Bay Press Gazette and Volunteer Center of Brown County as
Volunteer of the Week earlier this month.
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Why exactly does Green Bay need saving? Because it suffers from too much phosphorus, which contributes to cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae.
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