Board of Directors:
Officers:
Other Members:
Pete Cerniglia, President
Peter Cerniglia, of Cross Plains, Wisconsin, USA, was elected to serve a two-year term as a Director of The International Association of Lions Clubs at the association's 84th International Convention, held in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, July 2-July 6, 2001. Past Director Cerniglia is a retired building construction superintendent. A member of the Cross Plains Lions Club since 1978, with perfect attendance, Past Director Cerniglia has held many offices within the association, including Club Charter President, Zone Chair and District Governor. In addition, he served as District Sight Conservation, Diabetes, Eyebank and Children's Vision Screening Chair and State Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) Chair. He has also served on the USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum planning committee and on several district and multiple district committees.
Terry Peters, First Vice President
Mr. Peters is employed as a Distribution manager at printer Quad Graphics. He has been a member of the Allenton Lions club since 1987. He served as District Governor in 2005-06 and Council Chair 2007-08 and was on the WI Lions Foundation Board from 1998-2004. He is a Melvin Jones, Birch-Sturm and Knight of Sight recipient. Terry also serves on the City of Hartford's Zoning Board of appeals. He and his wife Laura live in Hartford with sons Alex, Nick & Jack.
Tom King, Second Vice President
Tom King is a Madison native who owns and manages properties in Madison, Stevens Point, and Marshfield. Retired from the U.S. Army Reserves and self-employed since 1972, Mr. King has volunteered with several youth organizations. He has been an Oxford Lion since 1994. Tom is married, and enjoys training horses.
R.F. (Dick) Hauser, Secretary
Dick Hauser is a committed Lion who believes that he has gained more from being a Lion than he has given. He operates his own business, Neptune Enterprises. Dick and his wife, Mary, have two children and two grandchildren.
His Lions work started when he helped start a Lions Club in the U.P. of Michigan (District 10) and became a Charter member. He currently is a member of two Clubs, Richland Center and Ithaca, of which he is Past President. Dick has been involved in the District and a member of the 27-D2 Cabinet for many years. He has served as District Governor in 05-06, and was the State Council Chair in 06-07. Dick's service now includes District Extension Co-chairman, our Representative on the State Convention Committee, and Director on the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin Board.
Michael Tiber, Treasurer
Mr. Tiber is a retired Director of the Iowa County Department of Social Services and Past President of the Hodan Center & Wisconsin County Human Service Association. He is a member of the Dodgeville Lions Club since 1977 and has served as President and Secretary. He is a Melvin Jones Fellow and Knight of Sight recipient and served as District Governor 1993-1994. Mr. Tiber is also a member of the Dodgeville Lioness Club since 1995. He owns and operates Military Ridge Bicycle Repair since 1988. He is active in his church and other community activities. He is married to Lioness Carolyn and has three children and five grandchildren.
Stan Carlson, Immediate Past President
Stan Carlson is a native of Chicago, Illinois. After serving in the US Armed Forces, he completed his post graduate degree at the UW School of Banking. He retired in 2001 after a successful career as a trust officer, financial advisor and investment portfolio manager. Mr. Carlson has been a Lion since 1968, and has held every club office and served as chairman of several committees. He has also volunteered with many other community groups. Stan is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, and flea markets. He and his wife Liz, who is also a Lion, have two children and three grandsons.
Neal Barney, M.D., Medical Director
Dr. Barney is a graduate of the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton. He completed his Ophthalmology residency in Detroit. Dr Barney joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 1992. His clinical practice focus is the care of patients with ocular immunology and cornea and external eye diseases, and he serves as a reviewer for numerous journals. Dr. Barney has spoken nationally and internationally regarding his research.
Chris Croasdale, M.D., Associate Medical Director
Dr. Croasdale is both a refractive surgeon and corneal transplant specialist. He shares his expertise as Assistant Clinical Professor and the Assistant Director of the Corneal Transplant and Refractive Surgery Fellowship program at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Croasdale also has a passion for international public health and blindness prevention, and has served in Nigeria, Philippines and India.
Gary Brummeyer
Lion Gary is from Menomonie where he has been a member of the Menomonie Lions Club for 24 years. He and his wife Kay have 2 grown children. He is a Melvin Jones and Birch-Sturm Fellow, has been active in his own club and the community, and has served on the Dist. 27-E2 cabinet at various positions for 14 years.
Janice Burke, Ph.D.
Dr. Janice Burke is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She received her doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts and conducted studies at the University of Washington and the University of Arizona before coming to Wisconsin in 1982. Her laboratory conducts research using human donor eye tissue obtained through the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin to study aging changes in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Dr. Burke's research complements genetic studies of macular degeneration done by others, which may help explain how genes and the passage of time work together to cause age-related vision loss.
Barry Busby
Barry Busby is the Coroner for Winnebago County, WI. Before becoming a coroner, he spent 29 years with the Oshkosh Police Department, retiring as a sergeant. Busby is also a certified Medical Death Investigator through St. Louis University.
Loretta Ewelt
Loretta Ewelt retired from the Fort McCoy Resource Management Office in 2006 as a Financial Manager. She is a member of the Norwalk Lioness Club (since 1978) and has served as President, Vice President, Secretary, and is currently the Treasurer since 2000. She is a Melvin Jones Fellow and was awarded a Gift of Sight in 2009. Loretta has also served as Affiliated District President for 27-D2 in 1993-1994 and 2007-2008, and is also serving as the Lioness Ambassador for Pride for District 27-D2. She is also active at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Sparta and serves as Treasurer to the Council of Catholic Women since 2008. She enjoys reading and quilting, and belongs to several quilting groups.
Wayne Heiman
A member of the Manawa Lions Club since 1986, Lion Wayne Heiman was elected to serve a two-year term as a Director for our International Association of Lions Clubs at the Association's 88th International Convention held in Hong Kong June 27-July 1, 2005. He has held many offices within the association, including club president, region chair, zone chair, district membership chair, district LCIF chair, district governor, multiple district membership chair and multiple district council chair. Additionally he has served on the International Convention Elections Committee, as moderator at three USA/Canada Forums, as a co-presenter at a USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum, as a presenter at numerous meetings and conventions and in multiple positions at the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, including director. He is also currently the Multiple District LCIF Coordinator. In recognition of his service to the association Director Heiman has received numerous awards, including the International President's Certificate of Appreciation, the International President's Leadership Award, the International President's Presidential Medal and the Ambassador of Good Will Award. He is also a Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow and a Birch-Sturm Fellow. Lion Wayne is a Human Resources Manager by profession. He is a past member of the Waupaca Area Toastmasters. Lion Wayne was also a past Manawa City council alderman. He was previously a member of the Marion Jaycees. Director Heiman's wife, Cheryl, is also a Lion and Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow.
Richard "Dick" Helbach
Mr. Helbach is a semi-retired excavating contractor who represents District 27-B2. He is a Melvin Jones Fellow and a member of the Waupaca Lions Club since 1975. He has held all club offices except for Treasurer. He served as District Governor 2006-2007 and continues to serve as an Eye Transporter.
John Houck
Since beginning his career as a funeral director nearly 20 years ago, John has served several state and national groups, working to advance organ and tissue donation access and awareness within his profession. For several years, he was a Volunteer Enucleator for the LEBW. John is also an active volunteer in other community groups, as well as in his church. He is married with two children.
Phil Ingwell
Phillip J. Ingwell is a retired educator in Human Resource Management. A life member of the Madison (Central) Lions Club with perfect attendance since 1967, Mr. Ingwell has held many positions within the association. In addition to his Lion activities, he is active in numerous professional and community organizations. He and wife Betty have two children and two grandchildren.
Richard Koch
Rick Koch received his B.S. from Illinois State University. He is retired from Koch Bros. General Contractors, Inc., where he was part owner and served as Secretary-Treasurer. Rick joined the Ottawa Lions Club in 1992 where he was on the board of directors from 1993 to 2005, holding the office of President twice and serving on the District 1-K Cabinet for four years including two years as Zone Chair. He and his wife Lion Joyce Koch moved to Friendship, WI and transferred to the Roche-A-Cri Lions Club in the fall of 2005. Since then Rick has served on the Roche-A-Cri Lions Board of Directors, as the president of the Adams County LEBW Support Group since 2006, and on the 27-C1 District Cabinet serving in his second year as Zone Chair. He is an Illinois Foundation Fellow and a Birch Sturm Fellow. He is active in other community organizations including the Old Farmers Antique Club. Rick and his wife have two adult children. It is Rick's goal to serve the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin and promote eye tissue donation.
Steven Koenig, M.D.
Dr. Steven B. Koenig studied at Cornell University Medical College, and joined the faculty of the Eye Institute in 1983 following completion of specialized training in cornea and refractive surgery. He was promoted to Full Professor in 1988. His practice is limited to cataract, corneal and refractive surgery with a strong emphasis on laser vision correction, corneal transplantation, no-stitch corneal transplantation (DLEK), and no-stitch cataract surgery. Dr. Koenig has participated in the training of a number of his peers as one of the "Best Doctors in America."
Shirley Lemke
Shirley is a native of Medford, Wisconsin. She is a graduate of Medford Senior High and Stevens Point State University. She loves kids, school and books, so her time was spent as a Middle School Teacher and a Public Library Director. Building a new Medford Public Library to replace a very small Carnegie Building by helping raise approximately $2 million in 1998 was the highlight of Shirley's career. Shirley joined the Medford Lions in 2001 and is currently serving as 27-C2 District Governor. She has been active in her community serving on the Chamber of Commerce, Hospital & Library Foundations, County Library Board, Curling Club Board, Medford Bowling Association, Esadore Lake Association and the Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Network. She and her husband Dave, who is also a Lion, have 2 sons and 8 grandchildren.
George McCann, M.D.
T. Michael Nork, M.D.
Dr. Nork is an Associate Professor in the Department of Opthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on the mechanisms by which various ocular diseases affect the outer retina and how injury to the outer retina might, in turn, affect disease pathogenesis.
Rick Reesman
For 32 years, Rick has been a driving force in the Lions organization, and he has been transporting donor eye tissue to Madison for transplantation for 22 of those years. Rick is the dispatcher for eleven men in the area who have volunteered to be transporters on a rotating basis. In 2005, he received the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce Service Award. Rick is available to give talks about the Lions, the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin, and the eye tissue transplant program.
Pauline Schiferl, R.N.
Mrs. Schiferl received her nursing education at St. Joseph's School of Nursing, Marshfield, Wisconsin, and works at the Marshfield Clinic-Colby Abbotsford Center, in Colby, Wisconsin. She has been a Lion for 15 years. She has joined the medical mission (MHS) serving in the capacity as a nurse once a year for ten years. Pauline has joined her husband, Jim, also a Lion, on ten Lions Eye Glass missions to Mexico and chaired three Eye Glass missions to Honduras. She's an active volunteer and singer at her church. She has been married for 44 years and is a mother of four and a grandmother of eight.
Eldon Vrieze
As a charter member, for 42 years Mr. Vrieze has been a member of the Rice Lake Lions Club in District 27-E1. He has served in a variety of capacities during that time including club President, Secretary, Treasurer, and member of the Board of Directors. On the district level he has served as a Zone Chair, a Region Chair and as Vice District Governor with these offices culminating in the position of District Governor and State Council Chairman 2003-2004. From 2005-2008 Mr. Vrieze served as a sector-coordinator for the Campaign Sight First II campaign. Mr. Vrieze has participated in a number of USA/Canada Forums, state Leadership workshops and two International Conventions. He has recently completed a four-year term with his local Thrivent board, the last year of which he was the president. Mr. Vrieze is a retired technology education teacher with 34 years in the Rice Lake School District. His wife Nancy is also an educator and is semi-retired from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Rice Lake. The Vriezes have two married children who together with their spouses are all teachers who are very proud of their commitment to education and they cherish their four grandchildren.