Board of Directors
Our board of directors represents all of Wisconsin's special lakes. We recognize that Wisconsin is a diverse place, and local management needs vary across the state.
Each board member is assigned an area of Wisconsin (see map in right column) to better represent you and your lake at the Wisconsin Association of Lakes.
Our board members live on lakes in the areas they represent, and we invite you to contact your regional representatives. Invite them to your local meetings, let them know what is working on your lake, and keep them informed.
Note: spaces are inserted before and after the @ sign in e-mail addresses to prevent spam.
Earl Cook—President
Earl L Cook resides on the shore of Bass-Patterson Lake in Washburn County. He is the President of the Bass-Patterson Lake Association; Director and past Vice-President of the Washburn County Lakes and Rivers Association; and President, past Vice President, and Director of the Wisconsin Association of Lakes. Earl is the Citizen Lake Monitor for Bass-Patterson Lake.
He is regularly involved in town and county activities serving as the Town of Bass Lake's Plan Commission Chair. In that role, he guided the development and adoption of the Town's Comprehensive Plan. Earl has also works closely with the County Zoning Department, Zoning Committee, and Board of Adjustment as an advocate for the 964 lakes in Washburn County. In his county activities, he has served on several county committees addressing the Zoning Ordinance, Shoreland Zoning, and strategic planning. He has served as a member of the Organizing Committee of the Northwest Wisconsin Lakes Conference for the last 6 years and participated regularly in the annual Wisconsin Lakes Conference.
Earl is a graduate of the Lake Leaders Institute, Crew IV, served on the NR115 Advisory Committee, and several other state-wide committees. As a member of WAL's Legal and Legislative Committee, Earl closely follows and advocates for state legislation that promotes the protection and well-being of Wisconsin's water resources.
Contact Earl:
715-766-3702
elcook @ interserv.com
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Sandy Gillum—Vice President
Sandy Gillum is the former Director of Education and Past President of Vilas County Lakes Association. As a representative of that association, she participated in the development of shoreland zoning in Vilas County and led the association in elevating significant lake issues to statewide concern. Sandy has served on the LoonWatch Advisory Council of Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College in Ashland. She is an ecologist, a graduate of Lake Leaders Institute Crew VII and the WI Shoreland Restoration training program. She designed and supervised a number of shoreline restorations in Vilas, Oneida, Forest, and Florence counties and has published research on the habitat values of natural shorelines. In 2008, Sandy received the Wisconsin Shoreland Stewardship Award. She lives on Anvil Lake, in Vilas County and currently serves as Chairman of Town of Washington Water Resource Committee.
“To insure a legacy of clean, healthy lakes in Wisconsin requires a personal stewardship commitment by all citizens. It is a privilege to contribute to WI Lakes programs that foster a level of stewardship that advocates sound policies and stewardship decisions that benefit our lakes.”
Contact Sandy:
715-479-6051
ssgillum @ nnex.net
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Jim Horn—Treasurer
Contact Jim:
608.347.4470
jimhorn @ tds.net
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Mary Knipper—Secretary
I grew up on the East Coast, going to the beach every summer day, and when I moved to the Midwest, I thought I could never enjoy lake living...this is one time it felt great to be proven wrong!
Each season on our lake is full of surprises and new experiences, and being able to share this with our children and visitors allows us to see it through fresh eyes time and time again. My husband and I are committed to doing our part to pass this wonderful legacy on to our family, and working to protect lakes gives us an opportunity to meet and work with others who share our love and respect for the waters of Wisconsin. I recognize that the issues facing our local lakes are not unique, and that it will take a statewide effort to address these concerns and promote good environmental policies that will ensure that the generations to come will benefit by the decisions we make now.
The Wisconsin Association of Lakes works on behalf of all lake advocates, has the power to effect policy, and be the collective voice that we need. Education plays a vital role in protecting our waters, and I know that I can count on WAL to provide that statewide outreach.
Contact Mary:
262-728-6662
knipper @ pensys.com
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Paul Dearlove—Southern Region
Since 1998, Paul has directed the activities of the Lake Ripley Management District (Jefferson County, WI) as its Lake and Watershed Manager. His responsibilities include developing and implementing resource management plans and District operating budgets, supervising weed-harvesting and lake-monitoring programs, overseeing the design and installation of watershed Best Management Practices, conducting lake research, and leading the restoration of a 167-acre wetland preserve. He just recently directed the completion of a 13-year "Priority Watershed Project" funded through the Wisconsin Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement Program.
Paul is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received his M.S. degree in Water Resources Management with a focus on limnology and watershed planning. He is also a Crew VI graduate of the Wisconsin Lake Leaders Institute. In addition to serving on the Wisconsin Lakes board since early 2010, Paul has been active on the board of the Friends of Lake Wingra. He lives in Madison with his wife, Andrea, and 8-year-old son, Joshua.
Contact Paul:
608.238.3761
pddearlove
@ sbcglobal.net
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Chris Jeffords—Northern Region
When I was about 9 years old my father drove our family to a vacation spot all the way from central Illinois to a southern Wisconsin lake. Our week’s activities included swimming until we swallowed plenty of lake water, rowing our wooden boat in circles til we got sore, and catching enough crappies to hook me on fishing for the rest of my life. Life on the lake was in my blood.
While fishing is the usual excuse I use to get out on the water, truth is it has fallen quite far down the list of priorities from those early days. Yes I still enjoy catching dinner, but other “diversions” have become more enjoyable. Hearing a loon cry calling for a mate, watching the ducklings frantically paddling to keep up with their mother, and seeing the heron awkwardly trying to land on it’s nest high up in the trees are just a small sample of a day on a healthy lake that have made their way up my list. What about the occasional deer getting an afternoon drink, the eagle soaring high in the early morning wind currents and the splashing tail of the very upset beaver? They all are important to me. They help me connect to the natural world. Even more important, I would like to be able to see these sights and sounds passed on to future generations. Of the over 15,000 lakes in Wisconsin, how many thousands of others have the same feelings about Wisconsin lakes?
This is where WAL comes in. What other organization has state wide influence in lake protection? Who is it that speaks on behalf the lakes for future generations? Without this loud voice, where would our lakes be?
WAL has done so much for us all. Education has begun the change process via seminars, conventions, emails, literature, press releases and more. Networking with other interested individuals and associations to share ideas, successes and failures at the regional and state conventions seminars helps us continually improve our effectiveness. And lobbying to implement new policies and practices as we learn those things that will benefit our precious lakes’ resource is an activity central to the cause. With much already done, there is much yet to do.
Contact Chris
715.945.3085
hunterwi @ indianheadtel.net
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Derek Kavanaugh—Northeast Region
Derek grew up in the lake-rich region of Northern Minnesota. A graduate of UW-Stevens Point, he currently works for the Green Lake County Land Conservation Department, where his duties are split between the watershed and lakes programs, and where he also serves as the County's Invasive Species Coordinator. Derek established a Lakes and Rivers Program in 2003, and has continually grown and expanded the program each year.
Contact Derek:
920.295.6950
dkavanaugh @ co.green-lake.wi.us
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Carol LeBreck—West Central Region
I was born and grew up in Berwyn, IL but was fortunate to have spent summers at a family cabin in Wauconda, IL, where I learned to swim, fish, catch frogs and turtles, and "fall in love with nature". Every one of my Dad's two-week vacations from Western Electric was spent in a small one-room cabin on Bony Lake (part of the Eau Claire Chain) in Barnes, WI, Bayfield County. In those early days, the road beyond Hayward was sand, and every mile was an adventure if there had been rain during the preceding days. When the car door finally opened by the lakeside resort cabin, it was the smell of the pines that told us we were "back in the northwoods"…and it was the "call of the loons" that confirmed that this was a very special place.
For over 60 years I have been spending time on Bony Lake, 33 of those as a property owner. I have watched the changes take place on the area lakes and on the environment in general. Without serious efforts to control development, not just on the shorelines but within the entire watershed areas of the lakes, and to wisely manage recreational use of the lakes, we will surely push them beyond their "tipping points". Once lost, these unique resources will not be "retrievable". Far too many of our decisions are based on short-term financial gains of individuals or government entities without sufficient study and awareness of the long-term effects of these decisions on our natural resources. It is time to reverse this dangerous trend.
Contact Carol:
715.425.6904
carol.k.lebreck @ uwrf.edu
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Mary Van de Kamp Nohl— Southeast Region
Mary spent her summers at her family's summer lake cottage, and now is a lakeshore homeowner in Waukesha County. She brings 30 years of experience in print journalism to the Wisconsin Lakes Board, including several years as senior editor of Milwaukee Magazine. In addition to her passion for Wisconsin's lakes, her interests include gardening, antiques, art, reading, hiking and public affairs.
Contact Mary:
920.474.3582
mary.nohl @ gmail.com
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Dave Pozorski—Northeastern Region
Dave is a graduate of the Lake Leader Institute. He is an active participant in the Manitowoc County Lakes Association and the Committee Chairman of the Silver Lake Park Restoration Committee. His lake interests include invasive species, shoreline restoration, water usage issues, and increasing public participation in lake organizations.
Upon being introduced to the Wisconsin Association of Lakes, I was really impressed with the fact of the joint effort between the Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and the fellowship between lake districts, associations, and interested individuals all working together to maintain or clean up our states lakes. This process has worked through personal contacts for questions and problems, conventions, educational workshops, and demonstration sites. "
Contact Dave:
920.758.2314
posorski3 @ lakefield.net
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Allen Rosenthal—Northeastern Region
Al lives on Buffalo Lake in Marquette County, and served on the Buffalo Lake P&R District Board for 6 years as treasurer. He assisted in the forming of the Marquette County Lakes Association, and presently serves as secretary. “My interest in being on the Wisconsin Lakes Board of Directors is because our lakes in Wisconsin are our biggest asset, and must be maintained and preserved, and I feel this Board can be a true advocate for our lakes.”
Contact Al:
608.589.5036
allen.carolyn @ maqs.net
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Paul Schumacher—Northeastern Region
One of the treasures of Wisconsin are the abundant, clean, fresh-water lakes, and the ground and surface waters which recharge these lakes. Protection of these treasures is vital to the strength of our economy and vital to the natural systems which sustain our health.
The Wisconsin Association of Lakes is a primary steward of Wisconsin Lakes, bringing together other partners such as the DNR and University System and other key stakeholders. Through the strength of these partnerships we meet the challenges of sustainable use of these natural treasures.
Contact Paul:
262.692.2423
spaulsdoor @ aol.com
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Northern WL region
Northeastern WL region 
West Central WL region
Southern WL region 
Southeastern WL region 
