Board of Directors Bios/Terms

Mary Emery

President and co-founder of the Waukesha Preservation Alliance. She has more than 25 years of experience in preservation advocacy. A few of the projects she spearheaded were the expansion of the McCall Street Historic District, getting historic district overlay zoning on the books and implemented in the McCall Street Historic District, and saving a block of houses on Wright Street from demolition. She is currently leading the efforts to save the Moor Mud Baths from demolition. She has received the John Schoenknecht Spirit of Preservation Award from the City of Waukesha three times for her preservation efforts. She does consulting on historic preservation tax credit projects and historic preservation and restoration projects. Term expires in 2026.

Vickie Schnitzler

Genealogist and local historian for over 35 years.  She has served as president, program chairperson, and newsletter editor for the Marshfield Area Genealogy Group in Marshfield (Wood County), of which she has been a member since 1984 when the group started.  Vickie and her husband, Don, were instrumental in writing and collecting information for two history books for the city of Marshfield, “The Marshfield Story, Piecing Together Our Past” and “The Marshfield Story, Windows to Our Past.” Vickie and Don received numerous awards for their work and research on the Marshfield History Project, “The Wisconsin Main Street Award” (1997) and “Volunteer of the Year Award” from the City of Marshfield (1997).  She also is responsible for the QR Codes of Historic Marshfield project.  Vickie currently serves as the president for the Marshfield Area Genealogy Group and was past-president of the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society for 7 years.  She also is serving on the City of Marshfield’s Historic Preservation Committee she where continues working on the city’s Historic District brochure series and other historical projects. Vickie Schnitzler serves as Board Secretary. Term expires 2025.

RUTH Hermanson

Ruth has served on the Columbus Historic Landmarks and Preservation Commission since 2016, first as Vice-Chair and currently serving as Chair. Ruth loves writing poetry and recently wrote a poem to encourage the City Council to help preserve the Dingee/Smith Farm at the entrance to Columbus. She grew up hearing her mother speak of the efforts of Jackie Kennedy preserving the Grand Central Station in New York City and neighbors getting involved, trying to preserve the old buildings in Columbus. Ruth and her family have made a lifetime commitment to restoring older homes in Columbus. They restored her Grandmother’s home, a 1917 Prairie Mission Style Home, which was featured 2 times in the Columbus Tour of Homes by Columbus Historic Landmarks & Preservation Commission. She currently lives in a 1957 Mid-Century Better Homes & Garden home in the Historic Mid-Century Modern Neighborhood in Columbus; the CHLPC received an honor for being one of the first Mid-Century Modern Neighborhoods in the State of WI. Ruth and her family own & operate a masonry restoration company. Term expires in 2026.

Shirley Brabender Mattox

Member of the Oshkosh Landmarks Commission for fifteen years and currently serves as chair. She previously served on the WAHPC Board until 2012. In 1998 she became a member of the Monumental Brass Society and serves as the American treasurer. Shirley served on the Grand Opera House Advisory Board and the Foundation, having worked on the referendum and utilization committee to restore the building. She is also a member of the Winnebago County Historical and Archeological Society and the Oshkosh Public Museum. After she retired from teaching, she served three terms on the Oshkosh City Council. Term expires 2027.

Matt Sadowski, MUP, AICP

Retired staff to Racine’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, has been employed in township, county, city, and regional planning for 31 years working for organizations and communities such as Racine County, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, the Village (Town) of Mt. Pleasant, the City of Muskego, and since 1999 the City of Racine. As part of his past duties with Racine, Matt was staff to Racine’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. During his career, Matt has written and administered 9 design and preservation codes and ordinances. Term expires in 2025.

Wm. Jason Flatt, P.E

Licensed professional engineer, educator, and a historic preservation generalist whose credentials meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Architectural History. He holds a B.S. in naval architecture & marine engineering and an M.S. in ocean technology from The Webb Institute of Naval Architecture and an M.A. in historic preservation from Goucher College. He served for more than twelve years in various positions at Marinette Marine Corp., culminating as chief naval architect. Jason has been a member of the City of Marinette Historic Preservation Commission since 2003, and is a consultant to the City of Green Bay Landmarks Commission, serving as Green Bay’s Historic Preservation Specialist. He is a founding member of Fairchild & Flatt, an engineering and historic preservation consulting firm in Marinette, Wisconsin. Jason Flatt serves as Board President. Term expires in 2026.

Gene Hackbarth

Retired, is the past president of WAHPC. He serves on the WAHPC board, on the board of the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation, and on the board of the Brown County Trust for Historic Preservation. He is a member of the De Pere Historic Preservation Commission, the De Pere Main Street Program’s Design Committee, and is a past president of the Heritage Hill State Historical Park corporate board. After nine years as a retail business owner/manager, Gene served as executive director of economic development for the City of Whitewater and executive director of De Pere’s Main Street Program. Gene Hackbarth serves as Board Vice President. Term expires in 2027.

Lisa Pauly Lefeber

Vice President of Operations at Destination Lake Winnebago Region and has been there for over thirty years.  Her interest in Heritage Tourism began in 1986 with the City of Fond du Lac Sesquicentennial Celebration supporting several committees and playing a main part in the re-enactment show.  She has served as a committee member of the Taylor Park Pavilion Restoration and an integral part of “Fond du Lac’s Talking Houses and Historic Places” tour.  She serves as the Chair of the City of Fond du Lac Historic Preservation Commission, Former Chair of the Downtown Architectural Review Board, and President & Curator of the Fond du Lac County Historical Society.  She was awarded Friend of Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership in 2015.  Her re-enactment days included Civil War, Rendezvous, and Society for Creative Anachronism.   Lisa Lefeber serves as Board Treasurer. Term Expires 2027.

Jennifer Lehrke, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB

Jennifer L. Lehrke founded Legacy Architecture, Inc. in 2011. She has a broad range of historic preservation experience in a variety of project types. Her award-winning historic preservation work ranges from a $10 million theatre restoration to numerous small storefronts. In addition to project status reporting, supervision of project team, and oversight from project conception to completion, Jennifer’s responsibilities include marketing, design, technical development, specification and report writing and editing, and construction contract administration. Jennifer meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards in the fields of Architecture, Historic Architecture, and Architectural History and attends annual Wisconsin Historical Society Historic Preservation Consultant Training Workshops to maintain her status as a qualified historic preservation. Term Expires 2027.

Garry Prohaska

Resides in Platteville, Wisconsin, and is the owner of Landmark Restoration LLC., a licensed contractor in the State of Wisconsin, specializing in historic preservation, restoration and consulting services for both residential and commercial applications. He volunteered for a newly formed Platteville Historic Preservation Commission, upon its inception in 1997, where he served for 16 years. His formal education was at the UW- Platteville with a Degree in Construction Management and Design and a minor in Art and History. He also attended UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture, City and Urban Planning. After his formal education, he was employed as a Construction Inspector and Housing Specialist, East Central Intergovernmental Association, overseeing five counties in Iowa for inspection and rehabilitation. Term expires 2025.

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