Conference Presenters

Kathryn Berger

is a seasoned leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing economic and community development throughout Southeastern Wiscon-sin, with a strong track record in historic preservation. Most recently, she served as Interim President and CEO of the Wisconsin Eco-nomic Development Association (WEDA), guiding its strategic vision and overseeing the transition to new leadership. Prior to WEDA, Kathryn led marketing and regional development at CG Schmidt, Inc., where she was involved in historic preservation projects, and at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), she administered state historic tax credits that leveraged over $845 million for historic redevelopment.

Tricia Canady

grew up in Appleton and attended the University of Wisconsin, receiving both her BA and MA there. As a graduate student, she wandered into the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) looking for a work-study job and was put to work writing National Register of Historic Places nominations for state facilities. Her fate was sealed.

In 1995, she and her husband, Dave, moved to Boise, Idaho, where she worked as the Boise City Historic Preservation Planner for 5 years, then went to the Idaho SHPO in 2000. There, she served as the National Register Coordinator for several years, then Outreach Historian and Deputy SHPO, and since 2018, as SHPO Director. In these various roles, she worked directly with all of SHPO’s core programs at one time or another, including: National Register, Section 106, Certified Local Governments, His-toric Tax Credits, and historic preservation planning. She joined the Wisconsin SHPO on September 8 of this year.

She and Dave have two adult daughters and couldn’t be more pleased to be back in their home state of Wisconsin. (Well, maybe they’d be more pleased if the state wasn’t just struck by a polar vortex.)

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 on the WAHPC Board. 

Cyndy Hubbard

Chair of the Viroqua Historic Preservation Commission (VHPC), was born and raised in Viroqua. She graduated from the University of MN with a degree in Music Education, spent eight years in the USAF followed by twelve years with FedEx. She returned to her hometown after 30 years to raise her daughter and help care for her aging parents. Cyndy has served on the Viroqua City Council since 2010 and has been on the VHPC since 2011. She has always been interested in history, and what we can learn from our ancestors and what they left behind. Cyndy is proud of what historic preservation commissions are accomplishing and sees the work as a wonderful gift to our descendants. 

Nicole Matson

serves as Executive Director of the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society and brings with her to the organization a bachelor’s degree in business, education, and psychology from SUNY Albany. Born and raised on Long Island in New York, she moved to Wisconsin in 2010 and has called Sturgeon Bay home since 2015. Prior to serving the SBHS, Nicole used her experience in planning, communication, and coordination to help other Door County non-profit organizations to fulfill their missions. 

Cody Schreck

received his master’s degree in public history, museum studies, and non-profit management from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to joining the Ephraim Historical Foundation, he worked at several institutions in the Milwaukee area, including the Milwaukee County Historical Society, Milwaukee Public Museum, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Currently, Cody volunteers as a member of the Village of Ephraim Historic Preservation Commission, as Past President of the Wisconsin Council for Local History, and Vice President of the Wisconsin Federation of Museums.

Jason Tish

is the Certified Local Government (CLG) & Preservation Education Coordinator for the State Historic Preservation Office and the SHPO Advisor to WAHPC. He began his career in cultural resources as a field archaeologist for the National Forest Service in South Dakota, and then evaluating historic Army Reserve properties in the Great Lakes region for the Department of Defense. He earned a Master’s degree in 2008 in Planning and Landscape Architecture from UW-Madison and studied architecture history, landscape design history, and federal historic preservation policies. He has worked in the public and private sectors as a specialist in historic preservation policies and practices. Jason has also been an advocate for historic places as the Executive Director of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation, and as a self-employed consultant.

Tamara Thomsen

serves as a maritime archaeologist within the Maritime Preservation and Archaeology program at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Through her extensive research of shipwrecks and other underwater sites including ancient canoes, she has successfully facilitated the inclusion of over 80 underwater archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Her contributions to maritime archaeology have earned her recognition from several organizations, including the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society. In 2014, she achieved the honor of induction into the Women Divers Hall of Fame, and in 2026 she was named a Fellow National of The Explorers Club and recognized by the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Luminary Award, highlighting her significant impact in the field of underwater research and preservation.