Dr. Ashok Rai

Dr. Ashok Rai of Prevea Health chaired our 2020 campaign. We are so grateful for his tremendous leadership and support in making the campaign a success!

The Community Impact Award honors individuals or organizations demonstrating leadership and innovation while partnering with Brown County United Way to address community needs at a population level.

We are very pleased to honor four agencies with this award for 2020:

• Brown County Health and Human Services
• Brown County Emergency Management
• De Pere Health Department
• Oneida Nation Community Health Services

We celebrate these agency partners for their collective efforts to respond to the pandemic – and along with them, everyone on the front lines, across every sector in Brown County, who has come together to keep the community safe.

Chris Woleske

Brown County United Way is honored to be supported by individuals and companies from across our community and this next award recognizes one executive who has been visible in supporting, encouraging, and assisting in their company’s workplace campaign. This year we honor an individual who participates in campaign goals, provides employees with regular encouragement, and works with Employee Campaign Coordinators.

Our Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award honors a nonprofit-sector professional demonstrating extraordinary leadership, initiative, and management skills.

The 2020 award goes to Jeff Vande Leest, President and CEO of Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin. Jeff has committed his entire 45-year career to serving children and families, including the past 25 years at Family Services.

In their nomination, his executive leadership team described Jeff as the type of leader that so many dream of working for and with – “a motivator and mentor, a believer, an innovator, and one who empowers others to ‘think big’ in service to individuals, families, and the community.”

Procter & Gamble

The George F. Kress award honors an organization that has made outstanding contributions to Brown County and United Way through contributions and community involvement. This year’s winner stepped up in a big way, contributing to our Emergency Response Fund to support people adversely affected by COVID, growing their workplace campaign, and donating thousands of diapers to support struggling families in our community.

Green Bay Packers

Each year we give one organization our Meritorious Support award in recognition of their longstanding support and commitment to Brown County United Way. This year’s winner has been a cornerstone, not only in the work of United Way but in our community broadly. Their employees have served as campaign chairs and on our board of directors. This last year their support of the Brown County United Way Emergency Response Fund, plus their workplace campaign, added to their more than $1 million in lifetime support. And, their continued partnering with United Way has impacted thousands of Brown County youth through the Character Playbook program.

Meredith Hansen

This award honors a young professional who has made outstanding contributions to our community and Brown County United Way. Meredith remains a committee and hardworking member of Emerging Leaders Society. This is her second year in a row winning this award.

Brett Deccy

In a year where we had to rethink everything we knew about workplace campaigns when we couldn’t safely gather like we had in the past, it was easy to expect less employee engagement. But because of the hard work of Brett Deccy, Procter & Gamble grew the number of givers to its workplace by 43%.

Paul Wochinske

Paul represents the third generation of Brown County United Way supporters in his family. He has served on our Board of Directors in a variety of capacities and as the 2019 Co-Chair of our Annual Campaign with his father, Jim.

• Tricia Garrison: of NEW Water for her outstanding work organizing a special Emergency Response Fund workplace campaign in 2020, for promoting the heightened community needs due to COVID-19 and helping support the organization’s regular campaign.
• Renee Van Lanen: Because of her work with United Way workplace campaigns, her outside-the-box ideas, and her hard work as part of the WPS workplace campaign.
• Annika Osell: for her outstanding work with Emerging Leaders and for creating a new annual book drive with a local elementary school.
• Cullen Peltier and Bob Mayer: For their service and leadership as chair and vice-chair of our Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) board of directors.
• Jodi Nuthals-Mikulsky: For her many years of service on United Way committees, her commitment to trauma-informed practices, and her dedication to the families and children of our community.
• David Lasee: For his longstanding commitment and leadership as chair of our Systems Development Team and as a member of our Impact Initiatives Council.
• Patrick Parise and LaReina Tipping: For their commitment to excellence in working together with Brown County United Way to maintain our local 2-1-1 database of community resources.
• Kayla Branam: For her tremendous leadership and dedication to the community and for her service as Navarino Neighborhood Association President.
• Luul Adbi, Elizabeth Barrette, Jennifer Barrette, Brianna Cole, Michael Conley-Kuhagen, and Lola Skenandore-Wheelock: We recognize their tremendous contribution of sharing their life experiences to help uplift the voices of the people in our community who are ALICE. Thank you so much for coming forward and for being a voice of inspiration to us and to so many others!

Renita Robinson

For her outstanding work in fulfilling the mission of the YWCA in eliminating racism through timely and informative programming including the Stand Against Racism and Where We Live Series as well as supporting trauma-informed work of Brown County United Way, we are pleased to recognize Renita Robinson formerly the President and CEO of the YWCA and now the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for Prevea Health.