Kaleth Wright, retired Air Force leader, joins WPS Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

Kaleth Wright, retired Air Force leader, joins WPS Board of Directors

MADISON, Wis.—Jan. 5, 2021—Kaleth O. Wright, a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force with extensive experience in human resources, project management, and leadership development, has been elected to the Board of Directors of Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation, doing business as WPS Health Solutions.

Wright currently is Chief Executive Officer of the Air Force Aid Society (AFAS), which is the official charity of the Air Force. AFAS provides emergency financial assistance, educational support, and community programs. He oversees an annual budget of $20 million and manages an endowment of more than $140 million.

Before retiring from the Air Force, Wright was the 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, serving as senior advisor to the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force on issues affecting more than 600,000 Total Force Airmen. Two of his highest priorities were Airmen resiliency and readiness. He enlisted in the Air Force in March 1989 and served in various dental roles early in his military career. His overseas deployments included Afghanistan, Germany, South Korea, and Japan.

Wright, who lives in Chantilly, Va., is a highly regarded executive coach and professional speaker, having delivered more than 200 keynote speeches around the globe. He has extensive experience in international leadership and development, including leadership programs for 17 partner nations. He also has experience in legislative affairs, working with Congress to enhance quality-of-life policies and programs for service members and their families.

Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Maryland (Global Campus) and a Master of Business of Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. He studied executive leadership at such distinguished programs as the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government’s Center for Public Leadership, Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business, Howard University’s School of Business, as well as the Center for Creative Leadership and the National Defense University.

“I look forward to my role on the WPS Board of Directors, especially because my experience looking out for the welfare of Airmen and their families intersects with WPS’ important work with the TRICARE program, serving military members, their families, and retirees,” Wright said.

About WPS Health Solutions

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation utilizes “WPS Health Solutions” to refer to our entire enterprise. Within our enterprise, there are three divisions, including Government Health Administrators, Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. WPS Government Health Administrators manages Medicare Part A and Part B benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and WPS Military and Veterans Health serves millions of members of the U.S. military and their families through TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation has been based in Madison, Wis., for nearly 75 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

DeWitt Promotes J. Wesley Webendorfer to Partner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 1, 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle M. Friedman
mmf@dewittllp.com / 262-754-2877

DeWitt Promotes J. Wesley Webendorfer to Partner

MADISON | MILWAUKEE | MINNEAPOLIS – DeWitt LLP today announced the promotion of attorney J. Wesley Webendorfer to Partner status.  Webendorfer joined the firm in 2013.

Webendorfer is a Partner in the environmental and government relations practice groups. His practice is dedicated to guiding manufacturers, developers and the food and agriculture industries through their interactions, negotiations, and disputes with the government to achieve successful outcomes. His practice has a particular emphasis on environmental remediation, local land use regulation and water issues.

At the state level, Webendorfer defends clients facing enforcement actions and litigates appeals for clients who receive adverse decisions from administrative agencies. Nationally, he works with manufacturers, landowners, the paper and pulp industry, and other businesses to enforce their rights under national environmental laws including CERCLA, RCRA, and the Clean Water Act.

Webendorfer earned his J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Marquette University.   He is admitted to practice in Wisconsin and has been recognized as InBusiness Madison’s “Professional of the Week” (2019), as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by the Wisconsin Law Journal (2018) and received a State Bar of Wisconsin Certificate of Commendation for Writing Excellence in its Wisconsin Lawyer publication (2017).

He is a resident of Madison, Wisconsin.

About DeWitt

DeWitt LLP was founded in 1903 and is one of the ten largest law firms based in Wisconsin, with an additional presence in Minnesota. It has nearly 140 attorneys practicing in Madison and Metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, in a variety of legal areas and has the experience to service clients of all scopes and sizes. The firm is known for its work in several areas, including intellectual property, patents, trademarks and copyright law, construction litigation, corporate law, employment, environmental, employee benefits, estate planning, family business, family law, government relations, health care, litigation, real estate, and tax law.  More information is available at dewittllp.com.

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DeWitt Elects Scherer to its Executive Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 28, 2020

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle M. Friedman
mmf@dewittllp.com / 262-754-2877

DeWitt Elects Scherer to its Executive Committee

MADISON | MILWAUKEE | MINNEAPOLIS – DeWitt LLP announced it has elected Christopher M. Scherer to its Executive Committee effective January 1, 2021.  The role of DeWitt’s Executive Committee is to oversee and hold accountable the firm’s management team, including the President and Managing Partner.   This includes providing feedback and opinions about the management team’s sustainability and growth strategies, operational plans, budgets, financial performance, and risk assessments. 

About Scherer

Scherer, who joined DeWitt in 2016, is the Co-Chair of DeWitt’s IP Group. His domestic and international practice involves all facets of IP law, especially patent and trademark prosecution. In particular, he is skilled in electrical and electronic circuits and systems, computer software, medical devices, medical patient monitoring and treatment technology, device fabrication, optical devices and systems, and mechanical devices. Scherer also serves as In-House Corporate Counsel for a Kenosha-based manufacturing company.

His clients include universities, small and large corporations, privately held businesses, and foreign law firms. He is actively involved in the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) and serves on its International Standing Committee on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).  He is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the IP and Technology Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin, and is a past President of the Wisconsin IP Law Association (WIPLA).  He is also a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), and the American Bar Association (ABA). 

Scherer, who earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois – Chicago’s John Marshall Law School, and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Marquette University, is a prolific speaker having given dozens of presentations to a variety of groups on the topic of IP law, and served as an adjunct professor in the Marquette University College of Engineering, where he created and taught an IP management course for graduate students. He has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and in the international IP publications IAM1000 and IP Stars.  He is admitted to practice in Wisconsin and Illinois.  Scherer is a resident of Muskego.

About DeWitt

DeWitt LLP was founded in 1903 and is one of the ten largest law firms based in Wisconsin, with an additional presence in Minnesota. It has nearly 140 attorneys practicing in Madison and Metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, in a variety of legal areas and has the experience to service clients of all scopes and sizes. The firm is known for its work in several areas, including intellectual property, patents, trademarks and copyright law, construction litigation, corporate law, employment, environmental, employee benefits, estate planning, family business, family law, government relations, health care, litigation, real estate, and tax law.  More information is available at dewittllp.com.

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Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools: Opening for Marketing & Events Coordinator

Incorporated in 2001, the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that focuses exclusively on delivering support to the Madison Metropolitan School District’s 50 public schools; more than 5,000 staff; and 27,000 plus students. During its existence, the Foundation has delivered more than $23.5 million in resources to Madison’s public schools.

The Foundation now seeks a Marketing & Events Coordinator, who will be responsible for providing tactical support to promote the Foundation’s many programs and services. The Marketing & Events Coordinator will also be the primary contact for our annual Circle of Friends event and our 20th anniversary yearlong celebration. This position reports to the Executive Director, who will determine priorities and assignments.

See the full job posting here.

M3 Insurance: Matt Cranney Named Executive Vice President of Small Business Division, Rebecca Menefee Named Vice President of Small Business Division

Matt Cranney has been promoted to executive vice president of M3’s small business division and a member of the executive operating committee at M3 Insurance, effective December 1, 2020. In this new role, Cranney is responsible for the overall direction, strategy, long-term planning and performance of M3’s small business, private client group, individual health & Medicare areas.

Cranney joined M3 in 2005 and in that time has served in a variety of client services leadership roles, most recently vice president of insurance operations & brokerage services since July, 2016. For more than 15 years, he has demonstrated his passion, commitment and knowledge of property & casualty, employee benefits and small business. His strategic insight and knowledge of our operations will be significant in his overall leadership of the small business area.

Becky Menefee has been promoted to vice president of M3’s small business division, effective December 1, 2020. In this role she provides sales leadership and employee development support, executing on various strategies to grow and retain M3’s small business, private client group, individual health & Medicare client base.

Menefee joined M3 as an employee benefits sales manager in 2016, and was promoted to director in October, 2018. She has worked extensively in the employee benefits small market segment, inclusive of both individual health and Medicare. Menefee’s leadership in sales and her focus on organic growth will be instrumental in the success of M3’s small business division.

M3’s evolving leadership structure represents continued agency growth and a commitment to building a strong infrastructure from which to serve M3’s clients while remaining independent and privately owned.

About M3

M3 is a top 50 insurance broker and risk management firm in America. We’re leaders in the products we represent and the industries we serve. M3’s people are an extension of your team, providing world-class resources to help you manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide employee benefits. And our focus on community builds better places to live and work.