Mason Becker

Economic development director

Mason Becker serves as the Economic Development Director for the City of Whitewater. Prior to this role, he spent the previous two and a half years working for the City of Watertown as their Manager of Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives, where he also served as Executive Director of the Watertown Redevelopment Authority. Projects he worked on included Rock River Ridge, which includes a mix of owner-occupied and rental housing currently underway, and preparing the city for its 2028 Main Street reconstruction project. He also facilitated several grant and loan programs to assist new and expanding businesses. A native of Fort Atkinson, he served for 10 years on their city council, including three years as council president. During his time on the council, he advocated for and helped create an Economic Development Commission, as well as city acquisition of 75 acres of land for housing, currently underway. He is a graduate of UW-Whitewater and also graduated from UW Oshkosh with an MPA in 2023.

Thayer Coburn

Community development authority committee Member

Thayer Coburn is co-owner and Director of Operations of The Coburn Company, a manufacturer and wholesale distributor of dairy equipment and farm supplies located in the Whitewater Industrial Park.

A proud native of Whitewater, he has served the community in many capacities, including 12 years on the School Board and 2 years on the Community Development Authority.

Thayer lives in Whitewater with his wife and two children.

Elizabeth Thelen, M.S.

Executive Director Innovation Services and Community Engagement Center

As the Executive Director Innovation Services and Community Engagement Center, Elizabeth Thelen is a leader working at the intersection of technology, economic development and people. She has dedicated her career to connecting people, leading projects and organizations, and getting things done.  Elizabeth does this by building trusted relationships, strong networks and a passion for technology.  BDHS Consulting, AeroX Tech, The Water Council, HRDC, Slinger Speedway, Midwest Innovation Exchange are all organizations she has founded, co-founded or led.  

Thelen has a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and numerous certifications in teams, change, leadership, and entrepreneurship. She sits on a number of business advisory boards; including Secretary of Wisconsin Aerospace Advisory Board and Wisconsin Chapter leader of the national non-profit, Independent Women’s Network.  She has real world experience in technology projects, working with start-ups and researchers, organizing and leading teams, and leading businesses through change.  As an entrepreneur herself, Elizabeth has experience of what it takes to build a team, manage financials, inspire vision and implement for results.

Acting as president, vice president, director, network builder, coach, facilitator, or whatever title she has, Elizabeth brings energy, optimism and results to all her assignments. She has a core philosophy of asking people to take action, speaking up, and uses influence strategies to get real system change. She uses tools from advanced manufacturing, start-up processes, design thinking, behavioral science, system analysis and more to drive those results.