Lisa Dawsey Smith

Common Council Representative

Lisa Dawsey Smith is currently a homeschool mom to her two daughters, volunteer Director of Downtown Whitewater, Inc., and a member of the Whitewater City Council. When her husband accepted a faculty position at UW-Whitewater in 2015, she absolutely fell in love with Whitewater. They couldn’t have asked for a better home for their family. Due to the knowledge Lisa amassed through operational management of large-scale/big-box retail companies, she feels positioned to strengthen her community.

Dr. Corey A. King

President & UW-Whitewater Chancellor

Dr. Corey A. King started as the 18th chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater on March 1st, 2023. A celebrated leader with three decades of higher education experience, King has held leadership roles in student affairs, student services, and enrollment management.

Before joining UW-Whitewater, King served as Vice Chancellor for Inclusivity and Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Prior, he was Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management at Florida Atlantic University and led the Council for Student Affairs of the State University System of Florida. King also held leadership positions at East Carolina University, Wheeling Jesuit University, and the University of Florida.

King earned a bachelor’s degree in curriculum and instruction and a master’s degree in higher education administration/student affairs from Florida State University. He earned a doctorate in educational administration and leadership from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth Thelen, M.S.

Whitewater University Technology Park and Community Engagement Center's Executive Director

As the Whitewater University Technology Park and Community Engagement Center's Executive Director, 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.

John Weidl

Vice President

CITY MANAGER

John Weidl is the current City Manager of the City of Whitewater and also a Town Supervisor for the Township of Lafayette, Wisconsin; residing in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. He has previously held the position of Village Administrator/Director of Economic Development, Mukwonago, Wisconsin; City Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer and Director of Public Works for the City of Princeton, Wisconsin; and Office of the Administrator for the Village of Lake Zurich, Illinois. He has been a Leadership Counselor for the Edward YMCA Camp in East Troy, Wisconsin and a Team Leader, Customer Service Director and Database Manager for the U.S. Air Force. John is a decorated United States Air Force (USAF) Combat Veteran with tours of duty in Europe and Middle East, including joint combat service with the United States Army. John holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/European History, also from Northern Illinois University.

Joseph A. Kromholz

Community Development Authority (CDA)

With over 26 years litigation experience, Joe has been involved in a large variety of intellectual property cases covering a wide variety of technology, ranging from refrigerants to the anti-carcinogenic features of certain plants. Joe has successfully helped clients enforce their patent rights as well as defend against charges of infringement.

Joseph A. Kromholz is one of the founding shareholders of Ryan Kromholz & Manion, S.C., located in Brookfield, Wisconsin. In addition to being a registered patent attorney, Joe is in charge of the firm’s litigation department.

Joe is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Wisconsin Association for Justice, the State Bar of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Intellectual Property Law Association. Joe is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Seventh Circuits. Joe received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Carroll College and law degree from Marquette University.

Dr. John Chenoweth

President

UW-Whitewater Interim Chancellor

Since 2015, John Chenoweth has served as the Dean of the College of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Prior to his promotion to Dean of the College of Business and Economics, Chenoweth served as the Associate Dean and was responsible for the administration and oversight of five master’s degree programs and one doctorate program enrolling more than 700 students. Chenoweth is a tenured faculty member in the Department of Information Technology and Supply Chain Management. Since arriving at UW-Whitewater in 2002, he has been an active member of the campus community and has served in many capacities.

Chenoweth received his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from East Tennessee State University, a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of South Dakota and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Augustana College

Dr. Paul Ambrose

Secretary & Treasurer

UW-WHITEWATER REPRESENTATIVE

Dr. Paul Ambrose is currently with the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater as an associate dean and professor in the College of Business and Economics. He has served as the chair of the ITSCM department. Prior to UW-Whitewater, he was an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. His educational background includes an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA with a dual specialization in Marketing and Information Systems, and a Ph.D., in Information Systems. He has worked several years in industry, in India and in Hong Kong, before he entered the world of academia in 1996.

Dr. Jeannine M. Rowe

Dr. Jeannine M. Rowe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Dr. Rowe is a social work scholar who teaches, mentors, and conducts community-based research.

In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in social work and aging, she serves as a research mentor and is actively involved in the University of Whitewater’s Undergraduate Research Program. As an applied researcher, Dr. Rowe works collaboratively with interprofessional teams to conduct intervention research and program evaluation in social work, health care, and aging.

Prior to pursuing her doctoral degree, Dr. Rowe spent almost a decade practicing as a licensed social worker in juvenile justice.  During her graduate studies, she shifted to aging and gerontology, which is still her area of focus today.  She remains active in social work practice by serving on community boards, acting as a consultant to social work and health care organizations, and conducting intervention research and program evaluation with organizations and communities.

Dr. Rowe holds a Ph.D. in Applied Gerontology, a Master’s Degree in Social Work from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Nevada-Reno.  Dr. Rowe is a National Academies of Practice (NAP) – Social Work Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) –Social Work Fellow and Hartford Social Work Doctoral Fellow. She is also a recipient of the Hartford Foundation’s Pre-Dissertation Program in Geriatric Social Work award.

David Scurlock

David has over 30 years of business experience in multiple aspects from sales, marketing, and product management to training and organizational development.

David’s recent experience as a learning and organizational development leader includes designing, developing and deployment of sales, management, and service training programs for organizations that range from small entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies. Specific expertise in curriculum development and deployment for senior leadership, managers, individual contributors, field operations, teams, and front-line employees.

David has established corporate universities based on enterprise needs assessments and designed and implemented programs and solutions that drive business results.

David’s experience includes working for IBM, Konica Business Machines, Culligan International, Sears, Staples and Johnson Controls.

David is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee. He has done post graduate work in project management at University Wisconsin Whitewater.

David’s family has owned a business The Sanctuary on Main Street in Whitewater for over 40 years. David’s mother-in-law Dr. Pernell Hewing is a retired professor in the business department of the University Wisconsin- Whitewater.

Dr. Carol Scovotti

UW-Whitewater Representative

Carol Scovotti, D.P.S. is a Professor of Marketing, Fulbright Scholar, Coordinator of the International Business Program and Director of the Institute for International Business Collaboration at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Prior to entering academia, Dr. Scovotti was the President of Telecom Denmark’s American subsidiary, responsible for managing multicultural collaboration efforts among businesses across the country to bring American multinationals to Denmark. Scovotti has over 20 years experience in direct marketing and international telecommunication industries.

Dr. Scovotti holds Post Doctoral Seminars from Harvard University, a DPS from Pace University, an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, and a Bachelor’s degree from Marquette University.

Jeff Knight

Citizen Representative

Since 2010, Jeffery P. Knight has served as Chairman and Managing Director of Knight Public Affairs LLC. With extensive international, federal, state, local, and business experience, Knight works with clients in need of consulting, management, and governmental affairs services.

Knight has an extensive background in consulting, association management, research, governmental affairs, grants, funding and procurement. Knight is active in the Whitewater community and serves on the following boards: Greater Whitewater Committee, Inc., Whitewater Leads, Bethel House, and the Discover Whitewater Series.

Kevin Kaufman

UW-Whitewater Representative

Since July 2016, Kevin Kaufman has served as the Director of the Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Prior to his role at UW-Whitewater, Kaufman served as a Business Consultant at the Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Kaufman has a depth of experience working with small and medium sized businesses. From strategic planning to financial projections to buy/sell valuation to operational excellence, Kaufman’s background as a commercial banker, national sales manager and eight years of consulting experience enables him to help companies define and achieve its goals.

Kaufman holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from UW-Whitewater and an MBA from UW-La Crosse.