2022-2023 Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Contact the Executive Committee: info@lwvabcwi.org

Kate Miller president@lwvabcwi.org
President

Sue Niemi
Vice President

I was born and raised in Ashland, Wisconsin and graduated from Northland College.  After spending the last 25 years in the Twin Cities and then Illinois, I recently returned to Northern Wisconsin with my husband Matt Norton and reside in Iron River.  For the majority of my career I have been working in progressive human resources; and the past seven years as an HR Consultant for a major fashion retailer. 

In 2018, I joined the League of Women Voters after seeing voter’s rights consistently challenged within the state and the country.  I decided to become part of the solution, as I felt I was rather complacent about our rights to vote until I felt those rights were challenged.  I am deeply concerned that there is a systemic attempt to suppress voter’s rights, especially for the disenfranchised, in order for a select group of Americans to maintain control of the country, in the image they want, rather than based on the principles of democracy. Remembering 100 years ago and the ratification of the 19th amendment, I want to join those brave women to ensure all American citizens have the right to vote, regardless of gender, gender identity, race, ethnic background, religion and incarceration status.   Even though my time on the board has been brief, I enjoy the camaraderie of the Board and the League members and the strong passion for the League principles.

Having returned to the area recently, I am just getting started in giving back to the community.  Besides getting involved in the League, I’ve started by volunteering for the Iron River Library.  I hope to expand my volunteerism in areas where I have a lot of passion and feel that I can contribute.  In my personal time, I walk the woods daily with my three rescue dogs, enjoy cutting and chopping wood, fishing, and looking for ways to live a simpler lifestyle with less negative impact on our natural environment.

I am a voracious reader, but a book I’ve read recently that really resonated with me is The Wind and the Drum, by Katherine Johnson.  The story is about how a young Saami girl in Finland who is the wind listener and keeper of the drum in her culture is threatened by strangers who threaten the reindeer and ancient beliefs.  She sets out on a perilous journey to save her people, their way of life and herself.  This book resonates with me as I can see how our current way of life is being challenged by those who want to quash the decency we stand for and remove compassion for our fellow humans.  I also admired her bravery as she faces grave challenges and holds true to her culture for a greater purpose.  As I learned long ago, history repeats itself and we are at the crossroads in which it will take a lot of strength and bravery to stand up for our democracy.

I have a quirky sense of humor.An example of what I would laugh out loud at is the Thanksgiving episode ofWKRP in Cincinnatiwhere a turkey drop doesn’t go exactly as planned.Or, when I unintentionally do something goofy, like when I asked my husband to swim an anchor bag of rocks out to secure a raft in our lake.(I obviously thought he was Superman!)               

Open
President-elect

Open
Secretary

Roger Aiken
Treasurer

Directors

Val Barber

Barb Bell

Anne Chartier
President ex officio

I became a member of the League of Women Voters of Ashland and Bayfield Counties in the nineties, invited by my dear friend Liz Quast. Serving then as Voter Services chair was both challenging and rewarding. Over the years, and especially now as president, I have attended several gatherings organized by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. As a result of such experiences, along with the numerous programs and events I have participated in locally, I am very proud to be part of such a valuable organization. 

 Being non-partisan has never been a concern for me because issues are more important to me than affiliation to political parties or candidates. As difficult as democracy feels at times, and as threatened as the rule of law may seem when truth and justice don’t prevail, I am well aware of the good fortune so many of us in this country enjoy. It is our duty to make sure the rights, liberties and well-being afforded to some are available to all. 

 I am a retired public school Spanish teacher committed to social and environmental justice. Having been born in Massachusetts, and although I have strong ties to both shores of the Río de la Plata where I grew up, I love living in this part of the world. At this point I have spent almost half my life in and around the Chequamegon Bay, appreciating its people, the arts, and the outdoors. Our Lake Superior and surrounding landscape are magnificent! My volunteer work beyond the League includes tutoring in reading, ESL classes, and translating for migrant workers from Central America.                  

Joan Elias

I have lived in Iron County for the past nearly 30 years, outside of the counties included in our local LWV chapter.  Despite my address, I have been on the LWV board several times dating back to the mid-1990s. During each stint on the board I have focused my energy on natural resource issues, which is where my expertise lies. Currently I’m chairing our Natural Resources Advocacy Committee. 

I enjoy working with the LWV for several reasons. This group of dedicated women and men gets things done! I appreciate and have a great deal of respect for my fellow board members and I feel like I am appreciated and respected in return. We are active on many fronts – most of which I do not have expertise in, but someone else does. It’s a collaborative group that trusts and supports one another.

Other than LWV, my recent volunteer activities have been with the Superior Rivers Watershed Association (formerly the Bad River Watershed Association) and several bird survey programs. I enjoy gardening, camping, botanizing, all sorts of outdoor activities, yoga, and reading. I grow much of my own food and actively manage the land on which I pay taxes - cutting firewood, trying to control diseases and exotic species, and maintaining trails. 

The best book I’ve read lately is “The Overstory” by Richard Powers. Its widespread popularity gives me hope that with enough people who care, we may not destroy our planet after all.

Linda Jorgenson

Diane Koosed

I moved to the Chequamegon Bay area from Portland, OR in 2018, several years after retiring from a career as an educator. 

I first became involved in the League as a member of the Voter Services Committee, eventually becoming the committee's co-chair.  Now, in 2023, I am taking on the role of Membership Committee Chair.  I believe strongly in the League's mission. 

My involvement on the Board fulfills for me a need to be useful in an organization I respect and with people I hold in high regard. 

Alison Lutterman 

Hello, I’m M. Alison Lutterman (Alison). I am a new member of the board for the 23-24 year.

I joined the league in 2022. I’ve been interested in the work of the League of Women Voters for many years, but my demanding legal career and family life took precedence over my other interests. Now that I have retired and de-stressed from my professional career I decided it was time to get involved in interests that I put on the back-burner during my career.

n addition to serving on the board for the Ashland/Bayfield County local league, I am also the new chair of the Voter Services Committee. I look forward to engaging in voter education and registration initiatives and organizing candidate forums during the 2024 election year. 

Jan Penn

Raised in what was German Catholic farm country north of Milwaukee, I moved north even before graduation from UW-Milwaukee, as the north is the “last frontier.”  Married Rick whose family immigrated early from Poland to East End Ashland, and who retains, like I, a bit of the old world ethic- on steroids. 

We live in the Penokee’s of Highbridge along Billy Creek where we raised our daughter Aliina, and where twin granddaughters are learning the fine arts of knowing the woods, where food comes from and raising chickens.

While a retired Nurse Practitioner, my passion is the natural world, its people and social justice. I have been active in the LWV/ABC going back to somewhere in the 80’s. This has been a perfect match offering opportunity to make wonderful friendships and collaborate on the issues that mean most to me. I’ve been on the board for a long time and served as President a few rounds. Working on teams in studies on Health Care/Universal Health Coverage, Land Use & Shoreline Laws, Comprehensive Planning, Mining and Economic Development, Economic Inequality, and Making Democracy Work have challenged me to consider critical issues. I live with hope that this work will leave a better world for my daughter, granddaughters, family and neighbors.

Most recently the pandemic, country wide protests, the Canadian Tar Sands Pipeline Corporation-line5 and climate change have revealed the broad challenges of eco and economic justice. It is exciting to be working with the LWV and our partners during this time of a vital global paradigm shift. Exhausting but necessary work, done only in SOLIDARITY!