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Wisconsin Property Taxpayers, Inc.

Staff

The WPT staff is a committed group of individuals who come from different areas and all walks of life. Each person brings something unique to the organization, but shares in several common goals; assisting members wherever possible; advocating for increased government transparency and responsible spending; and lessening the state's reliance on property taxes.

MIKE MARSCH

President

I’m Mike Marsch President of Wisconsin Property Taxpayers. I came to work for WPT on October 10, 1987.


I was hired as a member representative. When I started with the  organization, we had less than 1,500 members. Today thanks to all the  hard work of many member representatives WPT is Wisconsin’s largest  taxpayer organization with over 18,000 business, farm and homeowner  members. We are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to taxation  and spending.


In  November of 2011, my wife Kim and began managing the organization from  Nancy Dohm, who operated the organization for about 10 months after the  passing of her husband Tom Dohm who founded the organization in 1985. As  you visit  through the archives of this website, you will realize how instrumental  WPT has been in all of the significant taxation and spending policy our  great state of Wisconsin has adopted into law saving hundreds of  millions of dollars over the years for Wisconsin taxpayers.


I  am proud of the hard work and dedication of our past and present staff.  No other organization in Wisconsin works harder to serve the interests  of ALL taxpayers in pursuit of fair taxation and fiscal responsibility. I  also want to thank our 18,000 members who stand in the gap with us  every day. Without them, we would be just another fading voice in the  wind. Instead we are a chorus of voices standing united for fairness and  reform, which is heard loud and clear.

Contact Mike

John Jacobson

Director of Government & Member Relations

John  Jacobson joined the WPT team as Government & Member Relations  Director in 2015. He has worked in both local and state government,  often serving as a resource and first point of contact for taxpayers  with concerns or questions for their elected officials.
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In  2015, he left his position with a large broadcast corporation, where  his chief responsibilities were to work with businesses to achieve their  advertising and marketing goals through broadcast and digital  solutions.
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In  addition to representing and advocating for WPT's policy positions in  the State Capitol, John works with a multitude of WPT members from  around the state. From small business owners and family farmers, to  homeowners and individuals alike, John assists our members in navigating  both local and state government regulation and processes.
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John also collaborates and liaises with other statewide organizations, and serves as the primary media contact for WPT.


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With  a very keen interest in public policy from an early age, John often  convinced relatives to attend political rallies with him as a child, and  convinced his parents annually to place yard signs on their property  more than a decade before he could legally cast a ballot.
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John  is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and attended  Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school. In his free  time, he volunteers at a local meal program, and as an adult literacy  tutor. He attributes his love for community service and volunteerism to  both his family and various instructors and teachers in his life.

Contact John

Kim Marsch

Administrative Director

My  role within WPT is to support our lobbying effort through the creation  of communication tools such as website development, newsletter  production and public forums.  We as personnel know the great job we do  for our member’s every day, but if the member doesn’t realize it, then  we have not communicated adequately the seriousness of the issues or the  opportunity presented to make a change in the way government works.   A  lobbying organization is only as strong and powerful as the membership  it attempts to engage in the process this change.
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Our  Membership Representatives also rely on me to perform many of the  day-to-day functions of the organization, assisting them in servicing  our members, and of course the mundane administrative work that accounts  for the payables and receivables of WPT.  The bottom-line for me: I do  whatever I can to make the organization better and more functional for  our members.

Contact Kim

CHRISTINA Rauk

Administrative Assistant

I was born in Racine, but grew up in rural Central Wisconsin, in farmland country. This instilled in me an appreciation for the outdoors and love for wildlife. I graduated from high school and went to the UW of Marshfield, now part of UWSP. I obtained an Associates of Arts and Science Degree. I went to the UW of Stevens Point for two years, then furthered and completed my education at Mid-State Technical College, with a degree in Business Management and Accounting. 


I am proud to be able to utilize my college degrees for WPT and make a difference.


I still live in the countryside of Central Wisconsin and enjoy doing hiking, camping, martial arts, and spending time with my family.

Contact Christina

Rob Stearns

Manager, Agriculture Member Representatives

Rob  grew up in the country just outside of Bloomer. His first job was  working for the neighbor farmers baling hay and doing chores. His dad  farmed for many years and still helps quite a few of the neighbors out.  His father’s example taught Rob how to have a good work ethic. After  working all types of construction jobs through his teenage years, Rob  went to college in MN where he met his wife, Heather, and graduated with  a Youth Ministries major. He also has a graduate degree in Computer  Networking & Management. 
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During  college and for years after he was a foreman for a landscaping company  where he applied his work ethic and learned the value of great customer  service. 
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Rob now lives in Eau Claire with his wife and three daughters. 
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Rob is ready to build relationships and represent his members well. 
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Some  of his passions are spending time with his girls, hiking, biking and  generally anything outdoors. Also he has a passion for Youth Ministries  and has spent more than 10 years teaching and leading teens in the  church he attends. He enjoys most sports and is a committed Packer fan  even though his wife and one of his daughters are hardcore Vikings fans.  

Contact Rob

Keith Schwalbe

Senior Business Member Representative

Keith  joined the organization in 2015. Since then he has traveled thousands  of miles meeting WPT members, and prospective members. Keith's mission  is to serve members and to keep them updated on WPT initiatives and  member benefits -- which have been greatly expanded!  


Prior to his WPT  calling, Keith served in jobs as wide ranging as media, radio news,  newspaper ad sales, insurance, and inside sales- for one of Wisconsin’s  largest privately held firms. His belief is in the value of WPT and the  connections it brings to make Wisconsin a better place to live, work and  play. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from UW Oshkosh.  


Keith and his  wife, Wendy, have three grown children and live in Oshkosh. He grew up  in Sheboygan and enjoys outdoor pursuits, especially fishing. Keith  loves to root for our state’s sports teams.  According to Keith, there  is no better place than Wisconsin!

Contact Keith

Paul Rozeski

Business Member Representative

Paul  has lived in Wisconsin most of his life. Working jobs through high school, UW-Whitewater, and an online M.B.A., he has seen business from many different perspectives. On the hard work side of being an employee, he has held jobs including manufacturing and landscaping. On the high risk side of business ownership, he spent a year launching a startup and over nine years an independent contractor and small business owner. He  has seen the issues both sides face and the different struggles to succeed.

His mission is to help the hard working underdog get ahead. Personally, he  has volunteered for organizations like St. Vincent de Paul, Pregnancy Helpline Sharing Center, Parish Council and various soup kitchens.  Professionally, he has regularly worked to be a connector for business professionals different networking groups, meetups, & associations, and sees WPT as a great resource to make improvements in  their business and influence how the legislature impacts their business.

Paul currently lives in Madison with his wife Abbie and their five kids. They enjoy seeing all parts of Wisconsin by attending Packers, Badgers and Brewers games, visiting family in New Richmond, Medford, Coloma & Milwaukee, and going to the lake in Eagle River. They also enjoy camping  trips to visit National Parks, Monuments, and other landmarks. Paul enjoys watching good television, reading, coaching/attending his kids activities, and running more than cleaning gutters or writing bios

Contact Paul

Shawn Betts

Agriculture Member Representative

Shawn  grew up on a family farm in the town of Easton helping his Parents, and  Grandfather with chores.  Shawn’s love for farming grew as he became a  5th generation farmer.   Growing up on a farm, Shawn learned the value  and the hardships that farmers face today.  This strong foundation  helped mold Shawn’s love for agriculture. After Shawn left the farm, he  worked in Automotive Part sales, and vending route sales.  His love for  agriculture brought him to work for WPT.   

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Shawn  lives in Wausau with his wife Crystal and 2 daughters.  The Betts  family love helping with chores on a friend’s beef farm.   No matter  what the chore is, the family is always ready to help with a smile.   They also enjoy fishing, hunting, going for walks in the woods to check  trail cameras and look for deer sign.   He also helps support his  daughters in 4 H, and equine therapy. 

Contact Shawn

Matt Demmerly

Agriculture Member Representative

I  grew up in Babcock, Wisconsin in the heart of cranberry country. My  family instilled in me a love for the outdoors, the value of hard work  and love of country. After high school I went to work in t cranberry  production, working my way up from summer help to cranberry marsh  manager. In 2003 I left cranberry growing to start a small business  which my wife and I operated successfully for 17 years. After selling  the business in 2020, my desire to make a difference and wanting to see  our rural way of life preserved led me to work for WPT.
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I  live in Arpin, Wisconsin with my wife and three younger children. I’m  the father of six and grandfather of 3. We enjoy hunting, fishing,  gardening and other outdoor activities.

Contact Matt

Kari Johnson

Business Member Representative

Kari  is originally from Nevada but has lived in Wisconsin for several years.  She is a woman who has worn many hats in the business world. Along with  having experience as a hard working employee she has several years as a  business owner under her belt as well.  
She was the co-owner of two successful businesses! One a hunting ranch  and the other a fiber optic cable installation company. With that being  said she has seen first hand the many challenges and rewards of owning a  business.  
Kari currently resides in Altoona with her two dogs and young daughter.  Her favorite things to do involve spending time with her daughter. She  loves to take her new places, teach her new things, and is always in the  stands at any school events.

Contact Kari

TRINITY DYRESON

Agriculture Member Representative

Trinity Dyreson grew up working on her family’s beef farm in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. Trinity enjoys working with her family and helping her family farm thrive. At a young age, Trinity developed a love for agriculture and horses. In high school, Trinity was in FFA for 4 years and was an FFA officer for 3 years serving as her chapter’s reporter, secretary, and vice president. Trinity is now part of her local FFA chapters alumni and is one of the directors of the Mount Horeb FFA Alumni. Trinity is attending Blackhawk Technical College and is in their Agribusiness Science and Technology program. She served as the 2021-2022 Wisconsin State PAS Vice President and 2022-2023 National PAS Vice President. 


She also loves spending time with her family and traveling across the United States. Trinity has always had a passion for horses and barrel racing since she was a little girl and has been involved in the National Barrel Horse Association and Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association for the past 6 years, competing at shows all over the United States from Minnesota to Georgia. 


In 2018, she started her own business called Next Generation Performance Horses, where she trains horses and teaches riding lessons to people. Trinity has always been an advocate for the agriculture industry.

Contact Kari

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United in Fairness & Reform Since 1985