OUR TEAM
"Fundraising, when stripped of all the barriers we put up around it, is about discovering meaning and how to translate that meaning into action."
-Jennifer McCrea
Maggie is one of those rare individuals that could take on any job. Her expertise in fundraising and donor cultivation is strategic, and she is able to effectively collaborate with program managers to refine and implement solutions. Described by colleagues as loyal, intelligent and having a generous spirit, Maggie’s skills, strong work ethic and personable manner make her a strong asset to any organization.
Serving as CREATE’s Co-Vice President since 2016, she has helped focus our efforts in three areas: facilitating placemaking & public art to connect community to identity, developing infrastructure & programming to connect innovators to resources, and curating events & experiences to connect people to community.
Specialties: Relationship development, public speaking, grant writing, arts management, nonprofits, corporate and foundation relations, fundraising, marketing
After growing up in rural Central Wisconsin, Dana Sonnenberg earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts Management from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. She then embarked on a multifaceted career journey spanning theater, grant making, and nonprofit development in Massachusetts and Minnesota before returning to her roots in the Stevens Point area.
With a background in marketing and project management at Exclamation CUSO and Simplicity Credit Union, Dana brings a wealth of experience to her current role at CREATE Portage County. She specializes in fostering community engagement, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and bridging the rural divide through innovative initiatives and collaborative efforts.
Throughout her career, Dana has championed various causes and projects aimed at creating a more inclusive and vibrant community. Her passion for animals, travel, culinary adventures, and water-related activities fuels her personal pursuits and professional endeavors alike.
Dana remains deeply committed to the Stevens Point area and continues to play an active role in its cultural and economic development. She looks forward to leveraging her skills and experiences to make a lasting impact in her hometown and beyond.
Garrett Katerzynske utilizes his experience in film production, advertising, journalism and media studies to support a range of projects and resources within CREATE. His passion for the creative arts and ability to communicate strategically help connect our members and enhance our overall brand. In every project he pursues, he strives to bring aesthetics and design in sync with authentic storytelling and strategic goals. Collaboration and careful consideration are key to his approach, ensuring our full community is considered within a rapidly-evolving creative landscape.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
BEN NUSZ, PRESIDENT
MID-STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE
PHILLIP BLAIR, CO-VICE PRESIDENT
GAMBER JOHNSON
PAULA SCHLICE, CO-VICE PRESIDENT
BUSINESS CONSULTANTS
MICHAEL MORE, SECRETARY
MAIN GRAIN BAKERY
BILL SCHIERL, TREASURER
TEAM SCHIERL COMPANIES
REPRESENTATIVES
CHELSEA BASSETT
CORNERSHOP CREATIVE
DAWN BRANDT
KPR BROKERS
BRIAN ELZA
POINT BREWERY
REBECCA GABODA
SKYWARD
KAREN ANN HOFFMAN
ARTIST
CHRIS KLESMITH
CITY OF STEVENS POINT
ANELLO MOLLICA
CENTRAL WATERS BREWERY
LAURA WORTH
WORTH COMPANY
HONORS
2011 - Bill Schierl, President & Founder, receives the "Arts in the Community" award from Arts Wisconsin.
2013 - The WI Department of Tourism awards the Arts Alliance and the Convention & Visitors Bureau a JEM Grant for their "Celebrate the Arts" campaign.
2014 - The "Celebrate the Arts" program earns the "Arts Destination Marketing Award" from Destination Marketing International and Americans for the Arts.
2015 - Arts Wisconsin invites the Arts Alliance to present on the Creative Economy at Arts Day 2015.
2015 - Milwaukee Biz Times names Greg Wright, Executive Director, the Innovator to Watch for the arts in Wisconsin.
2015 - The Wisconsin Main Street program invites the Arts Alliance to speak about downtown revitalization and placemaking.
2015 - The Alexander Landerman mural "The Fox Can" is featured as part of the Fort Collins Mural Monday project.
2016 - Newaukee invites CREATE to share its IDEA Center concept at their Empty Storefronts conference in Madison.
2016 - The #OrangeBarrelArt Tour, in partnership with the Stevens Point Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, wins the 2016 Wisconsin Tourism Trailblazer Award
2017 - Levitt AMP City, bringing ten weeks of free live music to the Pfiffner Bandshell
2017 - Invited to speak at the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters conversation on creativity and small-town economies.
2017 - Presented the IDEA Center concept at the annual Wisconsin Educators of Business & IT Conference.
2017 - Selected as one of Portage County's influencers of the year by the Stevens Point Journal.
2018 - Invited as a featured case study, speaking at the closing session of the ArtsLab cultural development program.
2018 - Invited to present at the Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit in Chattanooga on using creativity to reenergize small-town economies.
OUR EVOLUTION
2004
The Arts Alliance of Portage County is launched to create a centralized arts & culture advocacy agent for Portage County.
2006
The Arts Alliance develops the first nonprofit Economic Impact Data based on the Americans for the Arts Economic Prosperity II Calculator and begins the work of arts-based economic development.
2008
To quantify the economic impact of nonprofit arts & culture expenditures, the Arts Alliance conducts a local Americans for the Arts Economic Prosperity III survey.
2010
The Arts Alliance researches the concepts of the creative economy and creative industries, networking with leading professionals to build evaluation systems. It launches Buzz Around Towns as a way to communicate acquired information and data.
2012
The Arts Alliance facilitates a meeting between former Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton and Portage County elected officials and community leaders to introduce them to the concepts of the creative economy and creative industries.
2013
Through a matching grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Arts Alliance hires a consultant to complete a comprehensive study of the creative economy and creative industries in Portage County.
2014
The Arts Alliance shifts from studying the creative economy to making its first targeted investments in hopes of impacting the economy with the arts, culture, and creativity. In partnership with the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, it receives a two-year JEM Grant to market Portage County as an arts destination for Madison and Milwaukee residents. This one-month campaign has a $912,236 impact in its first two years.
2015
This success leads to the launch of CREATE portage county, an initiative designed to broaden the scope of the organization to better support creativity in all forms and to further explore the impact of placemaking investments. The Arts Alliance earns seats on the Convention & Visitors Bureau board and the Portage County Business Council Economic Development Committee to facilitate this work.
2016
The Arts Alliance rebrands to CREATE portage county, positioning the organization to lead community development efforts through continued arts advocacy and creative placemaking. Through executive action, the Mayor of Stevens Point creates an Arts Advisory Committee for the city that operates through the auspices of CREATE.