Our Community

Cheri has served as Executive Director since January, 2017. She has worked at Community Shares of Wisconsin for a combined total of 15 years, being hired first as Development Director. In addition to her work with CSW, she brings extensive experience with local advocacy movements through past leadership roles with the Dane County Rape Crisis Center, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Cheri grew up on a multi-generational dairy farm in the beautiful rolling hills of Trempealeau County in the drift less region of Wisconsin. She has one teenaged daughter who attends high school in McFarland School District. (Photo by John Urban.)

The daughter of Chicano migrant farmworkers, Megan Diaz-Ricks was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin and comes from a long lineage of activists and advocates. Megan attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a returning student with a young child and graduated with a degree in Sociology in 2018. Megan was hired under a grant through the Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and took on a newly formed role, Coordination of Care Specialist, in June of 2018 with Common Wealth Development. Megan was promoted to the role of Director of Economic Development in April of 2019 where she worked to support the Economic Development section of Common Wealth Development through the COVID-19 pandemic. In October of 2021, Megan took on the role of Director of Communications and Fund Development with Common Wealth where she learned her passion for developing strong community partnerships to help drive and sustain the important work of grassroots and nonprofit groups in Madison.

Tyler grew up in the mountains of Utah, and then spent 4 years in Arctic Sweden before coming to Wisconsin. A background in Ecology has built Tyler’s data management skills and informs his interest in environmental justice. Tyler hopes to leverage both to support the mission of Community Shares and its member organizations. Previously Tyler was the Operations Manager for CSW member Sustain Dane, and for the nonprofit specialty accounting firm Numbers 4 Nonprofits. Tyler’s wife introduced him to sailing when they moved to Wisconsin, and he’s been completely obsessed ever since. Tyler joined the team at CSW in July, 2022.

Kathleen went back to school and earned an Associate Degree in Accounting in 1998. She started her accounting career at the Dane County Youth Connection which merged with PICADA. She then worked at CSW member Wisconsin Family Ties before joining the CSW team in 2001, made more memorable because it was just a few days before 9/11. She is passionate about CSW’s mission and grateful that working with numbers in the back room can make a difference. Kathleen enjoys watching movies with spouse Jim and cat River, and doing number puzzles, Suguru being a current favorite. (Photo by John Urban)

Kewiana is a Madison College graduate with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, and is currently studying communications at UW-Madison. Following graduation from UW-Madison, she plans to go to law school to practice civil law. Kewiana is a woman with many hats – once serving as Madison College’s Black Student Union President, the Communication and Recruitment Coordinator for the Volunteer Center, and student chairs on several of Madison College’s boards! She also worked closely with the office of Equity and Inclusion at Madison College where she successfully assisted in organizing several community events targeting racial justice issues. For fun, Kewiana likes to cook and make homemade crafts and music.