Our Community

Cheri has served as Executive Director since January, 2017. She has worked at Community Shares of Wisconsin for a combined total of 14 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 a dual-language immersion program at Madison Metropolitan School District. (Photo by John Urban.)

Susan came to Community Shares after working with CSW member group Wisconsin Wetlands Association. Prior to this, she was the Development Assistant at Olbrich Botanical Society. She grew up in the beautiful Hudson River Valley of New York, where her first job out of high school was on a chainsaw crew trimming trees along power lines. If she had to pick just one book, Letters to a Young Poet, by Rilke, might be her choice. (Photo by Mike Klawitter)

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)

Her commitment to social justice and equity for all brought her to the doors of Community Shares last year, and she couldn’t stay away. Her interests include holding people accountable, painting her nails, supporting small black and/or queer owned businesses, tearing down the system, sitting in front of the ocean, and adding to her shoe collection. (Photo by Megan Moran Photography)

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.