2022–2023
Kate Martin, President
Kate is a retired civil and environmental engineer and UW–Madison alumna. She worked for local engineering consulting firms and the City of Madison Engineering Division on design and construction projects ranging from infrastructure to landfill design, environmental clean-ups, and utility-scale wind and solar power. She has mentored the senior capstone design class of UW civil engineering. She has enjoyed walks in the Arboretum and lived nearby for several decades. For the last seven years she has served as a volunteer receptionist. Her favorite Arboretum walks are seasonal: Gallistel Woods during spring ephemerals, Grady Tract for lupine bloom, Curtis Prairie in late summer, and Wingra Woods in fall. She is an avid quilter and hand stitcher. She and her husband Michael have one grown daughter.
Laurel Sukup, Vice President
Laurel is the Chief of Sustainability for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Her work allows her to engage with businesses and municipalities across the State and support them in reaching their sustainability goals. A veteran of the WDNR, her commitment to the environment does not stop after 5 p.m. Laurel is also a Master Naturalist and is thrilled to serve as a board member to support programming and opportunities for residents and visitors to experience all that the Arboretum has to offer. Originally from Milwaukee, Laurel and her partner, Michael Mucha, have made their home on the near east side of Madison where they can often be seen towing a bike trailer containing their very pampered standard poodle, Juneau.
Anita Boor, Secretary
Anita lives with her husband, John, in the Nakoma neighborhood, blocks away from the Arboretum’s west entrance. With seven mature oaks on their lot, she has learned the joys of shade gardening with native plant species. A biology major from UW–Madison, she spent time in Curtis Prairie as an undergrad counting galls on goldenrod stalks. Now she enjoys taking in the Arb’s plant life in a more leisurely fashion. Anita is an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
Don Miner, Treasurer
Don is emeritus Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business Services at UW–Madison. He retired in 2010. In retirement, he volunteers as treasurer of the Friends of the UW–Madison Odyssey Project and the Daily Cardinal Media Corporation. He also volunteers to keep financial records for and financially advise Beth Israel Center and the Martin Luther King Coalition of Madison and Dane County. He also does volunteer database maintenance for the Madison Literacy Network. He has a bachelor’s degree in math and computer science from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in accounting from UW–Madison. He grew up in the north suburbs of Chicago. His wife Kathy has been involved with the UW–Madison Arboretum for many years as an environmental educator, leading tours and watching over the Arboretum’s library. Don and Kathy have two married sons and two grandchildren.
Vince Aiello
Having lived in Wisconsin most of his life, Vince gained a strong appreciation for nature. He has been on a lifelong nature-study journey. In his free time he can be found in nature studying plants or taking nature photos. Some of his photos have been published in nature calendars. His current passion is studying mushrooms and fungi – they are so interesting. He has taken classes on herbalism and attended the Master Gardener program and two United Plant Savers events. He did his volunteer work for the Master Gardner program at the Arboretum. He moved to Madison in 2008 and was really impressed with the amount of parks and hiking land in and around the city. After moving here one of the first places he explored was the Arboretum – he has walked all the trails many times. He is honored to be a part of the FOA Board.
Jane Albert
Jane was born in Milwaukee and moved to Madison in 1952. She graduated from West High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in English at UW–Madison. In 1974 she earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at UW–Madison. She taught fourth and fifth grades in Madison Public Schools for 32 years. She was very active in Madison Teachers Inc. and served as secretary for nine years. Upon retirement she mentored first-year teachers and tutored elementary-aged children in her home. She also became involved in the Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association where she served as secretary and social chair. She and her husband, Bill, love walking through the Arboretum. Bill was a Saturday-morning volunteer for many years helping to clear brush, gather seeds, etc. The Luncheon-Lectures Series became a favorite activity in retirement. Jane and Bill have one daughter and one granddaughter who live in Middleton – so wonderfully close!
Laurie Elwell
Laurie grew up in Upstate New York. She moved to Madison with her husband, Rick Niess, in 1978 to pursue a master’s degree in social work. She devoted much of her professional career to working on behalf of crime victims. Laurie was an avid Girl Scout growing up, is the mother of two Eagle Scouts, and has served on the executive board of the local Boy Scout Council. She was the founding president of the board of directors of Friends of PACT, a program of Mendota Mental Health Institute that supports individuals living with severe mental illness in the community. Laurie is a certified Wisconsin Master Naturalist volunteer and a 2019 graduate of the Yahara Watershed Academy. As a naturalist volunteer, she has collaborated with the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board and the Arboretum on projects to promote good environmental stewardship by property owners along the river and in neighborhoods in the Lake Wingra Watershed.
Ellie Feitlinger
Ellie grew up in the Marquette Neighborhood of Madison and from a young age was taught the importance of volunteerism, specifically within her own community. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a bachelor’s degree in television production and played college basketball. She then began her adventure – moving to Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago, producing for Entertainment Tonight, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and various reality shows. Eventually she landed in Minneapolis, where she pivoted careers to focus on coordinating events. After over a decade of living all over the United States, she moved back with her husband, Greg, to Madison’s far eastside, where they live with their dog, Augie Doggie, and toddler, hurricane Carter! Ellie is the manager of events at Wrapbook, an entertainment production payroll software company. She enjoys being outside whenever possible, including running through the paths of the Arboretum. She plans to continue getting outside with her family even during the winter months, and you can always find her loudly cheering for the Badgers, Packers, Bucks, and Brewers.
Pat Henrikson
Pat was born in Iowa and grew up in several small towns in the state. She graduated from St. Olaf College and earned advanced degrees in biology from Stanford and Purdue. After living in Indiana, California, and North Carolina, she moved to Madison in 1991. She retired from UW–Madison in 2009 after serving 16 years as the undergraduate biological sciences advisor. Pat and her husband, Chuck, are long-time supporters of the Arboretum and members of Friends of the Arboretum. Following retirement, they both trained to be volunteer stewards. They attend the Winter Enrichment Lecture Series and FOA Luncheon-Lectures every year and enjoy meeting the other participants who share their interests. Pat and Chuck have one son and three grandchildren who live in California. In their spare time they enjoy traveling, hiking, camping and gardening.
Paul Kent
Paul grew up in Milwaukee and came to UW–Madison in 1973. He loved the city and the lakes and has been here ever since. He is currently a partner with the law firm Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, where his practice focuses on water law issues including wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, wetlands, and shoreland development. Most of his clients are municipalities, but some are private entities. He has taught environmental law at the UW–Madison Law School for over 30 years and has published several books and articles on water law issues. He has two adult sons, one in Los Angeles who is also a lawyer and has two sons under 2, and one in Pewaukee who has six-year-old twins and a three year old. Being a grandfather is one of his many pleasures. He also enjoys folk music, reading, hiking, swimming, church activities, and travel.
Leslie Ladd
Leslie has lived in the beautiful UW–Madison Arboretum neighborhood for the past 19 years. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she earned degrees in speech pathology and deaf education at the University of Michigan and Smith College. She taught the deaf at schools in St. Louis and northern California and also served as an elementary principal. In 2003, Leslie and husband Bill Hantke, newly retired, moved to Madison. Since then, Leslie has found numerous opportunities to serve and volunteer in her community—with the Literacy Network, Madison Sewing Guild, Junior League of Madison, the Madison Civics Club, the Patient and Family Advisory Council at UW Hospital, and currently as secretary of the Arboretum Neighborhood Association. She was FOA Board Secretary for two years and currently serves as editor of NewsLeaf.
Tim Norris
Tim is the retired UW–Madison Budget Director and Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration. He served the university as an executive financial manager during a career spanning three decades, including fifteen years as Budget Director. Tim and wife Maddie live near the Arboretum and can be found walking the trails for exercise and leisure most days of the week. They are avid birders and native plant and vegetable gardeners. Maddie volunteered in the Arboretum library for several years after her retirement. Tim also serves on the Madison Audubon Society Board and volunteers for several other public outreach organizations.
Jennifer Sereno
Jennifer Sereno is a professional communicator committed to conservation and community sustainability. She currently serves as communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, focusing on efforts to make Wisconsin a fair and just place for all to live and work. She previously served as strategic communications manager for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and as business editor of the Wisconsin State Journal. An avid endurance athlete, Jennifer and her husband David have run the trails, skied the tracks and ridden the roads of the Arboretum for 30-plus years. A member of Rotary Club of Madison, she also serves as secretary of the Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area and vice president of The Daily Cardinal Media Corp.
Carl Sinderbrand
Carl Sinderbrand is a senior partner at the Axley law firm in Madison, Wisconsin, where he primarily practices public advocacy environmental law and construction litigation. He also has served on the board and as chair of several non-profits, including Clean Wisconsin and Wisconsin Wetlands Association. A graduate of Oberlin College and UW–Madison Law School, he came to love the Arboretum during his very first days as a student. Over the years, he and his wife Maryann Sumi have treasured the Arboretum for biking, hiking, nature walks, the beauty of spring among the lilacs and other flowering trees, and the joy of winter skiing in Curtis Prairie and the woods. Maryann and Carl have three grown children and three wonderful grandchildren.
Alli Wenman
Alli is the Regional Climate Outreach Program Manager at UW–Madison Division of Extension. In this role, she facilitates the process to create evaluation frameworks to demonstrate climate impact for Extension’s agricultural outreach programs across the Midwest. Alli has her bachelor’s degree (2016) in botany and her master’s degree (2021) in environmental conservation, both from the UW–Madison. She loves morning walks through Curtis Prairie and appreciates the changing blooms throughout the seasons.