HISTORY OF WISCONSIN STATE SOCIETY
The history of the Wisconsin State Society goes back to the mid-1850s, when the Illinois State Society was founded as the first society of its kind. It wouldn't be long before the Wisconsin State Society was formed, however the records of past presidents, board members and activities have been lost to time.
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What we do know is that state societies began coming back into vogue after World War II when they came together to re-launch the Cherry Blossom Festival in 1948.
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According to legal documents, the Wisconsin State Society was incorporated in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, around 1982, our immediate past president Bill Wagner (now serving as treasurer and president emeritus) took over leadership of the society. It's been more active and less active throughout the ensuing 30 years, but Bill has never wavered in his stewardship of the organization.
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Do you know more about the history of the Wisconsin State Society? Let us know and we'll add your contribution to the history.
OFFICERS
MARY AILEEN O'DONOVAN
President
Mary Aileen was elected to be the president of WSS in 2020 and has been a member for more than thirty years. She is originally from Milwaukee and lives in Woodley Park in DC. She worked for the Federal Government for thirty-eight years. She was a Federal contractor for another three years. She has been a teacher, a statistician, a contracting officer and a volunteer. She is married to Patrick and has two sons who are all members of the WSS.
PAUL CONRAD
Vice President for Special Events
Paul was elected as the vice president of special events in 2018. He helps organize and lead WSS's largest events each year, the Cherry Blossom Princess Reception every spring and the Brewers tailgate every summer. Paul grew up in Milwaukee went to UW-Madison for his undergrad and J.D. and earned a Master's Degree from the U.S. Army War College. He currently is a Legal and Ethics Advisor for FEMA. Paul has been active with WSS since 2000.
WENDY RIEMANN
Vice President for Service Activities
Wendy leads and organizes WSS's volunteer and service events. Wendy grew up in Sheboygan, earned her undergraduate degree at Wisconsin, and her master’s degree at Johns Hopkins. She has worked extensively in political and communication roles and now does her own consulting via 1492 Communications (in addition to her extensive duties as part-owner of the Green Bay Packers).
BILL WAGNER
Treasurer & President Emeritus
Bill served as president of WSS for over 30 years, nearly as long as Wisconsin has known the recipe for cheese! He now continues his service as treasurer and president emeritus. He has been a major organizer of this society and its events since the 80s. He grew up in Oconomowoc. Before moving to the D.C. area, Bill graduated from UW-Madison Law School. Bill's motto: "You're never too old to have a happy childhood. It just takes longer to recover."
SUSAN JOLLIE
Corporate Secretary
Susan serves as Corporate Secretary after serving for many years as WSS vice president. Susan was raised in Appleton and attended Marquette University, graduating in 1972. She then attended Georgetown University Law Center. Before retiring several years ago, her legal career involved regulatory, legislative and international law in various positions in government and private practice. She resides in Annandale, Va.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
MARY AILEEN O'DONOVAN
President
WENDY RIEMANN
VP of Service Activities
PAUL CONRAD
VP of Special Events
BILL WAGNER
Treasurer & President Emeritus
SUSAN JOLLIE
Corporate Secretary
RANDY BOHNERT
Delegate to NCSS
PATRICK O'DONOVAN
Board Member
KATIE JOHNSON
Board Member
MARIA GIANNOPOULOS
Board Member
Do you want to be a leader in the Wisconsin State Society? There are a lot of roles to play in our organization. If you have a passion for something and want to be more involved with us, please get in touch.
CONTACT US
Get in touch with us to learn more about our events or how to get more involved. We look forward to hearing from you!