OnFocus – In November 2020, the City of Marshfield Common Council passed an ordinance to establish an Ethics Board. Applicants for the three positions will be introduced during Tuesday’s common council meeting. Here’s what you need to know about them:
Danielle Anderson
Anderson is new to Marshfield but has recently purchased and will be opening Good Day Sunshine Record Shop in downtown Marshfield. Over the past 11 years Anderson has worked at the Cutler Cranberry Company in Pittsville as a manager. She graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.
In her application, Anderson says, “I believe strongly in public service and community and I will be an asset to this board because of that.”
Additionally, Anderson has served as a board member for Wisconsin Cranberry Research and as the secretary of the Education Foundation board. She was elected to the Wisconsin Cranberry Board, and also serves on the Cutler Cranberry Foundation board.
Michael W. Brennan
Brennan is a former circuit court judge of 30 years and has been living in Marshfield for 20 years. After his retirement, Brennan was appointed by former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle to serve as member of the Government Accountability Board where he served for seven years.
He graduated from UW-Eau Claire with his bachelor’s degree and went on to get a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison.
Brennan has served as a member of the Sunburst Youth Home Board of Directors, a mentor at Pathway Partners Mentoring Program at Marshfield Senior High School and as a UW Alumni Association Board of Directors where he served as chair of the scholarship committee from 2012-18.
He has also served as a member of WINGS Advisory Board (Cancer Survivorship Program of the Marshfield Clinic), a member of the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield/Wood County Foundation Board, and he co-founded, “Food for Thought”, an annual fund-raising event for UW-Marshfield/Wood County.
Dan Cummins
Cummins is a part-time sports official who is semi-retired and does various types of consulting work part time as well.
Cummins has lived in Marshfield since 2017 and resided in Wisconsin Rapids for 16 years before he moved to Marshfield. Before retirement, Cummins served as an Environmental Engineer/Manager at ERCO Worldwide (USA), Inc. Port Edwards Plant in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Cummins also served as an Environmental Engineer/Coordinator/Senior Engineer at Domtar AW Corporation and Georgia-Pacific Corporation in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Nekoosa & Port Edwards, Wisconsin.
His education includes a bachelor’s degree in Geology from Michigan State University, graduate programs at Michigan State and Western Michigan University, and he went on to become a professional Geologist in the state of Pennsylvania.
Cummins’ former city government positions include: Chair of the Kalamazoo County Chamber of Commerce, Environmental Committee, member of the Kalamazoo County Environmental & Health Advisory Council, member of the City of Wisconsin Rapids Sustainability Committee and member of the City of Wisconsin Rapids Ethics Committee.
Marvin J. Duerr
Duerr has lived in Marshfield for most of his life and worked as a professional mechanic and owned his own tavern. He also served in the Army for two years before he was honorably discharged.
Duerr served as an Alderman for the 10th district for 3.5 years. He also served on the Marshfield Utilities board for five years. Duerr also served as the President of Wood County Crime stoppers for six years and President of the Marshfield Veterans Council for 30 years. From 1992-94, Duerr served as the Mayor of Marshfield and today, he is the Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Marshfield.
Alanna J. Feddick-Goodwin
Feddick-Goodwin currently manages her own law firm, Feddick-Goodwin Law Office, S.C. here in Marshfield. She achieved her Juris Doctor degree from Oak Brook College of Law & Government Policy in Fresno, California.
She has served as the Board President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Wood County in Marshfield, a board member of Shirley’s House of Hope, Central Wisconsin State Fair, Chestnut Avenue Center for the Arts. She has also been involved in various civic organizations, like Sunrise Rotary and Lions Club, and is a graduate of Leadership Marshfield, which allowed her to work on the foundation of Marshfield Young Professionals.
On her application, Feddick-Goodwin states, “As a member of the Marshfield community, and having served on the City Council and numerous non-profit organizations, I look forward to a system of rules to protect the City and its citizens of ethical violations, and to be a means of the creation of a system to address openness, transparency and integrity.”
Krista James
James is a graduate of Columbus High School and later went on to Madison to attend the University of Wisconsin. She got her bachelor’s degree in Social Work and certificates in Educational Policy Studies and Criminal Justice. She stayed in Madison and attended the UW School of Law to obtain her Juris Doctor degree and become a lawyer.
After holding an internship with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, James moved to the Dane County District Attorney’s Office where she worked her way up to Deputy District Attorney. She is currently working as an Assistant District Attorney in the Portage County District Attorney’s Office.
James’s application says, “To this position I would bring relevant prior work experience and a strong skill set in writing, oral communication and conflict resolution. Working as a prosecutor makes me uniquely qualified to serve on the Ethics Board as I regularly must balance competing interests while adhering to strict ethical standards.”
Jennifer Jirschele
Jirschele’s passion is in human resources as she has worked in the field for over 15 years. After earning her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Sociology at St. Norbert College in DePere, Jirschele moved to Madison where she worked in various departments within the state government.
Her titles include: Director of Workforce Planning and Recruitment at the Department of Workforce Development, Business Operations Executive at the Department of Transportation, and Chief Human Resources Officer, Deputy Director of Human Resources, and Human Resources Team Leader at the Department of Health Services.
Jirschele has also worked in various volunteer organizations in and around Madison including: the Wisconsin State Human Resources Managers Council as the President (2016) and Vice President (2015), the Greater Madison Area Society of Human Resources Management as a member, the Junior League of Madison on the Placement Committee, the United Way of Dane County as a Volunteer Account Executive, and other positions.
Her application states, “I have 15 years of human resources management and leadership experience in government, and I fully support transparency and accountability in government. I’ve spent almost my entire career in government because I have a passion for public service and servant leadership.”
**All information was taken from the Common Council 2/9/21 Meeting Packet which can be found HERE.
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