Wisconsin Humane Society’s Chief Financial Officer announces retirement

MILWAUKEE – Mike Wamser, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS), has announced he will be retiring in the spring of 2025.

After more than 25 years in the private sector, Wamser was hired by WHS as their first CFO in 2012, bringing internal financial leadership to the organization during a time of rapid growth. During his tenure, the budget grew significantly, from $7 million to $19 million in 2024.

For many years, the Wisconsin Humane Society has been respected nationally for its innovation in animal sheltering.  Wamser brought WHS’s financial work to the same level of sophistication.

“Mike implemented approaches to budgeting, cash flow management, strategic planning, and forecasting that have been the critical framework to support our most significant accomplishments in recent years,” said Alison Fotsch, CEO of WHS.

During Wamser’s tenure, his leadership was instrumental in the launch of the Wisconsin Humane Society Spay/Neuter Clinic, the capital campaign to build the new Racine Campus, expansion of their online retail store, and efforts to ensure financial transparency both internally and publicly.

Wamser also led the due diligence, transaction details, and financial integration of the acquisitions of several animal shelters including the Countryside Humane Society (Racine), Bay Area Humane Society (Green Bay), Door County Humane Society (Sturgeon Bay) and Safe Harbor Humane Society (Kenosha).

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and our entire leadership team, I would like to extend our gratitude to Mike for his years of dedication to the Wisconsin Humane Society,” said Fotsch. “Mike has been an important and valued counsel for me and countless others. We are indebted to Mike for building a strong financial infrastructure that will support the organization for years to come.”

“It’s been an honor to be part of WHS.  It is a wonderful organization with amazing passionate staff and volunteers dedicated to serving animals and people.  I am immensely grateful, and I will truly miss my colleagues and teammates,” said Wamser.

Mike is looking forward to spending more time with family and friends during his retirement, and traveling with his dog Duke, whom he adopted from WHS.

WHS has launched a national search for the Chief Financial Officer role.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.