Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Press Release

Milwaukee Repertory Theater Elects Northwestern Mutual President Gregory C. Oberland As Board President

Nine New Trustees Elected from Charles E. Kubly Foundation, Foley & Lardner LLP, Harley-Davidson, Inc., Husch Blackwell, JCP Construction, and Plunkett Family Foundation

By - Jun 22nd, 2018 09:56 am
Gregory C. Oberland. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

Gregory C. Oberland. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

June 22, 2018 – (Milwaukee) Milwaukee Repertory Theater is proud to announce Northwestern Mutual President Gregory C. Oberland as the newly elected Board President for a 2-year term.  Oberland has been a trustee for five years prior to being elected Board President. Joining him are nine newly elected trustees that will serve a three year term starting July 1, 2018 including: Molly Fritz (President, Charles E. Kubly Foundation), Bryan B. House (Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP), Lynda Johnson (Asst. Treasurer, Harley-Davidson, Inc), Joan Lubar (Community Volunteer) Kris Lueders (Foley & Lardner LLP), James Phelps (President, JCP Construction), Joseph Pickart (Partner, Husch Blackwell), Karen Plunkett (Plunkett Family Foundation), and Craig Swan (Community Volunteer).

Additionally, four trustees were elected to new positions on Milwaukee Rep’s Executive Committee, including Ed Seaberg (VP of IT Operations, Rockwell Automation) as Immediate Past President, Gina Peter (Executive VP, Wells Fargo) as VP Development, as well as Joaquin Altoro (SVP, Town Bank) and Linda Marcus (Community Volunteer) as At Large appointments.

“Milwaukee Rep has made it its mission to build new, strong relationships with important community partners in order to develop a more diverse audience reflective of our great city,” said Gregory Oberland.  “I am thrilled at the opportunity to be a part of that work as Board President, to propel The Rep forward in remaining a cultural cornerstone of Milwaukee and beyond.”

President of the Board Biography:

Gregory C. Oberland is President of Northwestern Mutual leading the Career Distribution, Sales and Marketing function. In this role, Oberland is responsible for the company’s strategy of growing and enhancing its field force and delivering financial security to clients. He is also a member of the Executive Leadership Team, which oversees Northwestern Mutual’s strategy and operations. Oberland joined the company in 1982 as an attorney. In 1987, he moved to the business side and has had increasing executive level responsibility for a variety of product line and operational areas including disability income, life underwriting, policyowner services and information systems. Oberland received a bachelor’s degree with honors in 1979 from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree with honors in 1982 from Georgetown University. He also completed an executive development program at the Kellogg School at Northwestern University in 1997. In the community, Oberland is on the boards of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Milwaukee Repertory Theater. He and his wife Rhonda have four adult children.

Newly Elected Milwaukee Repertory Board Trustee Biographies:

Molly Fritz, President, Charles E. Kubly Foundation

Molly Fritz is the President of the Charles E. Kubly Foundation, a public charity named after her brother Charlie, that seeks to better the lives of those affected by depression.  Through that role, she is actively involved with many mental health organizations, universities, colleges and hospitals throughout the Milwaukee area and the state of Wisconsin.  She was a member of Rogers Memorial Hospital Board and currently serves on the Rogers Memorial Foundation Board.  She has been an engaged community volunteer for three decades serving on committees and chairing events for Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, Penfield Children’s Center, The American Cancer Society, Junior Achievement Women’s Association (Junior Achievement, Wisconsin) and the Junior League of Milwaukee.  As an alum and parent of alumni and current students, she has contributed to the University School of Milwaukee as a volunteer and fundraiser, taking major roles in signature events including Holiday Shops, serving as President of the Parents’ Association and as USM Boosters President.  Molly has a B.A in Education with a minor in Special Education from Trinity College in Washington D.C.  She has been married to David Fritz for 31 years and they have six children.

Bryan B. House, Partner, Foley & Lardner

Bryan B. House is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and a member of the firm’s Securities Enforcement & Litigation and Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations Practices. He is the chair of the Milwaukee Litigation Department. Mr. House’s particular focus area is securities litigation, securities enforcement proceedings and whistleblower matters. Mr. House’s securities litigation experience includes representation of public companies, investment banks and their directors and officers in class action litigation under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, including a recent matter in which the firm’s clients prevailed in a published opinion, Fulton County Employees Ret. Sys. v. MGIC Investment Corp., 675 F.3d 1047 (7th 2010). Mr. House also has represented public companies and their directors and officers in class actions challenging merger transactions and proxy disclosures. He also has represented public and private companies, audit committees, special committees, officers and directors in connection with internal investigations regarding a variety of state and federal securities law matters, as well as litigation brought by whistleblowers. Mr. House has represented a variety of clients, including public companies, broker-dealers, underwriters, issuers, attorneys, auditors, and officers and directors, in enforcement matters before the SEC, the Department of Justice and self-regulators, including FINRA. These proceedings have included such diverse topics as accounting irregularities, audit failures, insider trading, market timing, options backdating, subprime failures and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Lynda Johnson, Asst. Treasurer, Harley-Davidson, Inc.

Lynda Johnson is the Assistant Treasurer for Harley-Davidson, Inc and Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc.  Her current areas of responsibility include leading Global Treasury Operations and Debt & Capital Markets.  She joined Harley-Davidson in August 2004.  Prior to becoming the Assistant Treasurer, Ms. Johnson was a Senior Director of Financial Planning and Analysis where she led worldwide financial forecasting as well as motorcycle volume and revenue planning activities. She spent over a year in Italy working with H-D’s subsidiary MV Agusta where she led the finance function and the subsequent divestiture of that Company in 2010.  She also served as the plant Controller for Harley’s Kansas City Operation.  Prior to joining Harley-Davidson, she served as CFO for several venture-backed technology companies. Ms. Johnson serves on the Carroll University Board of Trustees and chairs its Audit Committee. She earned an MBA from The University of Chicago, an MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University, and a BS degree from Carroll University.  She is also a CPA.

Joan Lubar, Community Volunteer

Joan is an active community volunteer. She currently serves on the Executive Committee and Financial Resource Committee of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Executive Committee of the Milwaukee Filmmaker Alliance. Additionally, she is serving as the co-chair of the 2019 International Lion of Judah Conference and Vice Chair of National Women’s Philanthropy, the Immediate Past General Campaign Chair for the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, a trustee of the Milwaukee Art Museum and Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Previous work experience includes: Program Director for Fitness Systems, Marketing Director of Hansen Lind Meyer Architects, NYC, and Marketing Director of Take Control Health Enhancement Program of Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of WI. She holds a M.S. in Exercise Physiology and Sports Psychology from UWM and a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition from Colorado State University. She is married and a mother of four children.

Kris Lueders, Foley & Lardner LLP

Kris is currently a paralegal at Foley & Lardner LLP in the Estates & Trusts group having joined the firm in 1975. She received a BA in English from UWM in 1973 where she developed an interest in theater after joining the Theater Committee through the UWM Union. She is returning to the Board after having already served for nine years from 2008-2017. She is married to Wayne Lueders, who also has an interest in theater dating back to his teenage years ushering at the Fred Miller Theater.

James Phelps, President, JCP Construction
With 16 years of industry experience, both on-site and in the office, James leads the construction and business development team at JCP Construction with passion and innovation for exceeding client expectations. James is responsible for overall project management, including coordinating communication and activity with the construction team, scheduling, contracts and aligning subcontractors on multi-million dollar projects. James serves as the President of the Burleigh Community Development Corporation, a board member of the Milwaukee Community Service Corps and formerly served on the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) Steering Committee and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Joseph Pickart, Partner, Husch Blackwell
Joseph practices in taxation, with specific experience in state and local contested matters, litigation and planning. He has successfully represented all types and sizes of taxpayers, including airlines, railroads, telecommunication companies, IT firms, corn and ethanol producers, seed and other agribusinesses, healthcare providers, manufacturers, developers, property managers, local businesses and individuals. Joseph’s representation of taxpayers has covered property tax, sales and use tax, transfer tax, and franchise and income tax disputes with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, other states’ departments of revenue and local assessing authorities. He is a member of the Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation group. Joseph is an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Business, where he teaches all four courses required of students to obtain a Graduate Certificate in State and Local Taxation: Property Taxation, Multistate Income Taxation, Sales and Use Taxation, and Managing Audits. Joseph is the principal author of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Bar Association’s Property Tax Deskbook, and is a frequent speaker and writer on all matters of state and local taxation.

Karen Plunkett, Plunkett Family Foundation
Karen is President /CFO of Design Consultants, Inc., a property and business management firm. She is Managing Director of the Plunkett Family Foundation and other privately held businesses / investment entities. Additionally, she is part of an angel investment network with interest in entrepreneurial / startup ventures (specializing in technology and medical Innovation). A graduate of Stanford University (B.S. Economics) and UCLA (Masters of Architecture), she serves on several privately held corporate board of advisors, and on board of directors for Boerner Botanical Gardens, Cedar Lake Yacht Club, Florentine Opera (life director) and River Hills board of appeals. Prior to Design Consultants Inc., Ms. Plunkett was a Principal, Project Architect and Vice President/Director of Business Development at Plunkett Raysich Architects, a commercial, healthcare and education focused, 125-person design firm. For several years, she also worked in finance with investment banks in Houston and New York City (series 7 license), developing software and communication programs for retail stockbrokers globally. Other unique leadership positions and achievements: appointed to the 11 person AIA (American Institute of Architects) national delegation representing the USA at the UIA (International Congress of Architects) in Istanbul. Climbed to peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro; visited 6 continents and 49 states; sailing (420s) Nationals: 6th place, Stanford University, and in 2016 completed first sprint triathlon.

Craig Swan, Community Volunteer
Lover of all things art and passionate about continual learning, Craig is a graduate of N.Y. State University of Buffalo’s school of Pharmacy. He managed a community Walgreens pharmacy in Wauwatosa for 11 years. An eleven-year chapter in Denver followed where Craig continued to practice pharmacy. Along with his wife Mara, Craig has lived in Mequon for the past 12 years. They have two grown children who now live in Milwaukee.  Craig enjoys Wisconsin’s Northwoods, biking, skiing, and snowmobiling. His love for the arts is reflected by his forays into botanical illustration, art history, creative writing and a lifelong passion for gardening and landscape design. The Swans have subscribed to Milwaukee Rep throughout all their years living in Wisconsin. Volunteering for the Rep’s Immersion Day and recently co- chairing a successful Curtain Call Ball have ignited his enthusiasm and desire to support The Milwaukee Rep and it’s efforts to bring world class theater to the community.

For more information, please visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.

About Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Milwaukee Rep is the largest performing arts organization in Wisconsin in terms of audiences served and one of the largest professional theaters in the country. Each year, The Rep welcomes up to 275,000 people at nearly 700 performances of 15 productions ranging from compelling dramas, powerful classics, new plays and full-scale musicals in its three unique performance venues – the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner Cabaret. Now in its 65th Season, The Rep has gained a national reputation as an incubator of new work, an agent of community change and a forward-thinking provider of vital arts education programs. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Managing Director Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater ignites positive change in the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke, and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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