Who We Are

Our Mission is to move the Ashland area community forward through funding educational opportunities that help create and enrich diverse experiences for all learners.

History

The Ashland Education Fund was established in the summer of 2015 with an anonymous start up donation of $100,000 which was given with the belief that Ashland educators and learners are capable of great things that will strengthen our community. 
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Fund Management

The Ashland Education Fund was established to provide permanent support for education in the Ashland community.  This fund is primarily managed as an endowment, with the principal rarely being accessed, thereby creating a system where contributions grow and continue to fund quality education in perpetuity.  The greater the contributions given to the fund, the larger the distributions are to the area education programs.

Board of Directors

The Ashland Education Fund Board is committed to growing the Ashland Education Fund and is responsible for reviewing and recommending grants.

John Beirl: Born and raised in Ashland, matured and educated at the UW-Madison, seasoned by living for over a decade in the U.P. of Michigan and finally able to come back home to Ashland where he lives in the house he grew up in and is president of Northern State Bank.  He and his wife Denise have two grown daughters.  John is on the City of Ashland Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, Ashland Ore Dock Charitable Trust – President, City of Ashland Board of Zoning Appeals, Ashland Ore Dock Ad Hoc Committee, Wisconsin Bankers Association Insurance Trust, Chequamegon Bay UW Alumni Club.

Ann Bochler: Ann is a full-time Mom and volunteer.  She is mother to a recent AHS grad and a current AHS student.  Ann currently serves on the Ashland Board of Education and the board of the Health and Wellness Fund of MMC.  Ann co-chaired the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Ashland and Bayfield Counties for over 15 years.  She is a past member of the Ashland Charter Schools Council, Big Top Chautauqua Board of Directors, Depot Restoration Committee, Ashland Chamber of Commerce Board, Ashland Parks and Rec Committee, and Ashland Waterfront Commission.

Valerie Damstra: Val works at Northland College as the Operations Manager for the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation.  She is the mother of an Ashland Middle School student. While not a Wisconsin native, Val and her family consider Ashland home, and she enjoys volunteering in the community.  She has served on the board for the Bad River Watershed Association (now Superior Rivers Watershed Association), Friends of the Lincoln Community Forest, Ashland Charter School Council, and Lake Superior Elementary PTO.  Val was also an inaugural member of the City of Ashland Sustainability Committee, and remains an active Girl Scout troop co-leader.  She also volunteers with her daughter at the Helping PAWS Pet Rescue in Washburn, doing shelter cleaning and fostering cats.

Katie Matthias: Katie is the Director of Student Learning for the School District of Ashland.  She grew up in southern Wisconsin, and worked in the Madison and Milwaukee areas as a high school science teacher before moving overseas.  Katie lived in Costa Rica for six years working in an American school as a science teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and Director of Learning. Following Costa Rica, she lived in Dubai for two years working as a Director of Data and Curriculum before moving to Ashland.  Katie and her husband have lived in Ashland for the past three years.  They love living in northern Wisconsin and enjoying the great outdoors.

Becky Sapper: Becky works for the University of Wisconsin Madison, Division of Extension directing the statewide Wisconsin Master Naturalist Program.  She is the mother to two Ashland High School graduates.  Becky has been an active volunteer in the community for more than 25 years on various boards including Girl Scouts, Chequamegon Audubon Society, and the Friends of the White River. She also volunteered in the schools for eight years and has served on a Community Advisory Team for the School District of Ashland.
         
Eileen VanPernis: Eileen is the mother of three adult children, who all graduated from the Ashland School System.  She presently volunteers at the primary school 2 days a week and at the BRICK.  Her interest in education has been lengthy.  She taught in the Ashland School District for 23 years and feels honored to serve the children of our District.  Eileen has served on many boards and enjoys many outdoor activities.