What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job and why?
Helping people and organizations solve difficult problems. Our firm works with a bunch of clients from many very different industries and each day has its own unique problems. Navigating the world of public affairs, especially during COVID-19, is an exhilarating task. It can be potentially overwhelming to tackle so much variety each day, but it is also so rewarding to keep all the plates spinning successfully.
I would add, too, that we are a family business, so working with your family always comes with its challenges but also plenty of rewards.
Who do you look up to or admire in business and why?
I am generally skeptical of “tech gurus,” celebrity startup founders, and LinkedIn influencers. History has lots of good examples that we can view with some context. I think the jury is still out on the legacy of people like the Elon Musks and Jack Welchs (no relation!) of the world. Andrew Carnegie is one of my favorite business leaders to read about. He comes with a bunch of problematic parts of his story, but there are a lot of business lessons, good and bad, to be learned from him.
I think about people who have impacted me directly much more than any national figures. I have great admiration for some of my former supervisors, notably Gretchen Jameson and Mike Brown at Concordia University. They both lead with a humble strength that I really hope to emulate in my career.
Finally, I admire my grandparents, who both operated farms, which are probably the most difficult businesses to operate. On my dad’s side, Betty and Bill took unfertile sand that no one wanted and turned it into a profitable Christmas tree business. And on my mom’s side, Esther and Henry started a honey farm during the Depression and went on to be the largest honey producer in the state. Both sides of my family were heavily involved in their professional associations, which is another reason it is so rewarding to represent so many associations at The Welch Group.
What has been the high point of your career so far?
I have had the opportunity to conceive, plan, fund, and execute several really exciting collaborations in the last few years. Starting new organizations, partnerships, and events really is a joy. One specific event that sticks in my mine was the collaboration I helped lead for the first OnRamp Healthcare Conference put on by Gener8tor and the Wisconsin Medical Society. It was a truly special event.
Thinking back on your career, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Listen.
What would you say are the best things about living and working in Dane County?
The twin engines of the university and the government make Madison a unique business ecosystem to work in. Also the food — there’s a pretty remarkable selection of ways to fill your belly. We live down in Stoughton, which is a great small community with easy access to the amenities of Madison.
Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
I started my college career as an opera performance major, but my singing these days is mostly confined to covering pop music from the late 90s at our piano while drinking scotch.
What are your guilty pleasures?
My work is all about words and relationships, so I cultivate a lot of hands-on hobbies. I garden and woodwork, and also enjoy fly fishing and rock climbing. When I get tired of those things, I usually relax into a big, boring history book.
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