Lakeland welcomes new advancement staff members
51ĀŅĀ× has added three new staff members ā Anne Lapinski, Rhonda Plotkin and Liesl Testwuide ā to its advancement team.
All three will serve the institution as director of development.
āThe array of talent, experience and connections that Rhonda, Liesl and Anne bring with them is extraordinary,ā said Greg Rutzen, Lakelandās vice president for advancement & university relations.
āLakeland is fortunate to have them join forces with Shelby Lang and Sydney Pingitore on the advancement team. Together we're working to support the university's continued success and to serve our students.ā
Lapinski has more than a decade of experience in event planning and management, marketing and operations. She comes to Lakeland from The Christopher Farm and Gardens where she served as director of museum operations and events, leading dual departments for the popular 60-acre botanical garden and private museum.
She managed more than 50 events and gatherings during her tenure, including June-a-Palooza, the annual Meals on Wheels fundraiser; the United Way of Sheboygan County Campaign Celebration; and Gather in the Gardens, which welcomed nearly 400 attendees in support of Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization.
She previously worked as marketing & operations coordinator at Kara Marie Boutique in Grafton, Wis., managing daily operations and a digital sales community of over 20,000 members, and worked as education programs coordinator at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wis.
Lapinski received a master of arts degree in early modern history from Swansea University, Swansea, Wales UK and a bachelorās degree in history from St. Norbert College.
Plotkin has more than 20 years of experience working for some of the top organizations in Milwaukee, including Alverno College, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and WUWM, Milwaukee Public Radio.
She has a full spectrum of experience including capital campaigns, major gift fundraising, planned gifts, corporate solicitations, volunteer management and special events. She has also worked in contract negotiations, board development, endowed funds, strategic fundraising plans and training.
Plotkin received a master of arts in mass communication from Marquette University and a bachelor of arts in journalism and sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Testwuide has nearly two decades of experience leading relationship-based fundraising. She comes to Lakeland from a role as senior manager of art preservation at the Kohler Foundation, where she leads a team that secures multi-million-dollar in-kind donations.
She has also worked for the University of Virginia, College Planning Source, the Girl Scouts of Manitou Council, was an English teacher at Menomonee Falls and Whitefish Bay high schools and worked as a private educational consultant.
Testwuide is a familiar face in the community, having served on the boards for the Girl Scouts of Manitou Council, the Weill Center, president of the Sheboygan Service Club and a founding phase board member for Lake Country Academy. She is a longtime mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
She received a bachelorās in English literature from UW-Madison and has a teaching certificate and several credits in graduate coursework from Marquette.
