Building Rural Communities

Beth joins WEDC from LISC, one of the nation’s largest community development financial institutions, where she oversaw strategies and programs related to access to capital for small businesses across rural America, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She brings to the team a wealth of expertise in commercial real estate development, commercial corridor development, small business capital, entrepreneurship and initiatives at the intersection of arts and culture and economic development. Learn more about Beth.

Delia Kovac brings extensive experience in philanthropy, project management, and capacity building in both urban and rural settings to the Office of Rural Prosperity. Most recently, Delia served as the director of marketing and development at Arts @ Large in Milwaukee, where she secured a $100,000 grant to launch a Mobile Media Lab, marking the first time Impact100 awarded a grant to an arts organization in Wisconsin. This groundbreaking lab, the first in the Midwest, will significantly increase access to digital arts in Milwaukee.

Her previous roles include director of development at Out in the Open in rural Vermont and foundation officer at the Peace Development Fund in Amherst, MA, where she led capacity training for grassroots groups and managed their donor advised funds. As the project manager at Urban Greens Food Co-op in Providence, RI, Delia oversaw the consumer food co-op’s startup phase, which included public and private partnership funding for a mixed-income housing development. Delia holds a master of fine arts degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and a bachelor of fine arts degree in printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Kietra grew up in the pines, prairies and pastures of Wisconsin. She brings extensive experience of coalition building, placemaking, community engagement and sustainability. She has a background in natural resources, micro-business marketing, and sustainable agriculture and has a deep interest in celebrating the culture and stories of rural Wisconsin. Learn more about Kietra.

David “Waabigekek” Fleming Sr., (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe) has over 25 years of experience working in rural communities as a business leader and economic development professional. David is an alumnus of University of Wisconsin-Superior and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with experience in community development finance, small business loan funds, and, most recently, post-secondary education.  David and his family have lived in northern Wisconsin their entire lives. Learn more about David.

Jim Cleveland has a diverse career path that began in finance after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1989. After holding a variety of roles in the banking industry, in 2007 Jim made a career change, spending eight years in a workforce development position with the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce, then moving on to the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation, where he provided technical assistance to communities and originated loans ranging from $5,000 to $4 million on projects totaling up to $24 million. Prior to joining WEDC, Jim was employed as a project manager for a local steel fabricator. Jim is married with three adult children and one grandchild. He enjoys spending time at his family cabin in the Three Lakes area and hiking in the Nicolet National Forest. Learn more about Jim in this post.

Paul has lived in rural southern Wisconsin his entire life and still resides on the family farm which was settled by his ancestors in the late 1800s. He has more than 35 years of experience in the finance field, with a focus on residential housing and first-time home buyer opportunities. He has worked extensively with credit union membership and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which resulted in more than $2 billion of first mortgage loans being granted in a calendar year. His desire to enhance and protect the character of his rural township led him to become the chairman of his township’s planning commission for the past 20 years, during which time they developed and implemented their current land use development plan.