Onalaska Education Foundation (OEF)
Our Mission
Heather Chial- President
Traci Breit- Past President
Kristin Born- Vice President
Melissa de Boer- Secretary
Benjamin Bain
Supriya Daithankar
Fayme Evenson
Niki Furlano
Rachel Knight
Kerri Langen
Kelly McMahon
RJ Oschner
Jake Ramey
Ryan Sherry
Nikki Walleen
Board of Education members and school administrators began to discuss creating an education foundation to support students and educators in Onalaska, WI, in 1996. By December of that same year, the Board of Education formally stated their desire to support community efforts to establish an education foundation in Onalaska. The proposed purpose of the education foundation was to enhance the educational enterprise within the Onalaska community. The Board of Education then directed Larry Dalton, Director of Finance, to seek detailed information about the start-up of an education foundation from the Wisconsin Educational Foundation Network (WEFNET). On December 12, 1996, Mr. Dalton made the following recommendations to the Board of Education:
In January 1997, the Board of Education and Onalaska school administrators presented a list of names for the proposed education foundation’s steering committee. The steering committee was formed and proceeded to hold informational sessions in 1997. Several members of the steering committee attended the WEFNET conference in Madison, WI, on November 14, 1997. Following their return, the steering committee met on December 8, 1997, to set forth the process and procedures needed to establish an education foundation in Onalaska, WI. The steering committee and subcommittees met several times in early 1998 as they worked to develop the necessary policies and procedures for the governance of a non-profit foundation as required by Wisconsin Statute Chapter 181 and Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The first official meeting of the Onalaska Foundation For Educational Excellence, Inc., more commonly known as the Onalaska Education Foundation (OEF), was held in the school board room at Onalaska High School on June 11, 1998. Twelve charter board members were installed, and four officers were elected, and the Onalaska Foundation For Educational Excellence, Inc. was established for the specific purpose set forth in Article 3 of Incorporation.