Current Board Members
2025-2026 Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Contact the Executive Committee: info@lwvabcwi.org
Ted Griggs president@lwvabcwi.org
President
I was born in Illinois and have lived in many parts of the United States. Wisconsin’s magnetic pull proved to be strongest, in the end.
I have a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
Among other pursuits, I ran a small remodeling business in Minneapolis for many years. I have served on various volunteer group boards, primarily involving the protection and conservation of land and water in Wisconsin. I live with my partner, Niki, in Ashland. We both enjoy gardening, hiking and sailing on Lake Superior.
The historical unfairness of denying voting rights and civil rights to certain groups, including women, makes my skin crawl. But I take heart from the equally long history of women and other disenfranchised people insisting that America live up to the Declaration of Independence, abide by the Constitution and honor the obligations set forth in treaties made with Sovereign Tribal Nations. The League of Women Voters continues that work, along with efforts in many other vital matters.
Our League chapter board, and our overall membership, is stocked with people possessing skills, brains, experience and dedication. That combination leads to consistent and effective local, statewide and national results in every category the League embraces.
The most important qualification I bring to the job of League Chapter president is an ability to recognize such people, support them and get out of their way.
Open
Vice President
Open
President-elect
Anne Chartier
Secretary
I became a member of the League of Women Voters of Ashland and Bayfield Counties in the nineties, invited by my dear friend Liz Quast. Serving then as Voter Services chair was both challenging and rewarding. Over the years, and especially now as president, I have attended several gatherings organized by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. As a result of such experiences, along with the numerous programs and events I have participated in locally, I am very proud to be part of such a valuable organization.
Being non-partisan has never been a concern for me because issues are more important to me than affiliation to political parties or candidates. As difficult as democracy feels at times, and as threatened as the rule of law may seem when truth and justice don’t prevail, I am well aware of the good fortune so many of us in this country enjoy. It is our duty to make sure the rights, liberties and well-being afforded to some are available to all.
I am a retired public school Spanish teacher committed to social and environmental justice. Having been born in Massachusetts, and although I have strong ties to both shores of the Río de la Plata where I grew up, I love living in this part of the world. At this point I have spent almost half my life in and around the Chequamegon Bay, appreciating its people, the arts, and the outdoors. Our Lake Superior and surrounding landscape are magnificent! My volunteer work beyond the League includes tutoring in reading, ESL classes, and translating for migrant workers from Central America.
Roger Aiken
Treasurer
Directors
Barb Bell
Terri Bieganek
Aurora Conley
Aniin! I am Anishinaabe, born in Ashland and raised on the Bad River reservation. I still live here amongst most of my family, raising my three children. I enjoy being at home at the lake, traveling, and being with my children, family, friends and community
I am passionate about many issues related to Environmental Justice, Indigenous Rights & Sovereignty, Democracy, Leadership and Harm Reduction.
I worked for the Tribal Legal Department from 2012 to 2018, where a colleague and I co-founded the Bad River Harm Reduction program-Gwayakobiimaadiziwin- in the region in 2015. I spent time with WI Native Vote in 2012 training and canvassing and continue to work with them personally and professionally, supporting their work in the State. I had the honor of a Leadership Wisconsin Fellowship in 2017 with UW Extension that was amazing!
I currently focus on Natural Resources working for the Tribe’s Land Office since 2020.
I just recently joined the League and am excited to engage and learn.
Joan Elias
I have lived in Iron County for the past nearly 30 years, outside of the counties included in our local LWV chapter. Despite my address, I have been on the LWV board several times dating back to the mid-1990s. During each stint on the board I have focused my energy on natural resource issues, which is where my expertise lies. Currently I’m chairing our Natural Resources Advocacy Committee.
I enjoy working with the LWV for several reasons. This group of dedicated women and men gets things done! I appreciate and have a great deal of respect for my fellow board members and I feel like I am appreciated and respected in return. We are active on many fronts – most of which I do not have expertise in, but someone else does. It’s a collaborative group that trusts and supports one another.
Other than LWV, my recent volunteer activities have been with the Superior Rivers Watershed Association (formerly the Bad River Watershed Association) and several bird survey programs. I enjoy gardening, camping, botanizing, all sorts of outdoor activities, yoga, and reading. I grow much of my own food and actively manage the land on which I pay taxes - cutting firewood, trying to control diseases and exotic species, and maintaining trails.
The best book I’ve read lately is “The Overstory” by Richard Powers. Its widespread popularity gives me hope that with enough people who care, we may not destroy our planet after all.
Diane Koosed
I moved to the Chequamegon Bay area from Portland, OR in 2018, several years after retiring from a career as an educator.
I first became involved in the League as a member of the Voter Services Committee, eventually becoming the committee's co-chair. Now, in 2023, I am taking on the role of Membership Committee Chair. I believe strongly in the League's mission.
My involvement on the Board fulfills for me a need to be useful in an organization I respect and with people I hold in high regard.
Alison Lutterman
Hello, I’m M. Alison Lutterman (Alison). I have been on the board for two years and currently serve as the Voter Services Committee Chair.
I joined the league in 2022 but have been interested in the work of the League of Women Voters for many years. My demanding legal career and family life took precedence over my other interests but once I retired and de-stressed from my professional career I decided it was time to get involved in interests that I put on the backburner during my career.
I enjoy creating opportunities to engage in voter education and registration initiatives because an educated, engaged voter is foundational to a healthy democracy. As committee chair I also prioritize organizing candidate forums for local elections because these elections do not get enough media attention and leave voters insufficiently knowledgeable about the candidates.
Our vote is our voice, so vote like our democracy depends on your voice, because it does.
Jan Penn
Raised in what was German Catholic farm country north of Milwaukee, I moved north even before graduation from UW-Milwaukee, as the north is the “last frontier.” Married Rick whose family immigrated early from Poland to East End Ashland, and who retains, like I, a bit of the old world ethic- on steroids.
We live in the Penokee’s of Highbridge along Billy Creek where we raised our daughter Aliina, and where twin granddaughters are learning the fine arts of knowing the woods, where food comes from and raising chickens.
While a retired Nurse Practitioner, my passion is the natural world, its people and social justice. I have been active in the LWV/ABC going back to somewhere in the 80’s. This has been a perfect match offering opportunity to make wonderful friendships and collaborate on the issues that mean most to me. I’ve been on the board for a long time and served as President a few rounds. Working on teams in studies on Health Care/Universal Health Coverage, Land Use & Shoreline Laws, Comprehensive Planning, Mining and Economic Development, Economic Inequality, and Making Democracy Work have challenged me to consider critical issues. I live with hope that this work will leave a better world for my daughter, granddaughters, family and neighbors.
Most recently the pandemic, country wide protests, the Canadian Tar Sands Pipeline Corporation-line5 and climate change have revealed the broad challenges of eco and economic justice. It is exciting to be working with the LWV and our partners during this time of a vital global paradigm shift. Exhausting but necessary work, done only in SOLIDARITY!
Kelly Westlund
