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Board of Trustees
Officers
Coleen Valley
Secretary
Coleen grew up in Waukesha County, returning in 1996. She earned her MS in Counseling and professionally has worked with youth, adults and families in counseling, social work and ministry roles, currently working in behavioral health in Waukesha County. Most gratifying has been the many opportunities and persons met through volunteer and mission work both in Waukesha/Milwaukee counties and throughout the United States. She and her husband Tim have five children and live in Oconomowoc.
Ed Butte
Vice-Chairperson
Ed retired in October of 2022 after a 40+ year career in the industrial electrical controls industry. He earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois. Throughout his career, he has been a problem solver, innovator and customer advocate. Ed and his wife Trish live in Okauchee, WI and have four children, six grandchildren and a spoiled rescue dog – Mixie. He is an active member of St. Anthony’s on the Lake Church in Pewaukee. He previously was on the Finance Committee and Parish Council at St. Jerome Parish in Oconomowoc. He became a Group Chair with Executive Agenda January 2023.
Ed and Trish have volunteered with Family Promise for several years assisting with move in and apartment set up.
Lynn Marsh
Chairperson
Lynn is a lifelong resident of Wisconsin and graduated from Carroll University in 1992 with a BA in Accounting. She started her career in public accounting and then worked in the construction industry as an Accounting Manager, Controller and Chief Operations officer at two local companies. She is now the President of a small local manufacturing company. Lynn has been involved with Family Promise since it began hosting families in 2014 through her church, Delafield Presbyterian. Lynn maintains her CPA credentials. Lynn lives in Hartland with her husband and 2 children.
Tim Smits
Treasurer
Tim is the President of the Thomson Companies, who owns the Meadows Apartments in Waukesha. Tim, the Meadows Apartments and the Dorothy J. Thomson Charitable Fund has been actively engaged in supporting Family Promise, especially since the Apartment Shelter Program began. Tim has been married for 20+ years and has a son and daughter, who both attend college in Wisconsin. He graduated from UW with an accounting degree in 1988. Started in public accounting and then joined the Thomson Companies where he has worked for 30 years- the last two as President. Outside of work Tim loves to play golf and just about any other sporting activity that keeps him active.
Board Members
Bob McCormack
Bob is a longtime resident of Waukesha WI and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BA in Accounting & Finance. He began his career in public accounting and has worked for various companies in leadership roles in Wisconsin, Colorado and Illinois. Having recently retired, Bob joined the Family Promise of Waukesha County (FPWC) board in 2024 after learning more about the affordable housing crisis and homelessness problem in Waukesha County. Bob chairs the Fund Development Committee that creates strategies and plans to raise awareness and funding for FPWC short- and long-term goals. Bob lives in Delafield with his wife and has three grown children and nine grandchildren.
Claire Bessette
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Claire is a Vice President of Community Banking at Waukesha State Bank. Becoming a member of the Board of Trustees gives her an opportunity to become more involved in the Waukesha County community with an organization that aligns with her values. Serving those experiencing homelessness or addiction issues has been a part of her life as she has given time to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, LA Dream Center, and Adullam Outreach.
The contribution Claire sees herself bringing to the board of Trustees are organization, people skills and an emphasis on team building.
Jamie Zussman
James graduated in 1994 from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Political Science. He has lived and worked in Waukesha County for the past 20 years. He is currently the Director of Financial Institutions at The American Deposit Management Company in Pewaukee. He holds a Series 50 license as a Registered Municipal Advisor. He has spent his career in the financial services industry with companies such as Wells Fargo and RateWatch. He has done past volunteer work with St. Vincent DePaul, Cooperating Congregations meal program, Special Olympics of Wisconsin, and Habitat for Humanity. He also volunteers as a track coach at St. Charles School in Hartland and spent 15 years as a WIAA basketball official. James and his wife live in the Town of Delafield with their two daughters.
Jibril Odogba
Jibril is currently the Managing Principal for Pangaea Dimensions, a real estate development company. His background combines professional management, development engineering, and information systems security with design expertise. He believes in service that is free and entrenched in humility, which provides abundant joy and pleasure. He has served as a Board Director of The Africa Education Initiative, a 501c3 non-profit foundation. The Africa Education Initiative championed and supported educational causes in Africa. The work of the Initiative was recognized by the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Office. Currently, he also serves as a Board Director for the Wausau based 501c3 non-profit Tanimu Foundation which focuses on improving health outcomes in Africa. Jibril, his wife and children have lived in Waukesha county for more than a quarter of a century.
Julie Witch
Julie graduated from Marquette University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. In 2016,
she earned her Master of Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch. Julie started her career working
as a Staff Accountant for a Milwaukee-based investment advisor and then worked her way up to
Accounting Manager at a global software company headquartered in Milwaukee. She continued her
accounting career at a local nonprofit as the Controller for all three of its agencies and is currently the
Controller at American Deposit Management LLC in Pewaukee. She also serves on the Advisory Board
for the Wisconsin chapter of Playworks. Julie has lived in Southeastern Wisconsin her whole life, and
currently lives in Waukesha with her husband and daughter.
Lesley Kountz
Lesley has lived and worked in Waukesha County for the past 26 years. As an OT Practitioner, Lesley has dedicated her professional life to working with children and their families. Lesley is also an Instructor in the OTA Program at MATC. She has volunteered with a variety service organizations such Lake Country Caring, Milwaukee Street Angels, the St. Ben’s Meal Program, the Hope Center, and Family Promise whose missions align with her passion of helping others in the community achieve sustainable housing, food, and basic life necessities. Lesley and her husband Al have three adult children and one grandchild.
Mike Hallquist
Mike Hallquist is first and foremost a loving husband and father of two great kids. He graduated from nearby Arrowhead High-School & UW-Milwaukee (Political Science), and later obtained his Masters in Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California.He is currently a Senior Data Architect at GE Healthcare working on data governance & cloud architecture. Mike was elected Alderman of District 4 for the City of Brookfield in April 2020 and advocates for affordable housing, equity, re-development, and increasing the overall accessibility of his community.