Sweet Water Team Members

Sweet Water’s team is made up of a group of staff members, program associates, and board members who are all dedicated to achieving Sweet Water’s Mission of restoring the Greater Milwaukee watersheds to conditions that are healthy for swimming and fishing. Learn more about this great group of individuals!

 
 
 

Sweet Water Staff

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Jake Fincher, Executive Director

fincher @ swwtwater .org
O: 414-382-1766
C: 262-716-2211

Jake is the Executive Director of Sweet Water and has been with the organization since 2015. Jake oversees each of the organization’s programs. He holds a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Integrated Science/Business, with an emphasis on water resources.  He is extremely grateful to have the opportunity to combine his career and a passion for the outdoors.

 
 
 

Erin Povak, Watershed Program Director

povak @ swwtwater .org
O: 414-382-1766

Erin joined Sweet Water in 2021 as the Watershed Program Manager. She supports, designs and implements programs in collaboration with the local watershed community to help protect our water resources. She has a B.S. in Forest Ecology and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her MPA from Seattle University.

 
 
 
 

Brigid Meyers, Watershed Program Manager

meyers @ swwtwater .org
O: 414-382-1766

Brigid joined Sweet Water in 2022 as the Watershed Program Coordinator. She supports, designs, and implements organizational educational programs. She has a B.S in Environmental Sustainability from the State University of New York at Oneonta and a M.S in Freshwater Science & Technology from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee.

Claire Kaleta, Project Coordinator

kaleta@swwtwater.org

O: 414-382-1766

Claire joined Sweet Water in 2024 as Project Coordinator. She works with the Sweet Water team to support programs and coordinates the annual Clean Rivers, Clean Lake conference. She has a B.A. in Communication from UW-Milwaukee and an M.S. in Sustainable Management from UW-Green Bay.

Interested in joining our team?

Check our employment page to see if we have any openings!

 
 
 
 

Sweet Water 2023 - 2024 AmeriCorps Members

 
 

Claire Kiefer

americorps @ swwtwater .org

Claire is a member of the AmeriCorps Community Corps and Marshfield Clinics Health Care Services program for the 2023-2024 year. She has a B.S. in Conservation and Environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is passionate about protecting our natural resources using environmental education. She is very eager to work with Sweet Water to help improve watershed education across southeastern Wisconsin.

 
 
 

Liz Bolton

Projectstaff @ swwtwater .org

Liz is a member of the Americorps Community Corps and Marshfield Clinic’s Health Care Services program for the 2023-2024 year. She has a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UW-Stevens Point and an M.S. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in microbiology and public health from UW-Milwaukee. She is thrilled to work with Sweet Water to help improve watershed education across southeastern Wisconsin.

 
 
 

Program Associates

 
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Chris Magruder, Science Advisory Committee Coordinator

Christopher Magruder retired as the Community Environmental Liaison for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) after 35 years of service, where he developed and coordinated the District’s environmental policies.  He has over forty years of experience in water resources related environmental studies and has designed and implemented extensive water quality programs that include real-time remote monitoring, biotoxicity testing and evaluation, pathogen identification, and sediment/water quality interactions. He has provided consulting services to New York State, Environmental Protection Agency-Region II, Indiana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

 
 
 
 
 

Board of Directors

Sweet Water's work is guided by our Board of Directors. Members of the Board represent diverse stakeholders and include leaders of municipalities, businesses, utilities, and nongovernmental organizations. Board members serve three-year terms and meet on a bi-monthly basis. 

2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Alyssa Schmitt, (Co-Chair)

  • Elizabeth Hellman, (Vice Chair - Treasurer), WEC Energy Group

  • Marian Singer (Secretary), Wellntel, Inc.

  • Brent Brown, Jacobs Engineering Group

  • Brian Depies, Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc.

  • Karen Sands, Greenprint Partners and UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education

  • Michelle Scott, (non-voting advisor), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

  • Andrew Struck, Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department

  • Lauren Hill, MolsonCoors

  • Laura Herrick (non-voting advisor), Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

  • Nancy Frank, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, School of Architecture & Urban Planning

  • Susan Coyle, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District