Fair Wisconsin Education Fund
203 S. Paterson Street, Suite 200
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
phone: 608.441.0143
fax: 608.268.0146
About the Board
Robert Starshak, President, Fox Point
Robert Starshak is a radiologist, and a graduate of the Medical College of Wisconsin. He has served on the Fair Wisconsin Education Fund Board since 2007. He lives with his life partner, Ross Draegert in Fox Point. He has a long history of philanthropy and service to the LGBT community. Among other functions, he has been the vice president of the Cream City Foundation, southeast Wisconsin’s LGBT charitable foundation. He and Ross share two passions: activism for equality for LGBT persons and collecting American Federal antiques.
Virginia (Ginny) Finn, Vice President, Milwaukee
Ginny Finn lives in Milwaukee and is an attorney and consultant to non-profit organizations. She currently serves as Executive Director at ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis and teaches health law at UW-Milwaukee. Ginny is a graduate of Coe College, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Steven Miller, Secretary, Milwaukee
Steven Miller has been involved with political volunteering for over a decade, having volunteered for Tom Barrett for Governor in the 2002 primary and for Barrett’s campaigns for mayor in 2004 and 2008. Steven works in the interior design and home furnishing business, and operates his own design consulting and lighting design business outside of his full time employment in Milwaukee. Steven has worked with the Human Rights League – Political Action Committee (HRL-PAC) for the past 9 years in different fundraising capacities, and for the last four years as Secretary on the Board of Directors. Steven lives just off Lake Michigan in the Milwaukee Bay View area and enjoys food and cooking, and the company of his two dogs and cat at home. Outside of his home life he enjoys home remodeling, cars, and any social event he can squeeze into his schedule.
Shannon Anderson, Treasurer, Madison
Shannon Anderson, CFP®, is a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial. She moved back to Madison in 2008 after living in Buffalo, NY for 10 years. In Buffalo, she served the LGBT community as president of Pride Buffalo. Here in Madison she has served on the boards of OPEN (Out Professional and Executive Network) and Outreach.
F. M. “Mike” Fitzpatrick, Green Bay
F. M. “Mike” Fitzpatrick is the bilingual case manager at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) in Green Bay, a contributor to Quest, the statewide LGBT news and entertainment magazine, and secretary of Rainbow Over Wisconsin, Inc., the charitable and educational foundation serving the LGBT community in central, eastern, and northeast Wisconsin.
Ruth Irvings, Shorewood
Ruth Irvings is a lawyer with Nelson, Irvings & Waeffler, S.C. She concentrates her work in estate planning, including planning for same-sex couples and domestic partners, and speaks regularly to community and professional groups on LGBT legal issues. She and her partner have two sons.
Todd Larson, Blanchardville
Todd Larson served with the United Nations (UN) for two decades, most recently in New York and Geneva, and previously in various field postings with both the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Todd led a 12 year effort for the UN to recognize the same gender relations of UN staff for the purposes of accrual of related benefits and entitlements of employment - ultimately successful, Todd’s advocacy directly prompted the first concrete, internal steps in defense of LGBT rights in the 60 year history of the UN.
Jerry Janis, Milwaukee
Jerry Janis is Vice President of Strategic Planning for Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee. Previously, Jerry was a VP IT with CVS Caremark and also worked for the consulting firms PricewaterhouseCoopers and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He has served on the boards of Equality Wisconsin where he was co-president and the Wisconsin AIDS fund. He currently serves on a Development Committee to build a stronger relationship between Aurora and ARCW – the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. Jerry is an avid art collector and is a new member of the Board of the Contemporary Arts Society of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Jerry has an MBA – Finance from George Washington University. He resides in the Third Ward neighborhood of Milwaukee.
Helen Boyd Kramer, Appleton
Helen Boyd is the author of two books about transgender issues and identities, My Husband Betty (2004) and She’s Not the Man I Married (2007). She currently teaches gender studies at Lawrence University, has spoken at numerous conferences and universities, and most recently appeared on Dan Savage’s podcast.
Willem (Will) Van Roosenbeek, La Crosse
Willem Van Roosenbeek is the director of the Pride Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He lives in La Crosse with his partner Tara DeLong and their dog Lily.