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.  A former health law adjunct instructor at UW-Milwaukee, she speaks frequently throughout the midwest on breast cancer-related topics. Ginny is a graduate of Coe College, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin Law School.

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, vice-president of the Brown County Food and Hunger Network and a contributor to Quest, the statewide LGBT news and entertainment magazine.

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 Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Project Management 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).  Jerry has served on the boards of Equality Wisconsin where he was co-president and the Wisconsin AIDS fund.  In October of 2012 Jerry joined the board of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW).  Previously, Jerry served on an ARCW development committee with a focus on building a stronger relationship between ARCW and Aurora.  Jerry is an avid art collector and serves as Treasurer on the Board of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Contemporary Art Society. He graduated with an MBA – Finance from George Washington University and a BS in Marketing/English from the University at Albany, SUNY.  Jerry has served on the board of the Fair Wisconsin Education Fund since June of 2011.  He resides in the Historic 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.

Rachel Strauch-Nelson, Madison

Originally from Hartland, Wisconsin, Rachel Strauch-Nelson draws some of her communications expertise from her role as press secretary for the 2006 Fair Wisconsin campaign. Since then, she has worked in a variety of communications roles including as communications director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and the office of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. Strauch-Nelson currently lives in Madison and works for the Madison Metropolitan School District.

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.