The Board of Directors of the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center (FWDC) has announced the selection of Lauren Rose Hofland as the Executive Director, Angel Johanek as the Director of Marketing and Development and Michelle Shambeau as the Floor Manager and Volunteer Coordinator.

Hofland was hired as the Interim Executive Director of FWDC in late 2017 and accepted to position of Executive Director earlier this month. She most recently spent 3.5 years at Kohler Co., as their Senior Corporate Giving Analyst.  Hofland has 19 years of nonprofit and government experience, serving as Executive Director of Manitowoc County Asset Building Community, interim Director of Manitowoc County United Way and Executive Director at the Cedarburg Cultural Center.  She was also the Assistant Manitowoc County Executive under Dan Fischer and Bob Ziegelbauer.

Johanek began her position on May 2nd and comes to FWDC from her most recent position as Business Engagement Coordinator at The Chamber of Manitowoc County in Manitowoc, where she was employed for 3.5 years. She has received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations from UW-Platteville and received a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership from Webster University.

Shambeau will begin her position on June 18th.  Shambeau spent the last 6 years at Bay Tek Games in Pulaski as a Human Resource Generalist.  She attended Wisconsin Lutheran College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Communication. She volunteered for two years on the planning team for the 2017 Farm Technology Days.

“It is with great excitement that we welcome Lauren, Angel and Michelle to the Farm Wisconsin Team.  The talent, diverse background and passion for agriculture that these women bring to the organization ensures our success as we gear up for our July 28th Grand Opening,” stated Julie Maurer, Board President for FWDC.

More about the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center:
The Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center will be a state-of-the-art agricultural education center located in Manitowoc County and is slated to open to the public on July 28, 2018. It will provide visitors with the opportunity to connect to the industry by better understanding where their food comes from, and why agriculture is so important to them. The center will feature 10,000 square feet of hands-on learning opportunities a birthing barn where visitors may watch calves being born daily, and an opportunity to tour a local farm to learn about Wisconsin’s rich farm history.