Community Powered Staff

Chrissy Widmayer
Director of Community Powered
Email Chrissy
(608) 265-1052
About Chrissy
Chrissy is the Director of Community Powered at Wisconsin Humanities. Community Powered is an initiative that puts the humanities tools of history, culture, and storytelling in the hands of Wisconsinites through training and educational programming. Chrissy has a PhD in Folklore Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University. She spent over ten years teaching folklore, writing, oral history, and other humanities courses at the college level in both Wisconsin and Virginia. Her research explores how communities create connections and relationships using foodways and storytelling and has appeared in Narrative Culture, Digest: A Journal of Foodways and Culture, New Directions in Folklore, and Cultural Analysis. Chrissy is also a co-founder of WiseFolk Productions and content creator for Folkwise.

Arijit Sen
Founder, Advisor, Former Co-Director
About Arijit
Dr. Arijit Sen is a historian of everyday places and ordinary people. He examines the cultural landscapes of immigrant communities and interprets cities from the bottom up by engaging the voices and histories of urban communities traditionally ignored in official narratives. In 2022 he was inducted as a Fellow in the Society of Architectural Historians.
Sen has directed public history and preservation fieldwork projects in Milwaukee, Chicago, Calgary, and New Orleans. Since 2012 he has directed the Buildings-Landscapes-Cultures field school, a public humanities project that engages students, scholars, and community members in a collaborative exploration and documentation of the history and heritage of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. The field school is currently partnering with the Newark-based Humanities Action Lab to contribute to “Climates of Inequality,” a traveling exhibit on environmental justice.
You can read more about Sen’s published work and other contributions here.

Benny Witkovsky
Stand Up to Hate Program Coordinator
About Benny
Benny Witkovsky is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison whose work explores the potential and pitfalls of municipal politics in Wisconsin. His dissertation, Fig-Leaves or Fortresses: Nonpartisan Politics in a Polarized Time, examines material ranging from early 20th Century campaigns against Socialism to contemporary debates over mask mandates to consider how nonpartisan city politics yields to (and resists) partisan polarization. Other research projects have focused on the local dimensions of the rural-urban divide, the politics of prison building in small towns, the civic engagement of elders in rural Wisconsin, and efforts to build better relationships between the Madison Police Department and local Black, Hmong, and Latinx communities. Previously, Benny worked for religious nonprofits including Interfaith Alliance, the Shoulder-to-Shoulder Campaign, and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Outside of school, Benny enjoys camping, hiking, and biking around Wisconsin with his family.
2025 WH Fellows
The WH Fellows training program puts the humanities tools of history, culture, and storytelling in the hands of Wisconsinites. This class began training in February 2025 and focused on strengthening democracy by strengthening communities ties.

Trinaty Caldwell
Keshena, WI
About Trinaty
Trinaty Caldwell is currently an intern at Menominiyou working to learn the Menominee language. She lives with her family in Keshena, spending valuable time in community and on the land. In her spare moments, she likes to read and explore new art mediums.

Mercedes Falk
Waumandee, WI
About Mercedes
Mercedes Falk is the director of Puentes/Bridges, a non-profit organization that works to build bridges between the community that immigrates to work here and our rural and farming communities. She works with dairy farmers and their employees from Mexico to increase their understanding of one another through interpretation, trips to Mexico, and learning about each other’s cultures. Mercedes grew up in Milwaukee and slowly gravitated towards rural life when she started working on a CSA farm during her teaching career in the city. She discovered that she loves learning about all forms of agriculture and moved to Buffalo County in 2014 to work on a small farm. Her work has taught her how powerful it is when people from different walks of life take the time to get to know each other on a deeper level.

Melissa Fowler
Cumberland, WI
About Melissa
Melissa “Niigaaniigaabowikwe” Fowler is an Anishinaabe birchbark and diverse media artist and owner of Creatively Indigenous. She is a Lac Courte Oreilles tribal member and has been a St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin community member for over 20 years where she lives with her husband, Thomas, and her seven children. Melissa’s passions include traditional and endangered Anishinaabe art forms. Her personal and professional experience includes family science, foster care and adoption, positive indigenous parenting, and special needs parenting. Melissa and her family host a monthly gathering, Cumberland Deaf Socials, for deaf, hard of hearing, interpreters, ASL learners, friends, family, and anyone wanting to practice sign language. She is a 2025 recipient of Minnesota Historical Society’s Encouragement Award and is excited to exhibit her artwork in upcoming exhibits and shows.

Waqnahwew Benjamin Grignon
Keshena, WI
About Waqnahwew
Waqnahwew Benjamin Grignon is the Traditional Menominee Arts instructor at the Menominee Nation High School. He represents the Menominee Nation and approaches culturally responsive education by using Menominee Language, Culture, and art to promote and preserve tribal history as a pathway for future generations and positively influence the education of the youth in his community. He is the 2019 Wisconsin High School Teacher of the Year; the recipient of the 2019 Wisconsin Education Association Council Award for Teaching Excellence; the recipient of the 2020 National Education Association’s Leo Reano Memorial Human and Civil Rights Award; and the 2022 First People’s Fund Education Fellow for the We the People’s Before Education initiative at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

Tracey Robertson
Sturgeon Bay, WI
About Tracey
Tracey Robertson is a distinguished leader in business, entrepreneurship, and community engagement, with a passionate commitment to anti-racism and social justice. She is the Founder and Lead Equity Strategist at QUAD DEI Consultants, LLC, where she provides coaching and consulting on equity initiatives, driving meaningful change within organizations and communities. Recognized for her dedication, Tracey has been honored as one of Wisconsin’s Most Influential African Americans and featured on platforms such as Wisconsin Public Television’s Here & Now, WBAY’s Power 2 Change series, and TEDx Oshkosh. Her voice is often heard as a keynote speaker at local and statewide events. An accomplished author, Tracey has published two books, with her memoir, Growing Up Stained, slated for release this year. In 2024, she was elected to the Board of Directors for Friends of PBS Wisconsin, where she contributes to its Advocacy and Engagement Committee. Outside of her professional endeavors, Tracey enjoys spending time with family and friends and takes pride in being a grandmother to three boys. She finds joy in perfecting her American Sign Language skills, learning guitar, reading, cooking, baking, and cherishing moments with her dog, Nikki.

Nateya Taylor
Milwaukee, WI
About Nateya
Nateya Taylor is a multimedia storyteller based in Milwaukee, WI. As a strong advocate for racial equity, health equity, and Black liberation, she intersects written and visual storytelling to interrogate the anti-blackness that is endemic in our social structures and the internalized anti-blackness that accompanies it. Instead, she reveals the multifacetedness of Blackness through her work. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science degree in Urban Studies with a certificate in Digital Cultures. Her research focuses on residential segregation, Black geographies, and Black resistance. She incorporates her academic expertise into her storytelling practice to tell informative and educational stories. Nateya is also the founder of Naesthetycs, an emerging multimedia production company that aims to use authentic storytelling and aesthetics as a catalyst that inspires empathy, ignites activism, and leads to more equitable futures for Black folks and other historically marginalized groups.

Kate Van Haren
Pittsville, WI
About Kate
Kate Van Haren is an innovative educator and scholar dedicated to empowering communities through civic engagement and social studies education. As a Wisconsin Humanities Fellow, she brings extensive experience in curriculum development, primary source instruction, and culturally relevant pedagogy to her community work. Currently serving as Vice President of the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies, Kate has a demonstrated commitment to advancing educational practices that promote critical thinking and civic awareness. Her work spans multiple domains, from teaching 4th and 5th-grade social studies to developing statewide curriculum initiatives and leading professional development workshops. With numerous publications, conference presentations, and awards, Kate consistently demonstrates her passion for creating meaningful educational experiences that connect local communities to broader historical and civic narratives.

Feather Wilkens
Crandon, WI
About Feather
Feather Wilkens is a unique, intelligent, independent, wonderful, giving, and open-minded person. A single mother of two girls, ages two and six, her home life keeps her quite busy. Professionally, Feather has completed the Digital Stewardship Program through OCLC, Tribal Business Management through Nicolet Area Technical College and Genealogy through IAP College. She has volunteered and worked for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community all her life. Being a tribal member herself, she searched to find her place within the community. Stumbling upon the Mole Lake Cemetery, she found a purpose in finding our past and respecting our ancestors, by finding the unmarked and unnamed Graves. She has given it her mission to help the new generations learn about their past, always saying, “you can’t know your future unless you know your past!”
2024 WH Fellows
The WH Fellows training program puts the humanities tools of history, culture, and storytelling in the hands of Wisconsinites. Our first class started training in June 2024 and was focused on Northwestern Wisconsin.

Tess Komas
Ashland, WI
About Tess
Tess graduated with a master’s degree in architecture from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May 2023. In beginning her professional career, she accepted a full-time position at C&S Design & Engineering, a small firm in Ashland, Wisconsin as a Project Manager and Designer. In the past year, she has also taught as an Adjunct Professor for a freshman history theory course and worked with Reflo, a non-profit organization that, of many things, helps Milwaukee Public Schools redesign their outdoor space.Tess values her ability and desire to travel. Experiences outside the country have broadened her outlook on the world, watching cultures, classes and people merge in the midst of architecture. As an aspiring architect, Komas wants to use her forward thinking in becoming a strong advocate for community development and designing with empathy and sustainability in mind.

Nick Eliot
Ashland, WI
About Nick
Nick Eliot is a community activist and consultant in Northwest Wisconsin, focused on culturally competent healthcare access for the LGBTQ+ community. Coming of age outside Philadelphia during the AIDS Crisis instilled an awareness of how our stories and history can be lost within the blink of an eye, and how the marginalization of a community can lead to significant health disparities. Nick serves on the Northlakes Community Clinic board, and the Minnesota Transgender Alliance – Duluth/NW WI Chapter leadership. As a co-author in 2022, he will never forget how the community turned out to support its historic City of Ashland Pride Resolution. Nick’s work within the Trans and Gender Diverse community has made him believe that LGBTQ+ existence depends upon healing intergenerational trauma, by preserving our culture and history within the hopes, dreams, and joy of our future generations.

Phoebe Burchill
Ashland, WI
About Phoebe
Passionate about fostering progressive change in northwest WI, Phoebe returned to Ashland after college to plant roots and contribute to her community. Challenging experiences in higher education and dealing with chronic illness has forged her dedication to improving community support systems. Phoebe volunteers with Meals on Wheels and Stone Soup Community Cafe, helped organize a successful Pride Festival in 2023, and supports activist efforts around systemic issues. Her enthusiasm for fostering connection and well-being within her community reflects her unwavering belief in the power of collective support. Beyond her volunteer work, she finds solace in caring for her family’s aging horses and donkeys, reflecting her philosophy of extending loving care to all beings. Phoebe believes in action as the antidote to anxiety, committing herself to continual positive change amidst environmental and societal upheaval.

Teresa Schmidt
Mercer, WI
About Teresa
Teresa Schmidt has served as the director of the Mercer Public Library for over 15 years and has lived in Wisconsin’s Northwoods for over 25 years. In her role as library director, Teresa emphasizes the importance of collaborating with area organizations and businesses not only to assist them in their work, but also to provide library programs that are relevant to her community. She believes in the power of local history and stories to connect people across generations, to help them remain connected to their community, and to find paths towards the future. When she’s not at the library, Teresa enjoys dabbling in crafts of all kinds, making and listening to music, and exploring the outdoors with her family.

Jim Olmsted
Gordon, WI
About Jim
Jim is passionate about environmental issues and social justice for underrepresented communities. He is a volunteer with the Scouts, the Gordon-Wascott Historical Society, and the Brule/ St. Croix Chapter of the North Country Hiking Trail where he has been a trail maintainer for the last 12 years. Jim finds spirituality in nature; he advocates for the Boundary Water’s protection where he is a guide and leads a canoe trip every summer. After 25 years of making Wisconsin a greener place through his nursery and landscape company, Jim returned to school in 2023 to pursue his Ph.D. in history. He is also working on protecting and restoring an early 20th-century rustic-style log lodge in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. His goal is to advance the social and cultural history of the Gordon area, and more generally, to help develop history in local and underrepresented communities in Wisconsin.

Tammy Schutz
Chetek, WI
About Tammy
Tamera (Tammy) Schutz has been the Executive Director of the Pioneer Village Museum, Cameron, Wisconsin since 2015. She holds degrees in Marketing, Marketing Education, and Business Administration. During the time Tammy has been at the Pioneer Village, revenues have doubled, and visitation went from 2000 per year to over 13,000. She initiated youth day camps, traditional craft classes for adults, and a host of annual cultural events, such as Mid-Sommer’s Eve, Native American Heritage Day, and Oktoberfest.Schutz is the current vice-president of the Wisconsin Council for Local History. She is an ambassador for the Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce. She founded and is actively engaged with the Northwest Wisconsin Museum Consortium. She is deeply involved with a group that is seeking National Park Service designation of the Red Cedar Watershed as a National Historic Area. Tamera lives in rural Chetek, with her husband, Robert. They love to travel, garden, hike, weave, rendezvous, and spend time with their grandchildren.

JoAnn Jardine
Superior, WI
About JoAnn
JoAnn Jardine, grew up in Superior, graduated from the U of M-Minneapolis, worked as a photojournalist in Southern MN. She and her husband came home to Superior to raise their three sons. During this time, she operated a photography studio downtown for more than twenty years, where she photographed people and events. She is a Google trained Photographer specializing in virtual tours for businesses and online maps. She was the Assistant Director of the Douglas County Historical Society. In the last few years, she has been working in the movie industry in Duluth. After seeing the positive impacts that MN film incentives have on the local economy, she helped to pass the first municipal film incentive in the state of WI. She is working to establish The Superior Craft School and a bike/ski shop for Superior. She recently held the Second Annual Northland Peeps Art Show in cooperation with Superior Public Museums.

Alison Moffat
Superior, WI
About Alison
Alison serves as the Manager of Library Services for Northwood Technical College. Based in Superior, WI, she is drawn to opportunities that bring people together through arts, culture, and history. Alison is a co-founder of Duluth Beer & Hymns, a quiz writer for Perfect Duluth Day, and a co-organizer of Nerd Nite Duluth. As part of a Leadership Superior Douglas County, she was thrilled to assist in organizing the Pridewalks project in 2023. In addition to being a volunteer for the Duluth Playhouse and Duluth Homegrown Music Festival, Alison currently serves on the Superior Community Garden Association board (and gardens with them, too!).
Pilot Program Project Coordinators
The Community Powered pilot program took place from June 2022-May 2023. We hired four young humanities professions to work full time in their communities to develop community projects. Each project coordinator worked with a local mentor. The pilot program was recently honored with the Schwartz Prize for Outstanding Public Humanities Programs from the Federation of State Humanities Councils!

Emily Riewestahl
Spooner, WI

Rachel Steiner
Appleton, WI

Sapatis Menomin
Forest County Potawatomi Community
