Our Staff
Dena Wortzel
Executive Director
Dena Wortzel, Executive Director, came to WH in 1994 to direct the grant program. She became Executive Director in 2008. Dena loves the public humanities because they allow her to marry her commitment to equity and justice with her passion for the endlessly rich culture and fascinating lives of her fellow Wisconsinites. A former urban dweller and self-described world citizen, Dena’s love of Wisconsin’s rural communities and landscapes began over two decades ago when she set down roots on a former dairy farm in Iowa county. Today, when she isn’t working with her WH colleagues and statewide partners to use the humanities to tackle our state’s challenges, you can find her at home, riding a horse or fermenting pickles. Dena has a BA in English from Wesleyan University and MS in Sociology from UW-Madison.
Michael Kean
Associate Director
Michael Kean, Associate Director, has been working for the Wisconsin Humanities since the year 2000. Michael is responsible for oversight of all administrative, accounting, and fiscal functions of the organization, as well as grant administration, review and reporting.
Maria Troyer
Administrative Officer
Maria provides technical and logistical support for her Wisconsin Humanities colleagues, primarily handling invoice processing, scheduling and travel, and
various other administrative tasks. She grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and put down roots in Madison after graduating from University of Wisconsin-Madison with her bachelor’s degree. Maria appreciates Wisconsin Humanities’ focus on human connection and inclusion, and was excited to join the team in July 2021.
Gail Kohl
Director of Development Emeritus
Gail Kohl began as the Development Director of the Wisconsin Humanities in 2014. She believes in the power of cultivating relationships, embracing philanthropy, and the importance of the mission of the Wisconsin Humanities. She helps direct the fundraising strategy for annual giving, Future Fund Endowment and the Legacy Circle planned giving program. She has worked in the non-profit arena for over 30 years including the following organizations: American Players Theater, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, Wisconsin Watch, and the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy. Gail is a native of Wisconsin and has spent most of her adult life in our beautiful state capital, Madison. She enjoys making merry with family and friends, going to plays and concerts, and exploring the Wisconsin countryside.
Jessica Becker
Director of Communications
Meghan Dudle
Director of Grants and Outreach
Jen Rubin
Executive Producer of Love Wisconsin
Chrissy Widmayer
Director of Community Powered
Benny Witkovsky
Project Coordinator, United We Stand
Benny Witkovsky, Project Coordinator for the United We Stand project of the Community Powered initiative, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at University of Wisconsin—Madison. His work explores the potential and pitfalls of municipal politics in Wisconsin. His research has 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. Outside of school, Benny enjoys camping, hiking, and biking around Wisconsin with his family.
Tony Sansalone
Director of Development
Tony Sansalone, Development Director relocated to Wisconsin to pursue a Master of Arts in Business from the Bolz Center in Arts Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His passion for working in nonprofits developed during his time at the Mansfield Art Center in his hometown in Ohio, where he focused on grants and outreach programming. Tony finds joy in cultivating relationships and promoting the impactful work that nonprofits contribute to individuals and communities, especially in his new home state of Wisconsin. Tony is also a professional visual artist whose artistic practice is heavily influenced by his Italian family, and he shares their stories through his drawings.
