Executive Director
Alice Pauser, Founder & Board member, Alice oversees the daily operation of the organization and serves as Executive Director. She has conducted research on the Wisconsin Women’s Correctional System (WWCS) since 2001 and initially developed the mission statement for The Demeter Foundation. A member of the Correctional Education Association (CEA), she has presented statewide and nationally on the needs of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. Alice has developed and implemented programs for women to maintain mental health recovery and gain balance in their lives. She has built collaborations with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and Community Corrections and directly provides services to women in the Dane County area. Alice is a nationally certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan W.R.A.P. facilitator, a Peer Support Specialist and nationally certified in Mental Health First Aid. She is on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Reentry Pilot Program. She is active in providing input to Wisconsin Legislators on the status of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and the need for systems change. Her daughter is currently incarcerated at Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Facility in Wisconsin.
Board of Directors
Shannon Anderson (Interim Board President)-Shannon Anderson is a family nurse practitioner and as a community health nurse has over a decade of experience working with under and uninsured patients in the Dane county area. She is continually drawn to the process of justice through restoration and equity. She lives in Monona with her husband, two children and their dog Maggie. Her personal interests include knitting, spending time outdoors, reading and learning as many new things as she can. She is active in her local church and her faith provides the foundation for loving others no matter what the circumstances. She is excited to help with the Demeter Foundation.
Mike Bacsi, (Interim VP/Treasurer)-I live in downtown Madison with my partner, Patti Seger, and our three dogs. My daily work involves helping people purchase homes by providing counseling on credit, budgeting and available loan programs. I do this work at Johnson Bank in Madison as a VP of mortgage lending.
My past board work has been with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services and Friends of Lake View Hill Park. I believe in the dignity of all people and gender equity. It is an honor for me to serve on the board of The Demeter Foundation.
Geri Girard- live on the far east side of Madison. I currently work as a business manager at a wholesale greenhouse in Brooklyn, WI, North Parish Gardens Nursery & Greenhouses.
The majority of my career has been as business manager/bookkeeper for small businesses and non-profits. I have wanted to support the good work of the agencies that I have worked for and felt my skills in accounting and business management could help those agencies be successful so the work could continue without the stress of financial concerns. I have worked at the agencies as an employee as well as at home as an independent contractor.
I was a board member for Lake Edge Lutheran Church and have reported to many boards with financial statements and budget preparations.
I have been aware of the Demeter Foundation for many years through my friendship with Alice Pauser. I have supported her as a friend and shared the information and needs of the foundation throughout this time. I am honored to be a more active participant in the work of this amazing organization by taking on the new role as a board member.
Marianne Rosen-I currently serve as a Policy Initiatives Advisor for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. This position functions as an administrative level advisor to develop and implement key policy and program initiatives that reflect the strategic goals of the Division of Family and Economic Security (DFES) and that strengthen our state’s child support and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) services. I also administer and manage contracts related to the DFES Partner Training Team and oversee the provision of partner training services for the state’s W-2 and Child Support Agency case managers. Additionally, I represent the DFES Administrator’s Office in work groups, at conferences, and in meetings with external stakeholders and community members.
For over three decades prior to working in government, I taught Social Movement Rhetoric, Argument Theory and Practice, Speech Communication, and Competitive Forensics (speech and debate) at universities and colleges in Wisconsin and Illinois. Later in my teaching career, I was hired to teach forensics and create a debate team at a private high school in Southern California. We started with four students in 2007, and grew to over 100 by 2011. Each year we competed, we ranked among the top teams in California, and in 2014 we had our first national championship. My passion for the importance of competitive debate stems from my heartfelt belief that in a Democracy we have a responsibility to be a voice for the voiceless. In each of my classes for over thirty years, students worked on projects that enabled them to understand historic and contemporary debates on environmental, economic, reproductive, and criminal justice. I am a Diamond-level forensics coach (the highest rank awarded by the National Speech and Debate Association) and have worked to promote equity and inclusion in my communities—including founding the first Jewish Girl Scout Troop in Dane County, Wisconsin in the early ‘90s.
I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a Master of Arts in Rhetorical Theory and Criticism from Northern Illinois University.
I am the proud mother of three adult children: Molly (who lives with her wife Maggie and my granddaughter Miriam in Wisconsin), Max (who lives with his wife Nico in New Orleans), and Annie (who lives with her partner Bennett in Wisconsin).
Dynae Saba-In her current role, Dynae is responsible for administering WIOA work readiness services to the reentering population that have completed the Windows to Work program at Oakhill Correctional Institution and the Dane County Jail. She utilizes community resources as well as builds community and business relationships to empower and support participants. Each individual is thoroughly assessed and receives services ranging from resume repair, computer basics courses to federally funded initiatives that bridge the gap from business to potential employee. Dynae is an employment coordinator for the Wisconsin Reentry program (alternative to revocation Drug and Mental Health court) and she works at the Job Center in Oakhill Correctional institution on a weekly basis. She works with reentering offenders who’ve been referred to her through various community programs such as Madison Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Dane County Probation and Parole, Madison Urban Ministries, and the Community Corrections Employment Program (CCEP). In her previous role Dynae worked as a WIOA Employment Specialist serving dislocated workers and low income adults. Dynae has received her Psychology degree and is certified in Cognitive Behavioral Intervention training with an Employment focus (CBI-EMP) through University of Cincinnati Corrections Unit.
Vacant (1) Seat(s) and we encourage women with the lived experience of incarceration to apply.
If you would like information on becoming a Board member please use our Contact Page.
Mike Bacsi, (Interim VP/Treasurer)-I live in downtown Madison with my partner, Patti Seger, and our three dogs. My daily work involves helping people purchase homes by providing counseling on credit, budgeting and available loan programs. I do this work at Johnson Bank in Madison as a VP of mortgage lending.
My past board work has been with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services and Friends of Lake View Hill Park. I believe in the dignity of all people and gender equity. It is an honor for me to serve on the board of The Demeter Foundation.
Geri Girard- live on the far east side of Madison. I currently work as a business manager at a wholesale greenhouse in Brooklyn, WI, North Parish Gardens Nursery & Greenhouses.
The majority of my career has been as business manager/bookkeeper for small businesses and non-profits. I have wanted to support the good work of the agencies that I have worked for and felt my skills in accounting and business management could help those agencies be successful so the work could continue without the stress of financial concerns. I have worked at the agencies as an employee as well as at home as an independent contractor.
I was a board member for Lake Edge Lutheran Church and have reported to many boards with financial statements and budget preparations.
I have been aware of the Demeter Foundation for many years through my friendship with Alice Pauser. I have supported her as a friend and shared the information and needs of the foundation throughout this time. I am honored to be a more active participant in the work of this amazing organization by taking on the new role as a board member.
Marianne Rosen-I currently serve as a Policy Initiatives Advisor for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. This position functions as an administrative level advisor to develop and implement key policy and program initiatives that reflect the strategic goals of the Division of Family and Economic Security (DFES) and that strengthen our state’s child support and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) services. I also administer and manage contracts related to the DFES Partner Training Team and oversee the provision of partner training services for the state’s W-2 and Child Support Agency case managers. Additionally, I represent the DFES Administrator’s Office in work groups, at conferences, and in meetings with external stakeholders and community members.
For over three decades prior to working in government, I taught Social Movement Rhetoric, Argument Theory and Practice, Speech Communication, and Competitive Forensics (speech and debate) at universities and colleges in Wisconsin and Illinois. Later in my teaching career, I was hired to teach forensics and create a debate team at a private high school in Southern California. We started with four students in 2007, and grew to over 100 by 2011. Each year we competed, we ranked among the top teams in California, and in 2014 we had our first national championship. My passion for the importance of competitive debate stems from my heartfelt belief that in a Democracy we have a responsibility to be a voice for the voiceless. In each of my classes for over thirty years, students worked on projects that enabled them to understand historic and contemporary debates on environmental, economic, reproductive, and criminal justice. I am a Diamond-level forensics coach (the highest rank awarded by the National Speech and Debate Association) and have worked to promote equity and inclusion in my communities—including founding the first Jewish Girl Scout Troop in Dane County, Wisconsin in the early ‘90s.
I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a Master of Arts in Rhetorical Theory and Criticism from Northern Illinois University.
I am the proud mother of three adult children: Molly (who lives with her wife Maggie and my granddaughter Miriam in Wisconsin), Max (who lives with his wife Nico in New Orleans), and Annie (who lives with her partner Bennett in Wisconsin).
Dynae Saba-In her current role, Dynae is responsible for administering WIOA work readiness services to the reentering population that have completed the Windows to Work program at Oakhill Correctional Institution and the Dane County Jail. She utilizes community resources as well as builds community and business relationships to empower and support participants. Each individual is thoroughly assessed and receives services ranging from resume repair, computer basics courses to federally funded initiatives that bridge the gap from business to potential employee. Dynae is an employment coordinator for the Wisconsin Reentry program (alternative to revocation Drug and Mental Health court) and she works at the Job Center in Oakhill Correctional institution on a weekly basis. She works with reentering offenders who’ve been referred to her through various community programs such as Madison Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Dane County Probation and Parole, Madison Urban Ministries, and the Community Corrections Employment Program (CCEP). In her previous role Dynae worked as a WIOA Employment Specialist serving dislocated workers and low income adults. Dynae has received her Psychology degree and is certified in Cognitive Behavioral Intervention training with an Employment focus (CBI-EMP) through University of Cincinnati Corrections Unit.
Vacant (1) Seat(s) and we encourage women with the lived experience of incarceration to apply.
If you would like information on becoming a Board member please use our Contact Page.
Advisors
Michael Barthman is completing his doctorate in medicine at the University of Wisconsin and will begin training as an emergency medicine physician this coming year. He is a founding board member of the Community Health Initaiative, a nonprofit implementing community-directed mobile clinics and public health projects in rural Haiti. As a medical student, he was a leader in developing and improving health resource programs for a juvenile correctional facility, and conducted research on comprehensive health services for the most socially and medically complex patients within the health care system. He is poet and lover of music.
Boris Frank (SCORE Advisor) has been a senior consultant and nonprofit administrator for over 35 years. He currently serves as Director of Development for Family Service Madison, a 106 year-old nonprofit addressing violence and abuse issues affecting children and adults.
Sandy Weisberger (SCORE Advisor) is a retired advertising professional with nearly 40 years of experience developing and implementing media strategy for a broad range of clients. Since retiring, he has helped nonprofits identify and prioritize their marketing goals and determine strategies to achieve those goals.
Boris Frank (SCORE Advisor) has been a senior consultant and nonprofit administrator for over 35 years. He currently serves as Director of Development for Family Service Madison, a 106 year-old nonprofit addressing violence and abuse issues affecting children and adults.
Sandy Weisberger (SCORE Advisor) is a retired advertising professional with nearly 40 years of experience developing and implementing media strategy for a broad range of clients. Since retiring, he has helped nonprofits identify and prioritize their marketing goals and determine strategies to achieve those goals.
