Jeremiah Erickson Named WLIA President

The Wisconsin Land Information Association Board voted unanimously to appoint Jeremiah Erickson its next president.  Jeremiah will start in that role immediately and fill the remainder of Tony Van Der Wielen’s unexpired term.

Jeremiah is the GIS Specialist/LIO for Monroe County, attended his first WLIA conference in 2001 and just completed a term on the WLIA Board where he chaired the Communications Committee.  Previously he twice served as the Wisconsin Real Property Listers Association President and has also chaired the Land Information Officer’s Network.  When asked about WLIA, Jeremiah said “I made it my professional goal to someday lead this great organization.” A fellow board member described Jeremiah as, “one of the most thoughtful, level-headed, fair people I’ve encountered on the board. He thinks things through from all angles, and gladly listens to and considers opinions that counter his own. His quiet but strong passion for the state and land records community was immediately obvious.”

Factors leading to Jeremiah’s appointment include:

• After reviewing the by-laws of many non-profits, appointment is the norm for vacated presidential positions.
• It would not be in the best interest of the association to have the president position vacant for the 6-8 weeks it would take to conduct a special election.  Therefore, the recommended update to the WLIA by-laws will include a provision that allows the board to appoint a replacement when there is a vacancy at president.  It was determined to follow that process for the current vacancy.  Note:  the current WLIA by-laws do not provide any process for a vacated president position.
• An appointment now affords the president the opportunity to plan for their board retreat.  This is important to set direction for the association and build rapport with the rest of the board.
• Jeremiah was the only nominee that was on the WLIA board in 2019.  This gives him great understanding of current board operations and dynamics and the ability to step into a leadership role with little or no interruption to the board or the association.

Please join us in welcoming and congratulating Jeremiah as the new WLIA president!

-WLIA Board