Hi! My name is Heidi Ungrodt, and I began working as a Family Living Educator in Iron and Ashland Counties this past November. I have been working with UW Extension for over 15 years, both in the Family Living Program and the Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program. On both a personal and professional level, I value Extension’s mission of promoting lifelong learning through engaging and innovative programming.

My husband and I moved to Bayfield County over 10 years ago. We were looking to leave the Madison area and find a slower pace, a stronger sense of community, and easier access to the outdoors. We lucked out and found two of the three! The slower pace seems to have escaped us after taking on caring for an old farmhouse and raising three children. Still, we would never change it for the hustle and bustle of city life. We love it here.

It has been so great getting to know the people and places of Iron County over the last few months. I look forward to working with Kathy Beeksma and partnering with local agencies to offer education, resources and support for area families.

My name is Kathy Beeksma and I am joining the Iron County UW-Extension office as a part-time Family Living Educator.  For the last six years I have worked as a combined Family Living Educator in Ashland County and a Coordinator for the FoodWIse program in Ashland and Bayfield Counties. I look forward to being able to focus on the needs of families across the life span full-time while I expand my Family Living role to Iron and Ashland.  I am also excited to have the privilege of collaborating with Heidi Ungrodt in my work so we can reach even more families.

I started my work in Iron County in mid-October and have been spending my time meeting Iron County partners and learning more about what will be helpful for families here. Some of my current work includes helping families build strengths in their parent and partner relationships, build their financial knowledge and increasing their financial security, learning how to stay healthy and help their children grow up to realize their potential.

I have lived in northern Wisconsin for more than twenty years and love that I can live in such a beautiful place surrounded by water and filled with incredible people.