​​About the Council

Gov. Tony Evers created the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and Capability by signing Executive Order #106 on February 8, 2021. The order renamed the existing Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and expanded its mission to include helping Wisconsinites build financial capability and identifying ways to improve the financial inclusion of all Wisconsin residents. In addition, the order increased the Council’s membership from 25 to 35 members bolstering the Council’s expertise in the areas of financial capability and inclusion.

“By working together, we can help ensure every Wisconsinite has access to affordable and timely financial products and services to manage their daily lives and plan for everything from unexpected emergencies to long-term goals,” said Gov. Evers. “The Council’s work will help provide individuals and businesses with the tools and resources they need to invest in education and housing, capitalize on business opportunities, save for retirement, and cope with various economic shocks. I’m looking forward to the work that this Council will do to help us expand and improve our efforts to build a Wisconsin where everyone can access the financial services they need to build economic security and resilience.”

The Council will serve as a continuous sounding board for the Office of the Governor, the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), and DFI’s Office of Financial Literacy. In doing so, the Council will provide guidance and strategies to measurably improve the financial literacy, capability, and financial inclusion of Wisconsin’s residents by taking focused actions that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Explore and identify how systemic racism creates barriers to financial health, wealth, and retirement security for Wisconsinites and support organizations with best practices for creating a new system of financial justice and inclusion;
• Work with employers to develop and implement programs to provide employees with tools that help employees measurably increase their financial literacy;
• Explore and identify best practices in implementing financial literacy and capability through individuals’ life stages – pre-k to college, young adult, adulthood, pre-retirement, and retirement – placing an emphasis on preventing elder financial exploitation;
• Grow the statewide financial literacy awareness and education campaign “Money Smart Week Wisconsin” through community involvement and increasing the number of participants;
• Expand financial literacy professional development opportunities by working collaboratively with the Department of Public Instruction, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, Wisconsin’s Forward Learning Institute of Financial and Economic Literacy, and other partners, to measure and increase the number of students taught; and
• Encourage savings for post-secondary education and vocation through Wisconsin’s College Savings Programs.

Serving on the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and Capability will be the following members:

• Chair: Wendy Baumann, President & Chief Visionary Officer, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC)
• Co-Vice Chair: Cheryll Olson-Collins, Secretary-designee, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions
• Co-Vice Chair: Nathan Houdek, Commissioner, Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
• Designee: Sarah Smith, Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
• Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez
• Constance Alberts, Bank On Greater Milwaukee Program Manager, Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin, Inc
• Eric Bernal, Senior Vice President, Wealth Portfolio Manager, Johnson Financial Group
• Mary Breunig, Business, Marketing, and Information Technology Teacher, Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District
• Lori Burgess, Assistant Director of Operations, Fond du Lac Public Library
• Brenda Campbell, President & Chief Executive Officer, SecureFutures
• Sarah Campbell, Business and Information Technology Teacher, Wisconsin Dells School District
• Rashad Cobb, Community Engagement Program Officer, Greater Green Bay Community Foundation
• Kara Coleman, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Mount Mary University
• J. Michael Collins, PhD, Professor and Director for the Center for Financial Security, Department of Consumer Science, School of Human Ecology, UW-Madison
• Jeremiah DeGollon, Solutions Advisor, Center for Professional & Executive Development, Fluno Center, Wisconsin School of Business
• State Representative Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee), Wisconsin State Assembly
• State Representative Cindi Duchow (R-Town of Delafield), Wisconsin State Assembly
• Jason Fields, President & Chief Executive Officer, Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP)
• Amanda Gasper, Senior Student Service Coordinator, Financial Aid Office, UW-La Crosse
• Tammy Hofstede, President & Chief Executive Officer, Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• Brett Lindquist, Vice President of Strategic Communications, Ascendium Education Group
• Andrea Marquardt Finck, Vice President of Community Relations, Old National Bank
• Jennifer McHugh, Vice President of Community Engagement, Royal Credit Union
• M. Scott Niederjohn, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Free Enterprise Center, Concordia University Wisconsin
• Fern Orie, Chief Executive Officer, Wisconsin Native Loan Fund
• Rose Oswald-Poels, President & Chief Executive Officer, Wisconsin Bankers Association
• Pablo Sanchez, Vice President of Community Engagement, Park Bank
• Ana Simpson, Director, Community & Economic Development, Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA)
• Irene Strohbeen, Owner, Irene Strohbeen and Associates, LLC
• Brett Thompson, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Wisconsin Credit Union League
• Nehomah Thundercloud, Executive Director, Ho-Chunk Nation Education Department
• Dr. Jill Underly, State Superintendent, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• Designee: Duy Nguyen, Assistant State Superintendent, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
• Yee Leng Xiong, Executive Director, Hmong American Center, Inc

In addition, Wisconsin First Lady Kathy Evers has graciously volunteered to be an ambassador for promoting the Council’s mission of improving the financial literacy, capability, and financial inclusion of Wisconsin’s residents.

The Council will receive administrative support and guidance from DFI’s Office of Financial Literacy Director and Council Executive Director David Mancl and his team. For additional information, contact David at (608) 572-5794 or email David.Mancl@dfi.wisconsin.gov.

Governor's Financial Literacy Awards

• 2023 Governor's Financial Literacy Awards​​​
  
• 2023 Governor’s Financial Literacy Awards Nomination Form
  
• 2022 Governor’s Financial Literacy Awards
  
• 2021 Governor’s Financial Literacy Awards and ​​​Virtual Ceremony​
  

Financial Literacy in Education

As of 2021, 93% of school districts require or offer personal finance education courses in high school (up from 91% in 2019). However, only 34% of schools guarantee students will have one-semester of personal finance education before graduating, while 59% provide students with the option to take an elective personal finance education course. [Source]

Access to Personal Finance education is still divided by locale, race, and socioeconomic status. Learn more.

Milwaukee Public Schools - DFI in conjunction with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) helped revise the Wisconsin Standards for Personal Financial Literacy (PFL) and administered the Financial Literacy Innovation Grant program, which helped educators adopt and implement the new PFL standards in classrooms across Wisconsin. Due in part to this program and in collaboration with SecureFutures, Next Gen Personal Finance, and DPI, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) adopted a one-semester personal finance course graduation requirement in April 2021. This makes MPS one of only 12 urban school districts in the country to put this requirement in place without a state policy. This historic decision guarantees all MPS students will receive financial education.

Learn more about financial literacy in education.

Financial Literacy in the Workplace

The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and the UW-Madison, Center for Financial Security surveyed Wisconsin employers on behalf of the Adult Health and Workplace Financial Literacy Committee of the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and Capability. Fifty-one percent of Wisconsin employers offer some financial wellness programs.

See report for details. Employer-Based Financial Wellness Programs In Wisconsin: Survey Findings.

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