WI Lake Stewardship Award Winner Profile – Kerry Romsa and the Pelican Lake Association
The 2024 “Excellence in Building Partnerships” category awarded to Kerry Romsa, who helped bring the Pelican Lake Association “from near implosion to thriving”
By Wisconsin Lakes Staff
Each year, the Wisconsin Lakes & Rivers Partnership hands out its Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Awards at the Wisconsin Lakes & Rivers Partnership Convention in celebration of the extraordinary volunteer and professional efforts made to protect and improve lakes in Wisconsin. The Stewardship Awards represent our best collective effort to honor and celebrate all the incredible work that goes into ensuring the future of our state’s legacy of lakes. In 2024, awards were handed out in four categories. In celebration of National Lakes Appreciation Month this July, Wisconsin Lakes will be highlighting a Lake Stewardship award winner each week!
KERRY ROMSA & PELICAN LAKE ASSOCIATION, winner of the Excellence in Building Partnerships Award
Terry Romsa accepts Stewardship Award from WI Lake President Dan Butkus (Photo Credit: Doug Moore)
This year’s winner of the Excellence in Building Partnerships award is Kerry Romsa for his work with the Pelican Lake Association. The PLA’s nomination of Kerry was aptly entitled “From Near Implosion to Thriving.”
Following a successful career in the forest products industry where he learned about building well-functioning teams and partner building, Kerry and his wife moved to Pelican Lake in Oneida County. He took over as President of the lake association in 2022 at a time when it had lost focus and the organization was losing membership. Leading the board to work with its members as partners, the organization expanded its membership by over 30% in just two years, while raising four times the funds.
Partnership building has become part of PLA’s philosophy. Kerry fostered partnerships with local governments, state agencies, the Mole Lake tribe, and local businesses, including bar and restaurant owners. These businesses now support the PLA by purchasing ads in the annual newsletter and donating to the annual fundraiser, as well as co-sponsoring other fundraising events.
Building bridges with the Mole Lake tribe, Kerry arranged a tour of the tribal fish hatchery, and is helping the tribe pursue its goal of establishing a fisheries research station on the lake. The tribe annually awards funds to the Association for lake preservation and aquatic invasive species control efforts.
Together with the local high school, PLA created a scholarship program for students interested in pursuing a career related to natural resources as it impacts water quality.
The PLA Board wrote, ‘Kerry has breathed new life into the PLA, revitalizing the stature of the Association to a level beyond anyone’s imagination. Kerry’s relationship building has proven the PLA can be more effective by working as partners in the community and creating win-win situations for all involved’.
While greatly appreciative of the award, for his own part Kerry made it clear that success depends on great team members, of which PLA has many.
Congratulations to Kerry Romsa and everyone at the Pelican Lake Association for this well deserved award!
Do you know an outstanding person or group who dedicates time and talent to our state’s water resources? We encourage you to nominate them for a Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Award! Nominations are now being accepted until December 1, 2024. See the Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Award webpage for more information and to access the nomination form.