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WCC Staff Has Diverse Experiences and Backgrounds
At the WCC, Executive Director John Huebscher oversees issues relating to taxation, Catholic Charities, and matters that affect the Church as an institution. Since 1992, Huebscher has represented the bishops of Wisconsin on the Board of the Catholic Health Association of Wisconsin (CHA-W). He also serves on the board of the Church Unemployment Pay Program (CUPP).
In addition, Huebscher has been very active at the national level. From 1988 to 1995, he was a member of the Federal Assistance Advisory Commission to the Department of Education of the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) and served as the Commission's chair from 1993 to 1995. Between 1998 and 2000, Huebscher was President of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors. He has also represented the state Catholic conference directors on the Domestic Policy Committee of the USCC from 1995 to 2000 and as a consultant member of the USCC Committee on Pro-Life Activities in 2000 and 2001.
Prior to joining the WCC, Huebscher spent 14 years in Wisconsin state government, serving as an aide in the State Senate and as a legislative liaison for the Department of Health and Social Services. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning a B.S. in Education, with an emphasis in history and political science in 1972, and a Master's degree in Educational Administration in 1979. He also holds a certificate in Religious Studies from Edgewood College in Madison.
Effective advocacy for any organization is grounded in informed positions that in turn depend on solid research. For the WCC, it is critical that this research builds on and reflects the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching. Associate Director for Respect Life and Social Concerns Barbara Sella,who has been with the WCC since 2002, brings such a research and teaching background to the mix. From 1993 to 1999, Sella was an assistant professor of history in Virginia. She holds a B.A. from the University of Minnesota–Minneapolis and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from the University of Toronto.
The Associate Director for Health Care and Education is Kim Wadas,who joined the WCC staff in 2007. Wadas is an attorney and has been a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin since 2003. She has a strong background in health care issues, having spent several years on the staff of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups or CWAG. Kim earned a law degree from the University of Iowa in 2002 and a B.A. in Political Science and History from Marquette University. While at Marquette, she was an Ignatius Scholar and a participant in the Les Aspin Center for Government’s Washington Internship Program. In that capacity, she spent nine months as a congressional intern.
Pulling all of the work of the Conference together is Administrative Assistant Cathy Coyle-Kaufmann. For over twenty years, Coyle-Kaufmann has managed the operations of the WCC office. From fielding incoming calls to designing the newsletter, she maintains order and continuity in the office.
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