2025 June Legislative Luncheon

Description

Unlocking Housing: Challenges, Solutions & Updates

Join the Fox Cities Chamber for a Legislative Luncheon on the housing crisis currently affecting the Fox Cities.

This timely event will bring together a panel of regional and statewide experts to discuss the growing housing crisis in Wisconsin, with a focus on the Fox Cities. Attendees will hear insights into the root causes of the housing shortage, current legislative efforts, and innovative solutions being proposed or implemented across the state. The discussion will highlight the impact of housing availability on workforce development, economic growth, and community well-being.

Business leaders, policymakers, developers, and community members are encouraged to attend and engage in this important conversation. A Q&A session will follow the panel discussion, providing attendees the opportunity to share perspectives and ask questions.

Panelists:

State Representative Robert Brooks, 59th Assembly District
Representative Rob Brooks was inaugurated in January 2015. He represents Wisconsin’s Sixtieth Assembly District, which includes parts of Ozaukee and Washington counties. Rob has been active in local government, serving thirteen years on the Ozaukee County Board, nine as chairman.  Rob was elected to the county board in 2002 and in 2004, after just two years on the board, his colleagues elected him chairman. During his tenure, Rob served as a Commissioner on the South Eastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and on the board of directors for organizations such as Wisconsin Mutual Insurance Company.

His involvement in the community goes beyond government. He has been actively involved in many civic organizations, ranging from Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to coaching youth athletics. Rob is the former membership chairman and a lifetime member of the Saukville Gun Club; former member of the Rotary and Lions Club and was named citizen of the year by the Saukville Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, one of Rob’s companies was named business of the year by the Saukville Chamber of Commerce.

Senator Kristin Dassler-Alfheim, Senate District 18

A lifelong Wisconsinite, Kristin was born and raised on a beef farm in central Wisconsin. For many years, she was active in both NAIFA (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors-Wisconsin) and the Alzheimer’s Association, working to build bipartisan coalitions capable of actually passing legislation to help ordinary Wisconsinites. She has served as State President of NAIFA and on the Board of Directors for the Alzheimer's Association. She currently works as a retirement planner, helping middle-class families navigate the complexities of retirement.

Kristin chose to run for her alderwoman seat in 2020, winning and serving on the Appleton Common Council. While in office, she worked to make sure local government was responsive to the needs of its citizens and was spending their tax dollars effectively. In 2022, frustrated with the dysfunction in the state legislature, she ran for State Senate. The Senator is excited to put her coalition-building skills to work to pass legislation to address the housing shortage, rising healthcare costs, funding for municipalities and public schools, and protecting women's reproductive rights.

Wyatt Eichholz, Policy and Legislative Associate, Badger Institute
Eichholz graduated from the University of Alabama in 2024 with a Master of Arts in economics. He previously interned with the Badger Institute in 2022 and is an alumnus of the Heritage Foundation’s Young Leaders Program. He has also interned for U.S. senator Ron Johnson and state senator Dale Kooyenga. While at Alabama, Eichholz served as the chairman of the University of Alabama chapter of Young Americans for Freedom and was a senior correspondent for the Leadership Institute’s Campus Reform.

Jennifer Sunstrom, Government Affairs Director, REALTORS Association of Northeast Wisconsin
Sunstrom has 26 years of experience in organizational advocacy, including fundraising, lobbying & legislative analysis, public relations, networking, public speaking, volunteer management, grant writing, and event planning. She is passionate about community involvement and helped start a local non-profit organization. She is now a full-time volunteer with this organization.

Tom Rooney, President, Mark Winter Homes
Rooney has over twenty years of business development experience, and has a proven track record of growing multiple businesses into effective market leaders in construction and real-estate, given limited financial resources. He is highly experienced in leading strategic and tactical elements of all functional areas of the business, including information technology, sales, marketing, finance, and human resources.