The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center Board of Directors welcomes new leaders in the upcoming 2025-26 Season including Omar Atassi, Will Flett, Patrick Gill, Morgan O'Regan Hogerty, Steve Murray and Dr. Michael Ryan, MD.
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center's Board of Directors is grateful to outgoing members Kate Burgess, Tim Galloway, Tom Rettler, Kim Ritzow, Wendy Rosploch, Derrick Sytsma and Mark Willson, who completed their service at the end of the 2024-25 Season.
“The Center is deeply grateful to Kate, Tim, Tom, Kim, Wendy, Derrick and Mark for their commitment and thoughtful leadership,” said Maria Van Laanen, president and CEO of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. “Their service helped pave the way for continued growth and community connection. As we welcome Omar, Will, Pat, Morgan, Steve and Michael to the board, we’re excited to explore new ideas and possibilities together. Their broad-ranging backgrounds, interests and expertise will help shape a season in which every guest is invited to engage, reflect and be transformed by the power of live performing arts experiences.”
Ryan Downs will be succeeded by Heather Beresford in the role of board chair. Beresford is the senior vice president of Sustaining Services for Plexus Corp. and has been on the Center's board since 2021. She served as the vice chair on the board during the Center's 2024-25 Season.
Tom Rettler will be succeeded by Greg Hartjes in the role of secretary-treasurer. Hartjes is the superintendent of the Appleton Area School District. He has been a member of the Center's Board of Directors since 2022.
ABOUT THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Omar Atassi grew up in Neenah and left to attend college at Duke University, then went on to medical school at Loyola University in Chicago followed by a urology residency at William Beumont Hospital in Detroit. He returned to the Fox Cities in 1996 and practiced urology for 25 years before retiring from full-time practice in 2023. Omar has served on several boards of Fox Cities organizations.
Will Flett is the chief financial officer of ThedaCare. As a senior leader in the North Region of the recently combined Froedtert ThedaCare Health, he provides the leadership, management and vision necessary to ensure ThedaCare has the proper operational controls, procedures and people in place to effectively grow the organization and ensure financial strength and operating efficiency. Before joining ThedaCare, Will most recently served as the vice president of finance for Aspirus Health in Wausau, Wisconsin. He has also held various financial leadership roles at numerous hospital systems in the Midwest. Will received a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration from the University of South Dakota. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and is a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional.
Patrick Gill is a partner at Gill & Gill, S.C., a third generation Appleton-based law firm founded by his grandfather, Gordon P. Gill. Patrick’s practice focuses on outside general counsel, corporate, employment, and trusteeships throughout the United States. Patrick is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Business School (B.B.A.) and Marquette University Law School (J.D.). While at the University of Wisconsin, Patrick was a linebacker on the Copper Bowl, Outback Bowl, 1998 Big Ten Championship, and 1999 Rose Bowl teams. Outside of the law practice, Patrick serves as a board member for numerous nonprofit organizations in the Fox Valley.
Morgan O’Regan Hogerty grew up near the Kimberly Point Lighthouse in Neenah, Wisconsin. After graduating from Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam, she attended the University of Missouri-Columbia where she earned a Bachelor of Journalism and met her husband, John J. Hogerty, II. She earned her juris doctorate from Tulane University’s School of Law and practiced as an environmental litigator, first for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 and then for a boutique law firm in Kansas City. In 1995, Morgan and John returned to the Fox Valley to raise their family. Morgan is the copy editor and a contributing editor of two magazines serving Chicago’s North Shore—Sheridan Road and Country. Morgan volunteers for and serves on boards for several area nonprofit organizations.
Steve Murray is executive vice president of professional services at J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. and is responsible for leading the largest fleet safety and compliance outsourcing firm in the U.S. He is also responsible for the firms' safety consulting business, recently recognized by Consulting Magazine as the 2nd Fastest Growing Consulting Firm in the U.S. Prior to J.J. Keller, Steve was general manager for Schneider National and director of branch operations at Aerotek. Steve earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Marquette University and recently completed the Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Development Strategies program from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr Michael Ryan, MD, is a dual board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon with expertise in sports medicine and hip preservation surgery. He currently serves as the head team physician for the Green Bay Packers and has held leadership roles with professional, collegiate, and high school athletic programs. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Ryan brings a commitment to excellence, community engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Outside of medicine, he is passionate about fitness, the arts, and supporting organizations that enrich culture and inspire creativity. He is honored to join the board and contribute to the mission of advancing the performing arts in our community.
ABOUT THE FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and cultural education organization located in downtown Appleton, provides a premier venue for live performing arts. Since 2002, the Center has proudly served as a multicultural gathering place for the community to engage in educational opportunities while enhancing a greater understanding and appreciation of life through the live performing arts. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center — Where the Arts Come Alive!
