Lt. Governor Lawton addressed members of the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) at the group’s 71^st Annual Conference in La Crosse on Monday.

Left) Lt. Governor Lawton addresses county officials at the Wisconsin Counties Association’s 71^st Annual Conference

This year’s conference theme, “Economic Challenges and the Need for Change,” focused on the challenges confronting county governments amidst a climate of historic budget deficits and a decline in shared revenue payments from the state.

During her remarks, Lt. Governor Lawton described her vision for placing Wisconsin on the shortest path to economic recovery. Many of these strategies hinge on collaborations with county government, including regional transit, broadband expansion, and targeted economic development strategies to activate emerging high-tech sectors.

The WCA is a statewide association representing the interests of county governments. They provide member counties with legislative and public relations services that enable them to better serve their constituents.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Lt. Governor Lawton keynotes 2009 Synergy Conference

Lt. Governor Lawton addressed public and private sectors leaders in West Central Wisconsin as the keynote speaker at the 2009 Synergy Conference in Rice Lake.

Left) Lt. Governor Lawton and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College President Bob Meyer.

In her address to education, business, workforce development and government professionals, Lt. Governor Lawton diagnosed the state of the West Central Wisconsin regional economy and turned their asset inventory into a strategy for innovation.

“West Central Wisconsin begins from a position of extraordinary strength, with thirteen institutions of higher education that are engaged in unprecedented partnerships and a people who have demonstrated an impressive history of innovating across sectors,” Lawton said. “I see tremendous potential for this region’s development into a robust technology corridor.”

She also stressed the need for the region to develop a workforce with 21^st century competencies, increase its access to broadband, and till the field for innovation by investing in high-tech startups.

Thursday, September 17, 2009 Lt. Governor Lawton celebrates Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay at annual luncheon

Lt. Governor Lawton celebrated the Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay in remarks at their annual Power of the Purse Luncheon in Green Bay on Thursday afternoon.

The Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay, which Lt. Governor Lawton and other community leaders founded in 1995, provides grants and programs to women and girls in the Green Bay area with the overall aim of advancing philanthropic activities for women and girls and expanding the opportunities available to them.

At the luncheon, Lt. Governor Lawton recognized the efforts of the Women’s Fund in equipping women and girls with leadership skills and a sense of civic responsibility. Lawton commended the group’s 500-plus financial contributors for inspiring women to invest in one another.

Friday, September 18, 2009 Lt. Governor Lawton addresses Community Bankers of Wisconsin Management Conference and Expo

Lt. Governor Lawton addressed Wisconsin’s community bankers Friday as part of the Community Bankers of Wisconsin (CBW) Management Conference and Expo at Madison’s Monona Terrace.

Left) CBW Chairman Russell Kuehn, Lt. Governor Lawton, CBW President and CEO Daryll Lund, and CBW Past Chairman Stephen Eager.

In her remarks, Lt. Governor Lawton noted that Wisconsin’s community banks often serve as the backbone of their local communities and acknowledged that it was not they who engineered the financial crisis dislocating the global economy.  She also articulated her belief that community banks will be essential in rebuilding local economies as they provide small businesses with the credit necessary to stabilize and expand their operations.

“As a small-town woman whose husband served many years on the board of a community bank, I know well the risks were we to lose any more,” Lawton said. “Even as they reel from run of defaults on home and auto and boat loans, community banks know better than large national banks how to target growth in their regions that will lift all boats.”

CBW provides local bankers from across Wisconsin with training, education, advocacy and other resources to help them focus on the needs specific to the local Wisconsin communities that they serve.