Sunrise at the mouth of the Bay of Green Bay

Our Leadership

Tom Sigmund

"Our Team works around the clock to provide an essential service for the families, industries, and customers we serve. The looming water challenges facing our community are complex, from aging infrastructure to pollution, to weathering record storm events. Looking to the horizon, the NEW Water Team will continue to proactively seek out ways to innovate, evolve, and lead water quality improvements for the benefit of the region."

Thomas W. Sigmund, P.E.

Executive Director

Commission

NEW Water is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners. Each Commissioner is appointed by the Brown County Executive, approved by the Brown County Board, and serves a five-year term.

The NEW Water Commission serves at-large, comprised of residents from across Northeast Wisconsin with diverse professional backgrounds and expertise in finance, business, industry, engineering, utility management, community service, and governance.

Commission Meetings, Minutes, & Packets

Commissioner Kathryn Hasselblad

Kathryn Hasselblad

Position: President
Term End: 12/31/2026

Commissioner Hasselblad was Managing Partner for Hasselblad Machine Company in Green Bay. She served as Director of Integrys Energy, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, Director of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, and Director of the Board of Governors of the Wisconsin State Bar Association. In addition, she has served on the Boards of Directors for numerous Northeastern Wisconsin organizations including Bank One, Bellin Health Systems Corporation, Curative Workshop Corporation, the YMCA, and as a Trustee for St. Norbert College. She currently serves on the Commission of the Green Bay Water Utility. Commissioner Hasselblad holds a B.A. in English from St. Olaf College and an M.A. in American Literature from Pacific Lutheran University.

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Commissioner James BlumreichJames Blumreich

Position: Secretary
Term End: 12/31/2024

Commissioner Blumreich served as Chief Financial Officer for Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Finance Director for the City of Green Bay, and Manager of Finance and Logistics at James River Corporation. He has also served as a Board Member of the Green Bay Redevelopment Authority and as Director and President of the Board of Directors for the Districts Mutual Insurance. He also served as Commission President for the Green Bay Water Utility. Commissioner Blumreich holds a B.S. in Managerial Systems from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

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Commissioner Tom MeinzTom Meinz

Position: Vice President
Term End: 12/31/2028

Commissioner Meinz served his career as an Engineer and Utility Executive, for organizations including Integrys Energy Group (Wisconsin Public Service). His background encompasses a broad portfolio of responsibilities including fossil and nuclear operations, environmental, licensing, system planning, corporate strategic planning and implementation of strategic initiatives. He is a Wisconsin Professional Engineer (retired) and holds a Degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, and is a graduate of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business Executive Management Education Program. Commissioner Meinz has served on numerous boards nationally and in Northeast Wisconsin, including the United Way and Salvation Army.

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Commissioner Mark TumpachMark Tumpach

Position: Vice President
Term End: 12/31/2025

Commissioner Tumpach is a Senior Research Analyst and Portfolio Manager with Wealth Management and Institutional Services at Associated Bank. He is a co-manager on the Associated ESG and Associated Focused Equity portfolio strategies. In his role he is also responsible for performing investment research on companies in the healthcare and consumer discretionary sectors, providing investment recommendations to other portfolio managers.
Commissioner Tumpach earned his undergraduate Degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and his Master’s Degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. While at UW-Madison he was accepted into the Applied Securities Analysis Program where he received focused training on investment research and portfolio management. Professionally, he has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Milwaukee, Inc.

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Commissioner Philip J Danen

Philip J. Danen

Position: Vice President
Term End: 12/31/2027

Commissioner Danen is a Partner at Roels, Keidatz, Fronsee & Danen, LLC, a full-service law firm based in De Pere that has served the community for over 100 years. He also is the current Chairman for the Town of Ledgeview and has served on the Ledgeview Board for more than 18 years. Licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Missouri, he has also served as President for the Brown County Bar Association. Additional professional and community memberships include Board of Directors for Encompass Early Education and Care, Inc., as well as the Wisconsin State Bar Local Bar Relations Committee, Robert J. Parins Inns of Court, De Pere Historical Society, Urban Hope, Heritage Hill Foundation Board and the De Pere Chamber of Commerce. Commissioner Danen holds a B.A. in History and Economics from DePauw University, and a J.D. from John Marshall Law School.

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Executive Team

Tom Sigmund 2018Thomas W. Sigmund, P.E.

Executive Director

Tom Sigmund is the Executive Director of NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, where he has been since 2007. NEW Water expresses its attitude of viewing the material sent to its facilities as valuable resources to be recovered and reused and a commitment to protecting its most valuable resource, water. Mr. Sigmund served as President of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, a group that represents the interests of public clean water utilities across the United States. He is also a past Board Chair of Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, a non-profit, human services agency that protects, heals, and cares for the children and families of Northeast Wisconsin. Mr. Sigmund is a Fellow in the Water Environment Federation.

Mr. Sigmund has a M.S. and B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin and Ohio.

 


Nate Qualls -3Nathan Qualls, P.E. 

Director of Technical Services 

Nathan Qualls has been with NEW Water since 2008. Prior to his role as Director of Technical Services, he worked as a Staff Engineer in NEW Water’s Engineering Department. He has a wealth of experience in the wastewater sector, including industrial wastewater treatment prior to his work with NEW Water. Mr. Qualls has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin.

 


Pat-Wescott-2018_157x235Patrick Wescott

Director of Operations  

Prior to his role as Director of Operations for NEW Water, Patrick Wescott worked at local paper manufacturing facilities in the utilities department, manufacturing, distribution and planning. He has experience in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.
Mr. Wescott holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He received a Maintenance and Reliability Management Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional, and holds a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Wastewater Operator Certification license. Mr. Wescott is certified in Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.


Jeff Smudde-4Jeff Smudde 

Director of Environmental Programs 

Jeff Smudde is the Director of Environmental Programs at NEW Water where he has worked since 2001. Mr. Smudde previously worked in the Operations Division before moving into the Watershed Programs Manager role in 2014, then Director of Environmental Programs in 2018. He oversees the efforts of the Watershed Management Department and the Laboratory and Research Department at NEW Water.
Mr. Smudde currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance and is the Past President of the Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association. Mr. Smudde has a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Soil and Waste Resource Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Lakeland University.


NEWWstaff-1Beth Clausen 

Director of Business Services 

Prior to her role as Business Services Director, Beth Clausen was the Accounting Manager for NEW Water, which she joined in 2019. Throughout her career, Ms. Clausen has held accounting management roles in the service, retail, and manufacturing industries and also was an adjunct accounting instructor. She is trained in lean principles and incorporates them into her work. She is a member of the Government Financial Officers Association, and the Wisconsin Governmental Financial Officers Association. Her community involvement includes volunteering for the Big Brothers Big Sister organization, and founding the nonprofit organization Packages of Hope, which sends care packages to those who have endured a recent life hardship. Ms. Clausen has a B.A. in Accounting, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Lakeland University.


NEWWstaff-2Emily Tietyen  

Human Resources Manager  

Having joined the team in 2022, Emily Tietyen comes to NEW Water with 15 years of Human Resources (HR) and payroll leadership experience. Her prior HR roles have been in the biotechnology, hospitality, and manufacturing industries. Her focus at NEW Water will be on organizational culture, recruiting and retention, employee training and development, and payroll/benefits.
Mrs. Tietyen has a B.S in Human Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and her Master’s in Business Administration from Concordia University. She also holds her Professional in Human Resources (PHR), SHRM Certified HR Professional (SHRM-CP), and Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) credentials. In addition to her work with NEW Water, Mrs. Tietyen is on the Board of Directors of the Northeast Wisconsin Chapter of the American Payroll Association and is active with the Bay Lakes Council of the Scouts BSA.