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About PDRI |
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 The
heart and soul of our community defines the true
character of Prairie du Chien’s downtown Main Street
Program. Since Marquette's and Joliet's 1673 discovery
of the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi
Rivers, this historic river town’s
future is solidly based on preserving its rich
architectural heritage, enhancing the diversity of its
businesses, honoring its rich cultural history ~
including Native American, Spanish, French, British and
American ~ recognizing its significance in history as
the oldest Euro-American settlement on the Upper
Mississippi River. |
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Executive Director:
Rogeta Halvorson
 Rogeta
Halvorson serves as Executive Director of the
community’s local Main Street Program. Focusing on
systems and processes, Rogeta has built a 30-year career
in real estate administration, corporate and private
fundraising and non-profit management. This has
included work as manager of the Commercial Investment
Division of the Great Dallas Association of REALTORS®,
director of transitions for the international real
estate Staubach Company firm and administrator of
AMRESCO’s Minority and Women-Owned Business program for
the FDIC’s real estate disposition contract.
Serving as its founding president, Rogeta co-established
a non-profit Dallas neighborhood association which
included a Volunteers in Patrol program closely working
with Dallas police, city council, housing department,
economic revitalization groups, apartment owners and
developers to effectively eliminate 95% of this
neighborhood’s crime by tearing down a dilapidated
multi-family housing complex, replacing it with a
high-end retirement community and greatly increasing
neighborhood home values. Rogeta relocated back to her
home state to Northeast Iowa in April, 2006 and
volunteers for Iowa Great Places, is on the board of
directors for Prairie du Chien’s Mississippi River
Sculpture Park and serves as a McGregor city
councilperson. |
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| 2009 -
2010 PDRI Board of Directors |
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 Christine
Seeley -
President
Christine serves on
the Promotions Committee. She, her husband, Mark,
and their three children have lived in Prairie du
Chien over ten years. Christine Seeley is interested
in developing our downtown into a lively, prosperous
and vital part of our community. Christine
services on the Promotion Committee. |
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 Lara
Czajkowski Higgins -
Vice President
In 2003, Lara returned to her home town area of Prairie du
Chien, following a ten year absence, during which she
pursued her education and career. Lara, an attorney with
the law firm of Czajkowski, Higgins & Rider, S.C.,
thoroughly enjoys her general law practice and would not
trade "small town living" for her former life in
Washington, D.C . The Czajkowski, Higgins & Rider, S.C.
office is located in downtown Prairie du Chien, and has
been since its establishment in 1947. In addition to her
service on the PDRI board, Lara is actively involved in
the Prairie du Chien Rotary Club. Lara is enthusiastic
about revitalizing Prairie du Chien's downtown, as she
witnessed its decline over her lifetime and now wants to
promote and share in its revitalization with her
husband, Michael Higgins, and their two young children.
She serves on the Organization Committee |
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 Marlene
Dyer - Secretary
Marlene is a downtown
business and property owner and, as past chairman of
the Organization Committee, she now serves in the
committee role. She has over thirty years
experience in business management, accounting,
retailing, and advertising/marketing. Marlene, with
husband, Roger, own Dyer Communication Systems Radio
Shack. |
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 Tom
Farrell - Treasurer
Tom is the retired president of Peoples State Bank.
In addition to serving as the Treasurer for PDRI, he
also fills that role for the Prairie du Chien Historical
Society, St. Feriole Island Park Inc, the
Mississippi River Sculpture Park and his church. |
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 Michael
Douglass
Michael has been a resident of Prairie du Chien
since 1983 when he became Villa Louis Site Director for
the Wisconsin Historical Society. He has worked on many
historic project at the Villa Louis including the two
million dollar restoration of the Villa Louis mansion
and office building. Michael serves on the Organization
and Design Committees and the Tastes, Toasts &
Tomfoolery Subcommittee. Michael was also PDRI's / Main Street's
Honorary Director of the year in 2008.
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 Laura
Brown
Laura is a native New Englander with a love for open
water, the outdoors, and small town farm life.
She holds a Master’s degree in Community
Development Planning from UW Madison and an
undergraduate degree in Psychology and Communications
from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. After
completing her undergraduate degree Laura moved to
Southern Maine where she completed two Americorps terms
as an environmental educator on a grass-fed beef farm.
Within the next seven years Laura coordinated
agricultural community education and outreach programs,
started an urban youth farm initiative in Hartford
Connecticut, and Directed a non-profit small farm
coalition in Madison, Wisconsin.
Thanks to a great twist of fate Laura moved to
the area in 2007 to take a new position as the Community
& Economic Development Educator with Crawford County UW
Extension. Laura
believes in grassroots community change and looks
forward to applying her experience with community
organizing and small business development on PDRI’s
economic restructuring committee.
In her spare time enjoys playing music, hiking,
and supporting the area’s many unique local businesses,
including serving on PDRI's Economic Restructuring
Committee.
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 Becky
Hackett
Becky
is a
Realtor with Select Realty Associations and a business
owner / partner with her husband Gordy, who recently
sold Napa Auto Parts to CarQuest. She has lived in
Prairie du Chien since 1988 and currently represents the
1st
Ward on the city council serving in its finance and
property committees and the Industrial Development
Council (IDC). Becky has previously served on the
board of directors of the chamber of commerce, serving
as its past present, and was actively involved in the
formation of the current tourism council. She
currently chairs PDRI’s Organization Committee and
serves on the Tastes, Toasts & Tomfoolery Subcommittee.
PDRI’s mission to establish the downtown as the social
and economic heart of the city has been one of Becky’s
goals and, as a volunteer, she will work hard to further
that goal.
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 Jamie
Jones
Jamie has served on the Economic
Restructuring Committee since 2006 and is heading up the
subcommittee for the revolving loan pool with the City
of Prairie du Chien.
Earning a business
administration with emphasis in finance degree, Jamie is
passionate about banking and has enjoyed her ten-year
banking career.
Jamie has completed various
training in relation to assisting businesses from
initial planning efforts to financing to long-term
succession planning.
Jamie had the opportunity to
move back to the area she grew up in and is currently
the Branch Manager of Citizens Bank in downtown Prairie
du Chien.
Jamie takes great pride in
being close to family and serving the community that
means so much to her.
Jamie also serves as a
Chamber Ambassador, as well as the Treasurer for the
Jaycees. |
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 Open
Director Seat
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 Luanne
Neumann - Ex-Officio,
Past President
Luanne has been living in downtown Prairie du
Chien since 1987 when she began the Neumann House Bed &
Breakfast. She has served on boards of directors for
many local organizations and has served on the Prairie
du Chien City Council and the Crawford County Board of
Supervisors. Luanne serves on the Organization
Committee and the Tastes, Toasts & Tomfoolery
Subcommittee.
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 Karl
Steiner - Ex-Officio,
Mayor
Karl has been an active participant in the Prairie du
Chien community for many years. Serving as mayor
of this community for a second time, Mayor Steiner
supports downtown revitalization. |
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