Friends of Wisconsin State Parks

Randall Paske – President

With a lifelong passion for camping spanning over six decades, Randall Paske has dedicated himself to supporting Wisconsin’s state parks through extensive volunteer service. Since first visiting parks as an 11-year-old, this retired teacher has served as a 7-year park host at many Wisconsin State Parks. He remains deeply involved with the Friends groups as a longtime member and current Vice President and Treasurer for the Friends of Wyalusing State Park. His photography has won accolades. Paske is the 2024 president of The Friends of Wisconsin State Parks. He is also the chair of the Outreach Committee. He has presented workshops for The FWSP Paske embodies a tireless spirit of volunteer advocacy.

Jon Beadell – Vice President

Jon developed a lifelong love for the outdoors while exploring Peninsula and Newport State
Parks during his youth. Now a portfolio manager for an investment firm, Jon hopes to lend his
skills towards ensuring the financial health and sustainability of FWSP.

Cindy  Cseri – Secretary (Interim Director)

Cindy’s lifelong passion for the outdoors stemmed from childhood camping trips across Wisconsin state parks. Her extensive employment experience in residence life, private campground operations and staff management, alongside her travel adventures to 48 states, bolstered her dedication to park preservation. Through her various Friends group leadership roles since 2008 and her recent role as park naturalist, Cindy has actively worked to enrich Mirror Lake State Park via facility improvements, volunteer support and visitor education to foster natural resource stewardship.

Jan Primus – Treasurer

Jan Primus has dedicated many years to supporting Mirror Lake State Park through her Friends group involvement, where she has also served as President. An avid camper at the park since the 1980s, her enthusiasm spans decades. With extensive professional experience as a tax consultant and former director of operations, Primus lends key leadership. Her engagement with Bethel Lutheran Church and Foundation highlights a commitment to community service. Primus’ passion for the outdoors and expertise make her well-suited to advance the FWSP  mission.

Cliff Wall

As a retired automotive dealer, Cliff Wall now pursues his passion for preserving public recreational spaces, protecting Great Lakes water supplies, and connecting with history through groups like Friends of Fox River Trail and Brown County Historical Society. His photography hobby and park volunteer work removing invasives also reflect his dedication. With board roles at Heritage Hill State Park, and having witnessed threats facing the lakes, Cliff brings a crucial perspective on safeguarding nature’s future integrity to FWSP.

Bill Pennoyer

As a retired architect with a lifelong passion for camping and outdoor recreation at Wisconsin’s state parks, BIll joined the Friends of Peninsula State Park in 2021 after regularly volunteering his design and project management expertise. Splitting time between Madison and Fish Creek, he remains an avid parkwide user year-round while also serving on the Nonmotorized Recreational Trails Council. Seeing firsthand the funding gaps parks face, Bill brings strong personal and professional dedication to give back and help preserve quality through his multifaceted Friends group involvement.

Michael Sebzda

Michael is a retired Geophysicist who has spent the last 21 years as a resident of Wisconsin. Growing up in Pennsylvania, his family of eleven spent many vacations camping, fishing, and hiking all over the country. The most memorable trip was to Mount Rushmore in a Volkswagen bus in the summer of 1969. Michael has participated in many volunteer days with the Friends of Cedarburg Bog mending a boardwalk, building and cleaning birdhouses and removing buckthorn. He enjoys working with various groups doing trial maintenance in State Parks and National Parks but one of his favorites is working with Habitat for Humanity in Waukesha. Michael has also volunteered internationally with Earthwatch on expeditions to the Amazon River in Peru. He is married (Jane) with a son (Richard), daughter-in-law (Leesha), and one grandson (Riley). He is also an avid Philatelist, golfer, and bowler.

Randy Meyer

Born and raised in Sheboygan, I enjoy kayaking, golfing, and volunteering. I served in various roles with Sheboygan County 4-H for 19 years and received the Alumni Award in 2023. After retiring from Kohler Company, I joined Kohler Andrae State Park’s conservation crew and now serve as president of its board.

Seth Taft

Seth Taft is an archaeologist and nonprofit professional actively involved with Wisconsin’s outdoor preservation initiatives. As a member of the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks Board and its fundraising committee, he contributes expertise in community engagement, historical preservation, and nonprofit management

Jackie Scharfenberg

Jackie’s love the outdoors began at a very early age with family camping trips to numerous Wisconsin State Parks and camping road trips around the United States. She knew already in junior high school that she wanted to be a naturalist. She has been in the environmental education field for more than 40 years. She earned a B.S. degree in biology from Northland College. Over her career, she worked for the Girl Scouts – Great Blue Heron Council, Retzer Nature Center, and the WI Dept. of Natural Resources for 30 years between Havenwoods State Forest and the Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit. In retirement she keeps busy with the Friends of the Kettle Moraine, Friends of the Wisconsin State Park System, her church, and the Kettle Moraine Angels along with tending her many gardens, traveling, and spending time with family and friends, and exploring the wild areas near her home in rural Campbellsport, WI.

Kara McCarty

Kara, originally from Iowa, moved to Wisconsin in 2001, discovering a passion for state parks. From Devil’s Lake to Mirror Lake, she’s embraced various outdoor activities and leadership roles. Her diverse experiences across Wisconsin’s parks inspire her to encourage others to explore and support these natural treasures.