Julia VerHaagh’s experience managing challenges in the manufacturing industry, such as closing an out-of-state plant and implementing an ERP, brought valuable experience and perspective to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Bay & Lakes Region when she joined the nonprofit organization in 2022. Just after joining, VerHaagh saw the merger of two Clubs to create the Bay & Lakes Region. “All required teamwork, relationships and an attention to detail,” she says.
During her past two years at the Club, “we have been very focused on strategic planning and sustainability planning and building a strong management team to take us into the future,” VerHaagh says. The Club has formed a regional approach, expanded into northern Door County, opened another site in Shawano, created new opportunities for teens and developed a strong mental health and wellness focus, she says.
VerHaagh is most proud of “watching the young women and men I have been able to mentor succeed in their respective fields.”
VerHaagh says her former mentor and supervisor, Barbara Peterson, played a pivotal role in her career: “At that time there were not very many women in leadership positions, and she really made an impact on me.”
