Interim President

Zach Larson has a life-long connection to Telemark. He first learned to ski there at age 3 and went on to come in first place in the 1 Kilometer Barnebirkie at Telemark at age 5. He has skied and recreated at Telemark for the last 44 years and loves the land. He even coached a high school cross country ski team called the Drummond Telemarkers for several years.

Zach is currently a Middle School teacher at Drummond Schools, a profession he has enjoyed for twelve years. He serves on the Town of Cable Board of Supervisors and Cable Volunteer Fire Department. He has a wife Abbey, an 8 year-old daughter Liviana, and a 6-year-old son Banyan.

He has a Masters Degree in Education from the College of St. Scholastica, a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from UW-Madison, and graduated from Drummond High School in 1997. He spent 7 years in Madison, 5 years in New York City, and 3 years in South Asia. He now lives in Cable, where he grew up.

Zach is an avid cross country skier, with 10 Birkies and 6 Kortelopets completed. He currently coaches cross country skiing to youth at Drummond. He has a lot of experience with grant proposal writing and served professionally in that capacity for many years. He also has a background in event planning, conflict resolution, and creative problem solving.

Vice President

Heather Ludzack’s family history in Cable goes back 125 years. She learned to downhill ski at Mt. Telemark at age 5 where her Uncle was a member of the ski patrol. Although she has lived elsewhere, she has always considered Cable home. 

After College in Southern California and 7 years in Community Relations for Puget Sound Energy in Seattle, She returned to Cable in 2001 where she started her business, the Brick House Café & Catering. Her years as a chef & caterer included 5 appearances on the Food Network. 

She has been the Executive Director of the Cable Area Chamber of Commerce since 2019 where she promotes her first love, the Cable Area. She lives in Cable with her husband Larry and her dog Jager. They have 4 grown children and 7 grandchildren. 

She serves as Board President of the Drummond Area School District, The Tavern League of Ashland- Bayfield County, The Cable & Area Lions Club, and the Chequamegon Children’s Theater.

Treasurer

Jim Pathos grew up in Eau Claire Wisconsin and lived there all of his life except for his college days spent at the University of Chicago, where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.  

His first experience at Telemark was when he was a Sophomore in high school and attended a DECA Conference at Telemark Lodge. As a teenage boy, he was mesmerized by Telemark and thought it was the most entertaining and amazing place he had ever seen. When he met Sally, his future wife, who came from an avid downhill ski family, the two of them reconnected on the Telemark ski hill. 

When Telemark began selling timeshares, they purchased their first week in 1987. They continued to enjoy their timeshare at Telemark in the winter and summer and eventually with their children out at Telemark Pointe (Garden Lake).  Now, they reside in a lake home on Diamond Lake, near Cable, WI and look forward to contributing to the goals and future visions of the Telemark Northwoods Community Foundation.

Secretary

Emily Stone is a naturalist by birth, training, profession and passion. A childhood spent as a “mud and water daughter” in NE Iowa led to a degree in outdoor education with a minor in geology from Northland College and a Field Naturalist Master’s from the University of Vermont. 

As the Naturalist/Education Director at the Cable Natural History Museum in Cable, Wisconsin, Emily writes a weekly “Natural Connections” column published in more than 20 local and regional newspapers. 

She has earned multiple Excellence in Craft awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America, including for her second Natural Connections book.

Director at Large

Mike Brown discovered the Northwoods of Wisconsin relatively recently, about a dozen years ago. Since then, he and his family (wife Maggie and daughter Charlotte) have become avid cross-country skiers, mountain bikers, and hiking enthusiasts. Their favorite spots include the Hospital Trails, Fish Hatchery, OO system, and, of course, the Mt. Telemark Village trail system.

After relocating to Hayward following the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike joined the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation staff as their CFO and Chief of Staff. Previously, he built a 25-year career at Target Corporation, where he led teams in Finance and Data & Analytics.

Mike studied at the University of MN and New York University.

Mike joined the Telemark Nordic Community Foundation to provide both financial and operational support, bringing his extensive business experience to help advance the organization's mission. Currently, he serves on the Finance committee. His goal is to guide the organization on an efficient capital stack for the Activity Center financing.

In addition to his role with TNCF, Mike serves as Chairman of Endurance United, a non-profit focused on engaging and inspiring the silent sports community in the Twin Cities to be active and healthy in the outdoors. His commitment to outdoor recreation extends to board positions with the Foundation for the Endowment of the American Birkebeiner, Lumberjack World Championships, and Birke Enterprises.

Director at Large

I have had a long (50+ years) relationship with Telemark and its silent sports activities, predominantly, XC-skiing, biking, golf, hiking and vacation lodging over those years. Participating in various running, skiing, and golf events in the  communities of Cable, Hayward, Drummond, Grand View, endeared me to the beauty, serenity and special vacation opportunities of the wider Telemark northwoods community. Looking forward to seeing the new developments, of what now is the Mount Telemark Village, gives me further hope of seeing a restoration of what my daughter calls the "Golden Age of Telemark.

Below are some of my community service background and employment and leadership credentials that can relate to roles and function of serving on the TNCF Board:

* Retired as dean of academic school at UW-Stout. Hotel & Restaurant Management, Hospitality & Service Management, Food Science, Vocational Rehabilitation, Health & Athletics, Dietetics, were some of the  academic departments in that college as well as Golf Enterprise Management, which I promoted and developed before my retirement in 2008. 

* Currently serve on the Telemark Interval Owners Association (18 years, held roles as Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.

* Member Momentum Chippewa Valley, board president for one year. This organization promoted economic development in Chippewa, Dunn and Eau Claire counties.

* Was a chartered member of the Menomonie Optimist Club and a Rotary Club member.

* Served as golf host and instructor for Norwegian Cruise Lines.

* Member of the Menomonie Senior Center board; served two years as President.

* Served on the board of Friends of Red Cedar State Trail & Hoffman Hills Recreation Parks. These are two frequently used parks used mainly for various silent sports activities in and near Menomonie.