By David Litin
The Monroe Times
MONROE - Cara Carper has always kept Monroe close to heart - even when she was an ocean away.
From working for the Department of Natural Resources to the University of Wisconsin-Extension and Southwest Badger Resource Conservation & Development (SBRC&D), Carper has also always felt passionate about conservation and agriculture in Wisconsin.
After an impressive array of professional experiences, she is now the Executive Director of Monroe's Chamber of Commerce.
"I'm looking for new bits of wisdom as I embark on this job." Carper said.
Her road to the Chamber started as a dairy farmer in her hometown of Wiota; her parents were also born and raised in the small village of less than 1,000 people. Carper spent a lot of her childhood visiting Monroe. She went on to get her undergraduate degree in Public Communication and Political Science at Luther College.
Originally, Carper wanted to go to law school but that all changed when she studied her junior year at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.
"It really changed my perception on what it takes to be happy," she said.
After receiving her undergraduate degree, Carper worked for the DNR while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications while focusing on Public Policy.
In the late-1990s, she went on to work as a regional representative and case worker in southwest Wisconsin for former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl.
She said she worked as an "interpreter" between constituents and the Department of Agriculture helping people understand USDA information.
"It's one of the best job I've ever had," Carper said. "People blessed me on a daily or weekly basis."
But her work wasn't limited to that. Carper recounted a time she did a fly-over in southwest Wisconsin where she was able to see the land conservation and "what the farmers were doing."
This helped grow her passion for land conservation which she said "there was a lot to learn about."
She enjoyed working for Kohl but after many years in La Crosse and Madison, Carper and her husband David moved back to Lafayette County. She later took a job with the UW-Extension in January 2006.
In March 2013, she went on to work for the non-profit, grassroots organization, SBRC&D, focusing on the conservation, development and use of natural resources to improve the standard of living in that area. She worked with social media and outreach to let the public know what the organization is doing.
And then job at the Chamber came open.
Carper said she was inspired by how people were willing to help out the city of Monroe and so she accepted the offer to helm the organization in March of this year.
She said the people of Monroe are "wonderful and interesting" and they give "a great amount of strength to get stuff done."
She expects the opportunity to work with more than 300 local businesses ranging from non-profits to commercial businesses will be a rewarding experience for her.
"I get to go to businesses and learn about what they do," she said.
Of course stepping into this position will be no easy task. Being new to the Chamber will require a lot of networking to get to know who's who in the city in the next few months, Carper said.
She said the challenges she thinks about for new businesses include keeping up with the changing needs of the Chamber's members, ensuring the members consider the Chamber as "a sound business investment," and providing plenty of education for such a diverse need.
"Obviously, (the Chamber) will need to focus our efforts and look to partners for help to ensure that business needs are being met," Carper said.
With a solid economy in Monroe, she said she is very fortunate to be given the opportunity to work in a town filled with a passion to support the community's success.
"It give me goosebumps," Carper said.
The Monroe Times
MONROE - Cara Carper has always kept Monroe close to heart - even when she was an ocean away.
From working for the Department of Natural Resources to the University of Wisconsin-Extension and Southwest Badger Resource Conservation & Development (SBRC&D), Carper has also always felt passionate about conservation and agriculture in Wisconsin.
After an impressive array of professional experiences, she is now the Executive Director of Monroe's Chamber of Commerce.
"I'm looking for new bits of wisdom as I embark on this job." Carper said.
Her road to the Chamber started as a dairy farmer in her hometown of Wiota; her parents were also born and raised in the small village of less than 1,000 people. Carper spent a lot of her childhood visiting Monroe. She went on to get her undergraduate degree in Public Communication and Political Science at Luther College.
Originally, Carper wanted to go to law school but that all changed when she studied her junior year at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.
"It really changed my perception on what it takes to be happy," she said.
After receiving her undergraduate degree, Carper worked for the DNR while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications while focusing on Public Policy.
In the late-1990s, she went on to work as a regional representative and case worker in southwest Wisconsin for former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl.
She said she worked as an "interpreter" between constituents and the Department of Agriculture helping people understand USDA information.
"It's one of the best job I've ever had," Carper said. "People blessed me on a daily or weekly basis."
But her work wasn't limited to that. Carper recounted a time she did a fly-over in southwest Wisconsin where she was able to see the land conservation and "what the farmers were doing."
This helped grow her passion for land conservation which she said "there was a lot to learn about."
She enjoyed working for Kohl but after many years in La Crosse and Madison, Carper and her husband David moved back to Lafayette County. She later took a job with the UW-Extension in January 2006.
In March 2013, she went on to work for the non-profit, grassroots organization, SBRC&D, focusing on the conservation, development and use of natural resources to improve the standard of living in that area. She worked with social media and outreach to let the public know what the organization is doing.
And then job at the Chamber came open.
Carper said she was inspired by how people were willing to help out the city of Monroe and so she accepted the offer to helm the organization in March of this year.
She said the people of Monroe are "wonderful and interesting" and they give "a great amount of strength to get stuff done."
She expects the opportunity to work with more than 300 local businesses ranging from non-profits to commercial businesses will be a rewarding experience for her.
"I get to go to businesses and learn about what they do," she said.
Of course stepping into this position will be no easy task. Being new to the Chamber will require a lot of networking to get to know who's who in the city in the next few months, Carper said.
She said the challenges she thinks about for new businesses include keeping up with the changing needs of the Chamber's members, ensuring the members consider the Chamber as "a sound business investment," and providing plenty of education for such a diverse need.
"Obviously, (the Chamber) will need to focus our efforts and look to partners for help to ensure that business needs are being met," Carper said.
With a solid economy in Monroe, she said she is very fortunate to be given the opportunity to work in a town filled with a passion to support the community's success.
"It give me goosebumps," Carper said.