New commissioner Jennifer Marquardt introduced to Dane County Park Commission

Tom Thorsen, chair of the Dane County Park Commission, opened the meeting and welcomed new member Jennifer Marquardt, who said she has “been on the commission for, like, 9 days” and lives on Madison’s West Side with her husband and two young children. Thorsen described a brief orientation plan and invited sitting members to introduce themselves so Marquardt could learn about districts and operations.

Marquardt told the commission she has lived in Dane County since 2001 and that this was her first meeting as a commissioner. Commissioners and staff described the commission’s long-standing composition of county board members and citizen members as helpful for bringing both elected perspectives and technical expertise; Tom Thorsen noted the practice of identifying public participants as “citizen member” at public events. The chair said staff and commissioners would follow up with orientation and a parks-site visit to familiarize Marquardt with county properties.