Head of Wisconsin Catholic Conference John Huebscher retires after 30 years

John Huebscher

In a 1993 interview less than a year after he became executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, John Huebscher remarked, “I like going to work in the morning, and the range of issues we deal with. It may be health care in the morning, gambling at noon, education in the evening, and abortion the next day.”

Asked last week if he still felt that way, Huebscher answered, “Yes.”

Huebscher retired Jan. 15 from the WCC, the public policy voice of the state’s Catholic bishops.

MKE Catholic Herald: WCC director aimed to make point ‘with quiet dignity’

John Huebscher says that the Catholic Church has “always been tugging at my sleeve.”

“I’ve always been interested in the Church,” he said in an interview prior to his retirement this month as executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC), the public policy voice of the state’s Catholic bishops.

“I even thought about entering the seminary,” he said. In fact, his pastor encouraged him to visit the seminary in Milwaukee in 1967 and he met the rector in his office.

Huebscher decided not to study to be a priest, but years later, he sat in the same office now occupied by the archbishop of Milwaukee, then Rembert Weakland, when he was being hired as executive director of the WCC.

Mad Catholic Herald

On Jan. 16, Kim Wadas will become executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the state’s Catholic bishops.

Wadas describes herself as “a product of the Midwest generally.” Born in Burlington, Iowa, she moved at age 2 to Janesville. From there, it was on to Wildwood, Illinois, then Muskegon, Michigan, where she graduated from Muskegon Catholic Central High School.

She earned an undergraduate degree in history and political science at Marquette University and a law degree at the University of Iowa. She dabbled in politics as an intern with Republican Congressman Doug Bereuter of Nebraska but decided nonprofit legal work was more to her liking.

WisSJ: Know Your Madisonian: Kim Wadas to lead statewide group advancing Catholic public policy(interview)