Leadership Team

As Family & Children’s Center’s president and chief executive officer, Mike Boehm oversees all the Center’s community programs in a 48-county region. He leads a team of nearly 250 professional and support personnal in providing a continuum of services to children and adults facing social, emotional or mental challenges. The agency is recognized as the largest private provider of human services in western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota. 

Mike began his career at Family & Children’s Center in 1996.  Since that time he has served in many capacities including case manager, therapist and associate director of program services. With this tenure, Mike was well prepared to become chief program officer in 2010 and now president and chief executive officer in 2012. His philosophy in leading the agency is three-fold: fiscal responsibility, program innovation and teamwork.

Mike holds a master's degree in counseling from Winona State Universiry, Winona, MN, and a bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.

Joanette Robertson serves as an associate director of Family & Children’s Center, overseeing the Center’s Treatment Foster Care and Community Respite Program in La Crosse and all Rochester and Winona programming. Joanette has been with Family & Children’s Center for over ten years and brings international experience to her post. In addition to working with at-risk youth in treatment foster care, respite care, independent living and transitional services in the region, she has also been involved in cross-cultural child welfare research and practice in the United Kingdom, Romania and Slovenia. Joanette holds a master of social work degree from Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN, and a bachelor of social work degree from Winona State University.

Southworth joined Family & Children’s Center in 1999. Since that time, she has worked in the Center’s alternative education program, in-home counseling program and as associate director of staff training and education. Today, she oversees program services in Viroqua and Black River Falls and the outpatient counseling clinic, community support program and Healthy Families child abuse/neglect prevention program in La Crosse. She also oversees the Center’s training and education. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Viterbo University, La Crosse, WI.

Rob Van Nuland serves as an associate director of program services, overseeing alternative education, residential treatment, youth homes and day treatment in the La Crosse, WI, area. Van Nuland originally joined Family & Children’s Center in 1994 as a relationship specialist in the After Hours program. He left for two years to serve as a social worker at a residential treatment center in Prairie du Chien and returned to Family & Children’s Center in 1998. Van Nuland spent the next decade as a program coordinator and case manager in the Center’s day treatment and alternative education programs. He became an associate director in 2009. Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a bachelor of social work from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

Sara V. G. Battison has served as Family & Children’s Center’s chief development officer since 2005. A La Crosse native, she joined the Center after returning to the La Crosse area from Madison, CN. There she was president of the Madison Community Foundation, a member of the Council on Foundations and involved with Madison Youth Services. She also was president of Research Books, Inc., a specialized book distribution company. Under her leadership, the Center launched its first-ever fundraising campaign, an effort that so far has raised $5 million to build better tomorrows for children, adults and families in the region.

Melissa Duin joined Family & Children’s Center in 1992, bringing private-sector experience in financial and business administration. As director of administrative services at Family & Children’s Center, she oversees the agency’s human resources, purchasing, agency records and facility management staff. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

Diane Weigel joined Family & Children’s Center as chief financial officer in 2006, bringing a wealth of experience from the human services sector. She oversees all financial and accounting activities for the Center, including compliance with state and federal regulations governing not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining the Center, Weigel served as fiscal director at Semcac, a private, not-for-profit community action agency in southeastern Minnesota where she was responsible for administration and implementation of fiscal activities, including ongoing monitoring of 30 agency programs in an 11-county area. Weigel holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.