Editors' note: Wayne Koessl granted an interview on July 17, 2024, for a profile feature in the WRS News September 2024 issue (print newsletter for retirees). The article below retains its original form as written before Koessl's passing on Aug. 12, 2024.
Wayne Koessl’s humility exudes from his life stories filled with serendipity. His legacy, however, is more than just a cluster of coincidences, as he radiates with a clear vision and passion to serve.
In March this year, Koessl stepped down from the ETF Board after more than two decades. That month, he also turned 95.
Yet, his mental sharpness and enduring commitment allow him to continue working in Pleasant Prairie, a village in Kenosha County, where he has been a member of its Plan Commission since 1969.
Koessl ironically traces back his public service journey to his 64 years of private sector experience.
Tree Trimmer to State Liaison
In November 1948, while searching for a job in downtown Kenosha, Koessl ran into his high school sweetheart’s dad and his neighbor, who worked for Wisconsin Electric (now We Energies). The neighbor arranged for him to meet with the company’s electric test meter division head a few days later.
Koessl recalled he was offered a job that was to start in three months, but he needed a job right away because he was “flat broke.” Luckily, the head remembered that another unit was looking for a tree trimmer. “I did that for 90 days, and then I started in the electric test meter division, and I kept getting promotions,” Koessl said.
Koessl worked in We Energies for six decades and rose through the ranks to become its Senior Local Affairs Representative until his retirement in 2012.
“My job was to get approval for power plants, transmission lines, substations... I covered numerous counties in Wisconsin, so I worked with elected officials… I loved my job,” Koessl beamed.
Development in Kenosha
Koessl’s We Energies stint was crucial in extending his sphere to public governance.
In 1969, John Maurer, then chair of the Pleasant Prairie Town Board, appointed Koessl to the town’s Plan Commission. Koessl said it was also Maurer who convinced him to run for a seat in the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors. Koessl won the elections and held the position from 1970 until 2002.
Kenosha’s transformation as a manufacturing hub has been partly molded through Koessl’s public and private sector hands.
As County Board Supervisor, he helped incorporate Pleasant Prairie into a village in 1989. He also rallied for the approval of the 1985 Wisconsin Act 79, which allowed utilities to develop in real estate. This paved the way for the LakeView Corporate Park, a 2,400-acre mixed-use development in Pleasant Prairie.
Koessl also twice became president of the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA), a group that lobbies on behalf of the 72 counties’ legislative needs.
ETF and WRS Involvement
Koessl’s impact in Kenosha’s local development and WCA opened the door for him in ETF.
In November 1989, the governor appointed Koessl to the Wisconsin Retirement (WR) Board to fill the position specifically representing a WRS-participating county or town as nominated by WCA.
The WR Board is one of five Boards of Trustees in ETF — the other four are the Teachers Retirement (TR), Group Insurance, Deferred Compensation, and ETF Boards. The WR and TR Boards provide advisory roles to the ETF Board, and they each appoint four members to the latter.
By 1996, the WR Board appointed Koessl to the ETF Board. He was later elected as vice-chair of the ETF Board in 1999 and its chair from 2012 to 2022.
Koessl continued as a WR Board member until October 2023 and as an ETF Board member until he stepped down in March this year.
In his 35 years on these boards, Koessl worked with five of six ETF Secretaries and was instrumental in appointing the last three.
(Unlike most state department heads who are appointed by the governor, the ETF Secretary is appointed by the ETF Board.)
“I enjoyed all the people I worked with, because they were all committed to the retirement system and doing their fiduciary duty. We had disagreements, but we all came together for the good of WRS... You see, we never had a bad Secretary. They all were committed and dedicated,” he said.
In his final years on the ETF and WR Boards, Koessl attended meetings either online or in person whenever his son is available to drive him to Madison. “I still drive, but my family is mad at me if I go on a freeway,” he quipped.
Post-ETF Life
Koessl stays busy in Pleasant Prairie while enjoying time with his growing family: “I have three sons, two grandsons, two granddaughters, four great-grandsons. Another great-grandson is due in August, another great-grandson is due in September, and another great-grandson is due in November!”
Later this year, Koessl expects to cut the ribbon to formally open the road extension north of 95th Street at 80th Avenue in Pleasant Prairie. The village decided to honor him by naming the roadway “Koessl Court,” a move that surprised him during a Plan Commission meeting.
It was full circle for him. “That’s where the power plant used to be. I got that plan approved through state and local governments.”
Koessl credits his longevity in public service to his core principles: “If you’re working on something, you should make sure you’re telling people the whole truth, even if it means more work for you... And if you’re an elected official or an appointed official, people put their trust in you, and you should do what is best for the people, even if you have to cross party lines.”
Koessl encapsulates his WRS legacy as being able to help public employees with their pensions.
“The WRS pensions are an asset to every community of Wisconsin. I am very proud and honored to be a member of the WRS.”