Allamakee County Community Foundation welcomes Erickson, Whitlatch

The Allamakee County Community Foundation is pleased to welcome two new members to its advisory board: Nick Erickson and Betsy Whitlatch. Erickson succeeds three-term board member Anthony Gericke of Postville. Whitlatch fills the seat formerly occupied by New Albin resident Kathy Renk, who also served three three-year terms. 

“On behalf of the Community Foundation, I would like to welcome Nick and Betsy,” says board chair Jarrod Olson. “We are excited to have them join the board and look forward to their fresh ideas and enthusiasm.”

Whitlatch is a New Albin native who returned to the area four years ago to raise a family. She is an attorney who previously practiced trust and estate law in St. Cloud, Minn. In her current role as financial officer/trust officer at New Albin Savings Bank, her responsibilities include helping manage the bank’s investment portfolio and answering internal bank legal questions. 

“I have served on several nonprofit boards and have learned much from those organizations,” she says. “I believe strongly in the mission of the Allamakee County Community Foundation and care deeply about the future of this county and our communities. Having been a part of New Albin Improvement League, an organization that benefited from a Community Foundation grant to help launch our splash pad and playground project, I understand first-hand the importance of the Foundation and the positive difference it can make.”

Whitlatch looks forward to learning about projects across the county and is excited to work with the other members of the advisory board.

She and her husband, Alberto, have three children: 6-year-old Arthur, 4-year-old Hugo, and 2-year-old Eloisa. Alberto is a math teacher at Kee High, and the couple is expecting their fourth child in August. Whitlatch loves love to read, bike, and do yoga. 

Like Whitlatch, Erickson is an attorney who has worked with various nonprofits. He hopes to use his experience and understanding of the challenges nonprofits face in his new role with the Foundation.

“My predecessor, Tony Gericke, informed me of many of the wonderful things local organizations have been able to do thanks to the work of the Community Foundation,” says Erickson. “His passion for the Community Foundation had an impact on me and made me want to take part.”

A Postville native, Erickson is the son of Matt and Marty Erickson. His father, Matt, was a founding member of the Foundation board who served until 2013, when he passed the baton to Gericke.  

To learn more about the Foundation, visit dbqfoundation.org/accf.