 Quarterly Employee Recognitions - October 2024
 Please join us in congratulating our WDVA Employees of the Quarter (pictured left to right) Richard Bell, Amy Formella, and Phil Scheu!
Richard Bell
Employee of the Quarter at our Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove, Richard Bell, was nominated by his peers for his exceptional skills and dedication to his work as an Operation Program Associate.
His extraordinary talent for record-keeping and meticulous attention to detail ensures that all documentation is accurate and up to date, facilitating smooth operations within his team. His organizational skills have proven invaluable in maintaining program standards and improving efficiency.
Richard also has an innate ability to connect with others and fostering a collaborative environment with his approachable demeanor. His willingness to listen makes him a trusted resource among colleagues and a source of comfort everyone at Union Grove.
Richard takes immense pride in being a veteran himself, which drives his passion for serving his fellow veterans with respect and compassion. His dedication not only enhances our program but also nurtures a sense of community and support among the members.
Amy Formella
WDVA Employee of the Quarter at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, Amy Formella, is the Music Therapist at King. Since joining the team in 2014, Amy has been a presenter at the quarterly family meeting to educate loved ones on the value that Music Therapy can offer to members. Education is key to getting families involved and understanding the benefits such as reduction in anxiety, depression, stress, improvement in emotional regulation and processing, and promotion of feelings of safety and security.
As Commandant Tammy Servatius said, "If you have never witnessed a miracle, it would be witnessing someone with end stage Dementia who is not fully interacting bloom when they are receiving Music Therapy. It will move you to tears to see the patient singing along with Amy."
Amy also is a mentor for music therapy student interns through our program at King. She knows that this brings more qualified professionals to fill the need in the state of Wisconsin, as well as allowing our members to have more hours of music therapy while the additional students are mentoring.
Phil Scheu
WDVA Employee of the Quarter at Central Office, Phil Scheu, received this honor for his outstanding commitment, initiative, and leadership at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
He took on additional responsibilities when a Building and Grounds Supervisor vacancy occurred and kept cemetery services running. He continues to demonstrate a remarkable work ethic and problem-solving to all those around him. His dedication in maintaining the cemetery grounds, managing internments, and ensuring the irrigation system was running correctly for the first time in four years is another example of how valuable Phil is to our cemetery in Spooner, WI.
NWVMC Director Joel Clapero put it like this: “His hard work reflects how beautiful and well-maintained our cemetery is. His willingness to step up and be a leader was a huge asset to NWVMC, the team, and me.”
 We had one of the largest turnouts we’ve had so far for a Central Office Quarterly All-staff Meeting on October 3rd at the DOR Building on Rimrock Road in Madison. Deputy Secretary Chris McElgunn, kicked things off with some departmental updates before turning things over to Veterans Benefits Deputy Division Administrator Amy Millard, who filled everyone in on what’s happening with WDVA’s Equity & Inclusion efforts. Veterans Benefits Specialist Melissa Becker (pictured above) followed up with a presentation about the annual State of Wisconsin Partners in Giving employee charitable donation program. Please consider making a donation which can be easily done online at giving.wi.gov.
A special thank you to our colleagues from Wisconsin Veteran Museum Director Chris Kolakowski and Oral Historian, Luke Sprague (pictured below). They had the unenviable task of presenting after staff enjoyed pizza, ice cream sundaes, and music-themed trivia games.
These quarterly all-staff meetings help our department stay up to date with trainings, information, and bring our employees together for an important day of learning. Thank you to all our WDVA employees and staff who travel across the state to attend.
Please help us welcome three new employees to WDVA's Veteran Outreach and Recovery Program!
Xee Khang will be taking over VORP Region 8, which includes the counties of Clark, Marathon, Taylor, and Wood. Amber Krokstrom is taking over VORP Region 11, which includes the counties of Brown, Calumet, Door, and Kewaunee. Sloan Butler is an LTE that will be assisting veterans in the southern half of the state and will be based out of Region 15, which includes the counties of Waukesha and Milwaukee. We are excited to have you at WDVA!
Pictured left to right, Xee Khang, Sloan Butler, and Amber Krokstrom.
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