The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) has announced that Dan Hereth, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), will serve as keynote speaker at the group’s annual meeting.

The meeting will be held Thursday, Feb. 8, at 841 Brewhouse, 841 E. Milwaukee St., Whitewater.

The event will begin at 5:30 with a social hour, with the speaker coming to the podium at 6 p.m.

The social hour will continue after the presentation, information released by the committee noted.

Members of the public are invited to attend. Reservations are required, and can be made by contacting Lilly Munkvold or Anna Dahl at pr@knightpublicaffairs.com or operations@knightpublicaffairs.com by Wednesday, Feb. 7. 

According to the release, Hereth was appointed to his role as secretary in August of 2022. Prior to his appointment, he served as the department’s assistant deputy secretary, taking on that role in 2019. Additionally, he served as the deputy district director for U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, taking on that role in 2007.

Further, the release noted, Hereth was the recipient of the “20 Under 40 Leadership Award,” presented by the Council of State Governments in 2023. The distinction made him the council’s first recipient of the honor from Wisconsin.

Within the release, Hereth was described as having led, within the DSPS, technology upgrades, while “guiding innovative partnerships with professional associations, employers, and other stakeholders.

“His work has increased licensing efficiency and bolstered Wisconsin’s professional workforce, while keeping a focus on the department’s public safety mission.”

Hereth, a native of Watertown, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, which includes a minor in public administration, which he earned at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. He holds a master’s degree in human resources, earned at UW-Milwaukee, the release stated.

For more information about the event, contact GWC President Jeffery Knight by phone: 920-728-0662 or email: jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com.