Board Members

Jayne Englebert
President, 2022- Current

I moved to the Baraboo area approximately 29 years ago to work at a local engineering firm as a hydrogeologist. I have degrees in geology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (BS) and the University of Minnesota-Duluth (MS). I chose hydrogeology as a career as I love to be in the outdoors. One of the reasons I chose to move to this area was due to the proximity to Devil’s Lake, and in my free time my husband and I enjoy accessing the park for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing. I have recently retired and am looking forward to having more time to devote to working with the Friends group.

Dave Barger
Vice President, 2021 - 2024

I grew up on a farm in Oregon WI, lived most of my adult life in the Madison area, and recently moved back to the family farm. I visited Devils Lake as a kid with my parents, siblings and other relatives, and enjoyed it later as an adult with my own kids. My “hobby” is to go on Volunteer Vacations to work on various projects in UT, CO, AZ, WA, US Virgin Islands, Costa Rica and even Machu Picchu, so being on the Friends board is my “local” focus. I am passionate about DL and wanting others to be able to enjoy it as I have… by picking up trash along the trails, working to improve the trails, and working toward making the new Interpretive Center become a reality. Now retired after 41 years in engineering, I can now spend more time and effort on DL matters. 

David Parr
Treasurer, 2021 - Present

David owns and operates a produce farm market and wholesale food distribution company based out of south central Wisconsin. Through his work, David promotes environmental stewardship and economic development, partnering with over 150 producers to grow aggregate, and distribute produce to make it easier and more accessible for people to eat healthy food and support small family farms. David graduated from UW Platteville in 2013 with a degree in agricultural business.  He has been going to Devil’s Lake for 20 years and has a passion for exploring natural areas. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, canoeing and traveling.

Eric B. Bauman
Events Chair, 2020 - Present

Growing up in Madison (Madison West HS Class of 1985) made Devil's Lake a favorite destination for me. A driver's license resulted in a real uptick in visits to the park. I still remember the excitement of my early “scrambling” (bouldering) experiences, later technical rock climbing adventures and rope rescue training as a volunteer Fire/EMS provider. The focus of my career has been in academic healthcare, but I also served 30 years in the volunteer Fire/EMS service. In the last handful of years, I've been a regular, if not a frequent visitor to the park, grateful for the opportunity to spend time outdoors during my free time. I enjoy sharing my park adventures with friends and family through a love of photography. I spend most of my time at Devil’s Lake hiking, but plan to take up paddle boarding soon. While serving on the board, I hope to contribute to the betterment of the park. I'm most concerned with how to keep the Park accessible and beautiful given the impact of the Park's popularity. It is important for me to help inspire new generations of youth to visit the great outdoors here in Wisconsin.

Kurt Goeckermann
2019 - Present

Kurt has a long history with Wisconsin State Parks. Kurt grew up in a log cabin in Copper Falls State Park, where his father, Kent, served as Park Manger for 30+ years. Kurt met his wife, Cheryl, at UW-Madison and he graduated with degrees Journalism and History. He followed Cheryl to medical school in Milwaukee; Kurt earned a degree in social work at UW-Milwaukee. After a couple moves, in 1999 Cheryl took a family practice position at Medical Associates in Baraboo. Since then, Kurt has been a social worker at nursing facilities in Lodi and Baraboo. Kurt and Cheryl have three children, a college sophomore, a high school senior, and a 6th grader. Kurt is secretary of the Baraboo Music Support Group and coaches 6th grade basketball. The whole family loves the outdoors and vacationing, mostly in Florida with grandparents and trying to see as many National Parks as possible. Kurt likes to garden, hunt/fish and attend UW athletic events. For relaxation he enjoys reading, mostly history. He recently began raising chickens and helped his son dig a large Koi pond.

Pete Schmitz
2023 - Present

I started working at a specialty sporting goods store in Baraboo in the early 90’s. This introduced me to the spiritual magic of Devils Lake State Park.  The Lake taught me many things about recreation from climbing, cycling, hiking, paddling, skiing, and scuba.  It became a place for me to learn these activities.  Over the years I’ve become an advocate for everyone that uses this resource.  I’ve become involved with many Master Planning projects in Sauk County.  I’ve built trails, assembled volunteers, and fundraised.  I eventually opened my own ski/climb/bike specialty store in Baraboo eighteen years ago.  

I would like to help with the new Interpretive Center Initiative.  My time spent as a small business owner will be valuable for this initiative.  My experience with sales, marketing, planning, and accounting will all be very beneficial to the Friends. The advocacy projects, trail projects, and grant writing I’ve done will be beneficial to the team.   I’ve spent many years following the Master Planning process for the Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area and the Great Sauk State Trail and feel this is a great time to be on the Friends board.