Next Wave+ Profiles: Meet another pair of participants

Beginning last month, the Chamber launched Next Wave+ to build upon the success of the Next Wave program. Next Wave+ is an advanced professional development series for young professionals ready to take the next step in their leadership journey. This six-session series dives deeper into leadership, community understanding and cross-industry collaboration. Each session is designed to give participants executive-level insights, real-world perspectives and opportunities to connect with influential leaders shaping the region.

The Chamber will profile current participants in this blog, this time with Audrey Webster and Christopher Ashburn:

Audrey Webster, Assistant Planner, Village of Weston:

Your hometown: Spring Valley, Minnesota

What do you love about the Wausau area? Wausau is an amazing, welcoming community. I love all of the opportunities it provides for indoor and outdoor activities in every season, and I can’t wait to get more involved!

If you could waive a magic wand and change one thing about the Wausau area, what would it be? I am planning to move to the Wausau area this spring and finally get settled into this great community. If I could change one thing, it would be to make opportunities like the NextWave+ Program more widely available to others who are planning to settle here, so they can have the same experience I’ve had in learning about the Wausau area.

What are you hoping to achieve by participating in the Next Wave+ program? I hope to gain a deeper understanding of Wausau’s history and learn more about the opportunities it provides to its community.

Christopher Ashburn, VP, Cash Management, IncredibleBank:

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

What do you love about the Wausau area? I love the focus on community and commerce, especially in our downtown area. I love the Wausau music scene, and I love all of the events put on by the city.

If you could waive a magic wand and change one thing about the Wausau area, what would it be? I would expand our downtown area to connect with Riverlife fully, maintain a laser focus on attracting young families, and double the amount of community events.

What are you hoping to achieve by participating in the Next Wave+ program? I’d love to be able to create meaningful connections with other professionals in our community.

More details and a schedule for the Next Wave+ program are available on WausauChamber.com. The cost for members to participate in Next Wave+ is $300 annually.

More Next Wave+ profiles:

Meet Casey Rogers and Lyssa Edwards

Meet Chelsea Brusky and Matt Hoenecke