District hires facilities pro to head business operations

The Port Washington-Saukville School District has found a facilities management expert to be its next business manager.

The School Board on Monday hired Melissa Nettesheim, the director of operations and facilities in the Wauwatosa School District, to replace Director of Business Services Jim Froemming when he retires on Dec. 31.

Supt. Michael Weber said Nettesheim instantly stood out among the 11 applicants for the position, in part because of her experience coordinating a $124 million facilities improvement referendum and managing the construction of four new buildings and 10 major capital improvement projects in the Wauwatosa School District. 

“There aren’t many business managers who have managed and tracked a $124 million referendum,” he said.

Nettesheim’s attitude also stood out, Weber said.

“She had high energy, a positive attitude, connects with almost anyone and is not hesitant to take on the role of a leader,” he said, adding that Nettesheim’s experience managing food service programs and overseeing custodial maintenance is a plus.

Nettesheim said in an interview Tuesday that the director of business services job will allow her to achieve a longtime career goal in a district she instantly felt a connection to.

“My goal has always been to get to the business side of school operations,” she said. “And when I visited the Port-Saukville District, it just gave a sense of community and belonging. I love how its schools are tucked away in nice little neighborhoods.”

Nettesheim, who lives with her family in Allenton, has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture industries and marketing from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and a master of business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is currently studying for her business administrator license at UWM and expects to receive it in May.

Prior to working for the Wauwatosa School District, Nettesheim was the physical plant manager of facilities at Carroll University in Waukesha.

At 36, Nettesheim will be one of the youngest, if not the youngest, business managers the Port Washington-Saukville School District has had, and like her predecessor, this will be her first job managing school finances.

Froemming, a former math teacher, was hired in 2002 for what has been his only job in school administration. He is credited with expanding the role of business manager by playing lead roles in human resources management and technology acquisition, and like Nettesheim, he helped coordinate a referendum and oversee the projects it financed.

Although Nettesheim’s job officially begins on Jan. 1, she will spend time prior to that working with Froemming.

She will be paid $122,000 a year.