Meet the Team: Heidi Schleicher

Heidi Schleicher recently joined Food + Farm Exploration Center as the Elementary Specialist for the Education Outreach Program.  

Schleicher will create hands-on programming, presentations, lessons and materials for teachers to use in their classrooms, bringing students closer to agriculture in Wisconsin.  

“I love that I will be able to work with teachers and children to help build their knowledge of agriculture,” she said. “The industry is vital to our state and hopefully our programs will help build farmers for the future.” 

Schleicher joins the Foundation with an extensive background in both education and agriculture. She taught in an elementary setting for five years in La Crosse, Wis. prior to returning to the Stevens Point area. Schleicher worked in a Spanish Immersion program school, where staff and students communicated in Spanish around 40 percent of the day.  

“One of my favorite aspects was creating programming and professional development for teachers and students, so I’m thrilled to be doing that again,” she said. 

Schleicher earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. Her undergraduate degree is in Elementary and Early Adolescence Education and Spanish Education. Her master's degree is in Professional Development of Education with an emphasis on Experiential Education. 

Schleicher is no stranger to the complexity and importance of the agricultural industry. Her family owns and operates Wysocki Family of Companies in Bancroft, Wis.  

“The farm first began with my grandfather, his brother and his father,” she said. “Our farm is now in its fourth generation of farming.”  

Her husband also currently works in the industry, and her son has expressed interest in being “a potato and corn farmer” when he grows up.  

In her spare time, Schleicher loves spending time with her husband, Kevin, and her two children: Maggie and William. She also enjoys camping, hiking, biking, skiing and other activities they can all do together. She also just competed in her first Triathlon during the summer along with her children.