Brad Quarberg, ’85, UW-La Crosse director of news and marketing, will retire on July 5, 2023. A retirement celebration will be held with UWL campus and community members from 4-6 p.m. Friday, July 7 at the Eagle’s Nest on Campbell Road, on the east side of campus. Parking is free and available in Commuter Lot 9 (C-9).  

Please RSVP by Friday, June 30 to Kjerstin Lang at klang@uwlax.edu.

Join us for appetizers, drinks and cake as we celebrate Quarberg’s leadership and service to the university over 38 years. In addition to his campus service, Quarberg has been involved in various community and non-profit organizations and boards, along with serving in leadership positions in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's district five (CASE V), a professional organization for higher education professionals in the Midwest.  

In addition to his service, Quarberg has also generously donated to the community and campus financially. Quarberg and his wife, Gail, ’89, established the Brad and Gail Quarberg Scholarship Fund in January 2022 to provide a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from Mondovi High School (Quarberg’s alma mater) each year.  They also established an endowment to fund band and choral initiatives at Logan High School.  

Quarberg’s file  

Former CASE V District Conference chair: Quarberg served on the CASE V Board of Directors and the CASE V Conference Committee for more than a decade, from 1997-2012. He chaired the district conference — the largest in the country — twice, in 2003 and 2004. He was editor of the district's newsletter, Advance, and oversaw the district's print and web marketing efforts. In 2019, he became chair-elect of the CASE V District Cabinet.   

Former Chair of Academic Staff Council. Quarberg was elected to two, three-year terms on the Academic Staff Council, serving as chair for two years.   

Academic Staff Excellence Award winner: In 2001, he was honored by his peers when he received the Academic Staff Excellence Award, the university's top award to academic staff.  

La Crosse's Oktoberfest Board President and Parade Marshal. Quarberg was named the 2016 Maple Leaf Parade Marshal. Prior to that, in 2001 he served as Oktoberfest Board President. He also was chief editor and one of the authors of the book, “The Fest of Times, a look back on 50 years of Oktoberfest.” 

President of the La Crosse Valley View Rotary Club. In Rotary International District 6250, Quarberg has served as District Secretary, on the District Training Committee, on the District Governors Council and as one of the district’s Assistant Governors. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and received the Lifetime Achievement Award for La Crosse Area Rotary Clubs.  

La Crosse School District Board member: In 2015, Quarberg was elected to his first term on the Board of Education for the School District of La Crosse. He has served as the board's treasurer and vice president, as well as Wisconsin Association of School Boards delegate and representative to the La Crosse Public Education Foundation.    

Other service: Quarberg has also been involved in the La Crosse Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and his congregation, English Lutheran, in La Crosse; Lutheran Campus Ministry of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan; Great Rivers United Way; La Crosse Area Day with the Milwaukee Brewers; American Red Cross blood drives; Sugar Creek Bible Camp; Boy Scouts of America; Adopt-a-Highway; American Cancer Society; JDRF-La Crosse; Habitat for Humanity; Junior Achievement; Logan High School Band Parents Organization; Logan High School Parents Organization; La Crosse Symphony Conductor Wannabee winner; Bethany St. Joseph Board of Directors; and a variety of other projects.   

Awards: Among other achievements and honors, Quarberg has received two gold and three bronze national awards in the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards Program for communications projects; Pride of CASE V awards; numerous La Crosse Addy Awards; Oktoberfest Festmaster and President’s Award; and numerous Academic Staff Development grants.