Jim's Background

   Jim was born and raised in Eagle River, attending local schools there. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater in 1973 and began a career in politics and nonprofit work in 1974 as a legislative analyst for the Wisconsin State Assembly.
   He was appointed Assistant Chief Clerk of the State Senate in 1977, but returned to his home town in 1980 to serve as Vilas County's first Director of Aging Programs.
   In 1982 Jim campaigned for State Assembly and won the seat representing Oneida and Vilas Counties. He served for the next twelve years specializing in tourism, natural resource and small business issues. For most of his tenure he also served as a member of the legislature's budget committeeÉthe Joint Committee on Finance.
   In 1994 he was hired as Executive Director of Trees For Tomorrow, an accredited specialty school in Eagle River which focuses on teaching environmental awareness to over 5,000 middle and high school students who attend three day seminars at the school each year.
   In 2003 Governor Doyle appointed Jim as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The Department's mission is to market Wisconsin as a preferred travel destination as well as assist hospitality businesses statewide with marketing and workforce issues.
   In 2007 Jim went to work as Business Services Coordinator for the North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. His job was to assure that federal workforce funds were invested in programs that businesses want and that are most effective for them.
   Jim serves on the Northwoods Land Trust Board of Directors. He has been active in Rotary International, and has served on the boards of Nicolet Technical College, the Grow North regional economic development organization, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, WXPR Public Radio, the Governor's Forestry Council, and the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program, among others.
   A believer in lifelong learning, Jim is currently enrolled in the masters program in Public Administration at the UW - Oshkosh. He lives in the Town of Conover with Kathy, his wife who is an Occupational Therapist. The Holperins also own and operate Grandma's Toy Box, a retail toy store in downtown Eagle River. Jim and Kathy have two sons, Christopher and Andrew.

Paid for by Holperin-Senate, Sandy Kinney, Treasurer