June 01, 2015
WI Alliance Executive Director Billy Feitlinger to retire.
After almost 11 years, I have decided to retire as the WIARA Executive Director. It has been the most enjoyable and rewarding job that I have had over the last 40 years.
I have had the good fortune to have met and worked with hundreds of amazing people from the WIARA board of directors and staff, its affiliates, its sustaining union members, and participants who have attended retirement security presentations at senior centers, labor halls and town hall meetings throughout Wisconsin. I have learned so much and greatly appreciate the friendships that I have made from my experiences working for the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans. The people of Wisconsin are humble and modest people. All they want is to be treated fairly. My passion for my job started with the hundreds and hundreds of people that I met around the state.
As WIARA celebrates its 10th Anniversary, we can look back with pride while presenting an opportunity to boldly plan ahead. Our efforts helped to protect Social Security and Medicare even though the Right and some of the wealthiest Americans wanted to either eliminate or change these earned programs as we know them. Our efforts helped to maintain SeniorCare for over 90,000 Wisconsin seniors and people with disabilities as well as some other state funded programs for seniors in our state. Even though we were not able to defeat Governor Walker, our efforts helped elect many retiree and labor friendly state and federal political candidates.
It has been an amazing experience. Even though I am retiring from the WIARA, I will continue to work for social and economic justice for all. I look forward to working with you in our efforts to protect and strengthen retirement security for all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the honor of being WIARA first
Executive Director.
Billy Feitlinger