Wolske receives state child support award

• Child Support Specialist Chad A. Wolske

Child Support Specialist Chad A. Wolske

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Chad Wolske liked numbers so he earned a degree in accounting. What he didn’t like was working with numbers without people.

The 29-year-old Hammond native found the best of both worlds when he signed on to the St. Croix County Child Support Agency as a specialist in 2005. The move paid off and last month Wolske was named the Child Support Worker of the Year by the Wisconsin Child Support Enforcement Association.

“It’s always good to get acknowledged,” he said during a conversation at the child support headquarters in the government center last week.

He acknowledged the work can be less than joyful, trying to collect from people who haven’t made child support payments. “It’s difficult some days, but it’s rewarding to make a difference in people’s lives,” Wolske said.

“We deal with the most personal issues — money and children,” he said. “Everything we do is in the best interest of the child.”

Wolske was no doubt acknowledged by the state organization for his ability to get support payments to the people who need them. He said that last year his caseload collected over $1 million and 97 percent of all the cases on the books received court orders for payments. Of those, 80 percent were committed to make support payments.

“We try to get better every year,” he said.

Wolske said a downturn in the economy when people are laid off and become unemployed puts pressure on the system.

“It becomes more difficult on everybody. Lower incomes mean less in support payments,” he said.

Wolske said his department tries to get the cases into court for a new order of payment in light of the economic shift.

“I am, as is the county, proud of his dedication” said Katy Kapaun, child support administrator.

“The state award is an honor for him and a positive reflection on the department,” she said.

Kapaun said the department will be delivering its annual financial report to the county board that will include $11 million in collections. “Chad’s success is part of a team success,” she said.

Wolske graduated from St. Croix Central High School in 1999 then earned an accounting degree at the Minneapolis Business College in 2001. He went to work for a food service outfit at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport doing straight accounting but missed the lack of connection with people. In 2003 he started work for the county and two years later landed with child support.

“It’s a good balance between numbers and people,” he said.

Wolske is engaged and planning a June 2011 wedding.

Tags: saint croix county, local government, communities, family