Education

B.A. Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1983
J.D. University of Wisconsin Law School, 1986
Ph.D. Leadership Studies, Marian University, 2012

Biography

Dan is a partner in the law firm, Vande Zande & Kaufman, LLP. He has been in private practice for more than 35 years, serving a diverse client base throughout Wisconsin, but primarily within the east central area. Dan has also served as the Waupun City Attorney for more than 30 years. His practice areas are diverse, and include the recent negotiation of a municipal development agreement for the construction of a $100,000,000 soybean processing facility, as well as several multimillion-dollar commercial development projects in the greater Milwaukee area. Recently he also successfully briefed and argued a case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court involving the interrelation of subdivision and shoreland zoning law.

In addition to the practice of law, Dan has served in a variety of leadership positions. He was a director of the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation for a 10-year term, during which time the organization was instrumental in retaining the Mercury Marine manufacturing facility in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Dan also served for 20 years on the board of directors of NBW Bank, was vice chair of a District Committee for the Office of Lawyer Regulation, and he has been a member of the Agnesian Healthcare/SSM ethics committee for more than 20 years. Dan also served for 8 years on the Wisconsin Sentencing Commission, having been appointed to that position by Governor Tommy Thompson.

Dan is a 1986 graduate, cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin Law School, and holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Marian University. He has taught leadership at the doctoral level, and school law in the Ed.D. program at UW-Oshkosh. His prior scholarship and publications include topics such as the demise of the English Court of the Star Chamber and leadership of Wisconsin circuit court judges. He has lectured on history, law and leadership at several faculty seminars at Oxford University and for various professional organizations.