About WEDA
Founded in 1975, WEDA is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding Wisconsin’s economy. Its more than 450 members represent both the public and private sectors — local and regional economic development organizations, municipalities, utilities, consultants, lenders, developers, and others who work every day to attract investment, retain employers, and strengthen Wisconsin communities.
WEDA advances the profession through advocacy on behalf of Wisconsin’s economic development community, professional development, and networking that connects practitioners across the state.
Signature Programs
- Governor’s Conference on Economic Development — Wisconsin’s statewide gathering of economic development leaders.
- Fall Best Practices Conference — practitioner-focused sessions on the tools and projects shaping Wisconsin communities.
- Wisconsin Economic Development Academy — training and educational programming for economic development professionals.
- Professional networks — including the Young Professionals Engagement Network, Economic Development Women of Wisconsin, and the CRA Network of Wisconsin.
- Professional Awards — recognizing outstanding economic development projects and practitioners across the state.
Dean’s Role
Dean Prestegaard serves on the WEDA Board of Directors, contributing three decades of experience in regional economics, infrastructure investment, and economic development policy — including six years as Economic Development Chief at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, where he administered grant and loan programs and directed economic analyses of local economic development projects requiring public infrastructure improvements.
Dean’s connection to WEDA’s professional development mission predates his board service; he completed WEDA’s “Impact Through Redevelopment” course in 2019, reflecting a long-standing interest in the redevelopment of abandoned and underutilized industrial sites.
Connecting Wisconsin to the Great Lakes Region
As Chair of the Great Lakes EDC Advisory Board, Dean has also helped connect Wisconsin’s statewide economic development community to the broader binational region. WEDA partnered with the Great Lakes EDC on Great Lakes Rising 2026 in Milwaukee, where WEDA’s leadership joined the conference’s opening remarks and WEDA members were invited to participate at a partner rate.
Why It Matters to Our Clients
Wisconsin’s economic development practitioners are working through a demanding set of issues: tax incremental financing and incentive design, housing supply, data center and large-load proposals, workforce availability, and the readiness of industrial sites. Board service with WEDA keeps DMP Development Analytics close to those priorities as they emerge in Wisconsin communities.