Wisconsin Public Health Association

What Wisconsin Public Health Association does

Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt professional membership association founded in 1948 and headquartered in Kimberly, Wisconsin, dedicated to building collective action to advance public health policy and practice across Wisconsin. As an affiliate of the American Public Health Association (APHA), WPHA serves as the largest statewide association of public health professionals in Wisconsin, with nearly 600 members as of 2026 spanning local and state health agencies, hospitals and clinics, community-based organizations, and academia. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operates with a lean staff under Executive Director Jamie Michael, with administrative services managed through Badger Bay Management.

WPHA's core offerings are membership services and convening rather than technology products. The organization sells individual memberships ($25–$100 by tier) and organizational memberships ($295–$4,895, scaled by employee count), runs two annual conferences (the May Annual Public Health Conference in Wisconsin Dells and the fall Public Health in Practice Conference in Stevens Point), and operates a Career Center, Mentoring Program, Campus Connector student network across six Wisconsin universities, 14 professional sections, 9 operational committees, and an annual awards program. All member-facing services are delivered through the third-party YourMembership.com platform. Additional revenue comes from conference sponsorships and exhibitor fees, website and e-newsletter advertising ($250/quarter), job postings ($100), and tax-deductible donations through the Friends of Public Health fund.

WPHA's strategic activity centers on legislative advocacy, conducted jointly with the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards (WALHDAB) through a shared lobbyist, and policy leadership including a 2018 resolution declaring racism a public health crisis and a 2020 racial equity assessment. The organization participates in the Great Lakes Public Health Coalition, a six-state APHA Region V consortium, and has engaged in federal regulatory advocacy including 2026 comments to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on federal grant rules. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; WPHA is funded through membership dues, conference revenue, sponsorships, and donations.

Name

Wisconsin Public Health Association

Legal name

Wisconsin Public Health Association, Inc.

Website

https://wpha.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Public Health Association is a 501(c)(3) professional membership association founded in 1948, serving nearly 600 public health professionals across Wisconsin. It delivers individual and organizational memberships, two annual conferences, advocacy, career services, and professional development through a volunteer-led model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Professional Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Public health advocacy
• Professional membership association
• Health policy advocacy
• Continuing health education
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Kimberly

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Dues: Annual individual membership dues billed per member on a per-person basis. Tiered pricing includes Regular Member ($100), First Time Member ($75), Retired Member ($50), and Full-Time Student ($25). Dues run January 1–December 31 and are collected annually.
2. Organizational Membership Dues: Annual organizational membership dues based on number of employees. Tiers range from $295 (9 or fewer employees) to $4,895 (1,000+ employees). Employees of organizational members receive a $40 discount on individual memberships.
3. Annual Conference Sponsorships and Exhibitor Fees: Revenue generated from conference sponsorship levels (Platinum $8,000, Gold $5,000, Silver $3,000) and exhibitor display fees ($750 for members, $1,000 for non-members). Sponsorship tiers include full conference registrations, advertising placements, and recognition at plenary sessions.
4. Public Health in Practice Conference Revenue: Revenue from fall PHIP conference sponsorship levels (Gold $3,500, Silver $2,500, Bronze $1,000) and exhibitor display booths ($500 member / $750 non-member), along with attendee registrations.
5. Website and E-Newsletter Advertising: Advertising revenue from logo placements on the WPHA website homepage and monthly e-newsletters. Rate is $250 per quarter with ads running for up to 3 months per cycle. Five advertising spots available per quarter on a first-come, first-served basis.
6. Job Posting Fees: Organizational members receive complimentary job postings as a membership benefit (up to 30 days per posting). Non-members and individuals pay $100 per job posting.
7. Friends of Public Health Donations: Tax-deductible donations to designated fund categories (Scholarships, Leadership Development, Speakers, Projects and Initiatives) supporting WPHA's mission and special projects. WPHA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Wisconsin Public Health Association is a 501(c)(3) professional membership association that sells individual and organizational memberships, hosts two annual conferences, operates a Career Center job board, runs a Mentoring Program, and provides advocacy and policy services to public health professionals in Wisconsin. The organization generates revenue primarily through tiered annual membership dues ($25–$4,895), conference sponsorships, advertising, and donations to the Friends of Public Health fund.

Product overview

WPHA is a professional membership organization, not a software product company. Its core offerings center on membership services, professional development events, advocacy, and networking for public health professionals in Wisconsin. The primary products include two major annual conferences (Annual Public Health Conference and Public Health in Practice Conference), individual and organizational membership programs, a Career Center for job postings, a Mentoring Program, Campus Connector student network, 14 professional sections spanning various public health disciplines, 9 committees for governance and operations, advocacy services with legislative tracking, an awards program, and the Racial Equity Initiative. WPHA also provides health equity planning tools, publishes a monthly Communiqué newsletter, maintains an online member directory, and operates the Friends of Public Health donation fund. All member services are delivered through the YourMembership.com association management platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Great Lakes Public Health Coalition (GLPHC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1983WPHA participates in the Great Lakes Public Health Coalition (GLPHC), a regional consortium of APHA Region V state public health associations established in September 1983. The coalition includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, meeting three times annually (March, September, and APHA Annual Meeting) to discuss areas of mutual concern, exchange information on approaches to operating state public health associations, and identify emerging public health concerns. GLPHC has been recognized by APHA as a model for other regions.
• American Public Health Association (APHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPHA is an affiliated association of the American Public Health Association (APHA), collaborating to grow stronger as organizations, share expertise, influence, and resources, and advocate for common priorities at the local, state, and federal levels. The affiliation provides WPHA members with APHA membership benefits including access to the American Journal of Public Health, APHA policy action resources, the Advancing Racial Equity webinar series, and the annual APHA Policy Action Institute. WPHA's APHA Governing Council Representative (Kristen Grimes) serves as WPHA's delegate to APHA's Governing Council.
• Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards (WALHDAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPHA and WALHDAB jointly support a registered lobbyist and collaborate on an annual conference (WPHA-WALHDAB Annual Public Health Conference) and the Joint Policy and Advocacy Committee. The organizations jointly publish the WPHA-WALHDAB Legislative Tracker and shared budget priority documents. The partnership enables unified advocacy for public health funding and policy priorities at the state level.
• UBUNTU Research & EvaluationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUBUNTU Research & Evaluation conducted a Racial Equity Assessment of WPHA completed in January 2020 as part of WPHA's commitment to implementing its 2018 Resolution that Racism is a Public Health Crisis. The assessment informed WPHA's organizational next steps toward embedding racial equity in its policies and procedures.
• Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) and Wisconsin Center for Public Health Education and Training (WiCPHET)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPHA recommends Health Equity Training Modules created by MATCH and WiCPHET to help transition planning processes to better focus on social determinants of health. Training objectives include using a broad definition of health that includes social determinants, reflecting on how conditions of power shape health inequities, and identifying opportunities to advance health equity in practice.
• City of Madison's Racial Equity and Social Justice InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPHA references the City of Madison's Racial Equity and Social Justice Initiative as a resource for planning processes. The initiative maintains a comprehensive Racial Equity and Social Justice Tool process guide relevant to policy, systems, and environmental change priorities and objectives.
• Frameworks InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPHA references Frameworks Institute's resources on talking about health equity to support messaging development for public health communications and advocacy efforts.
• Wisconsin Center for Health EquityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPHA partners with the Wisconsin Center for Health Equity, which offers resources including 2018 Foundational Practices for Health Equity, 2013 Social, Economic, and Educational Factors that Influence Health, and 2014 Health Disparities and Health Equity Overview.
• UW Population Health Institute Fellowship ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPHA's Friends of Public Health fund supports candidates for the UW Population Health Institute Fellowship Program as part of leadership development initiatives. WPHA also directs members to the Early Career Professional Support program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Indiana Public Health Association: Statewide professional association of public health professionals in Indiana and Great Lakes Public Health Coalition member. Comparable in mission, member categories, advocacy focus, and annual conference programming to WPHA.
• Illinois Public Health Association: Statewide professional association for public health professionals in Illinois and a fellow member of the Great Lakes Public Health Coalition. Directly comparable in scale (~500-1000 members), member dues structure, and conference programming as a regional peer to WPHA.
• Minnesota Public Health Association: Statewide public health professional association in Minnesota and Great Lakes Public Health Coalition member. Direct peer to WPHA in structure, mission, and member services, with comparable regional advocacy scope.
• Michigan Public Health Association: Statewide professional public health association in Michigan and fellow Great Lakes Public Health Coalition member. Operates a similar mission, membership tiers, annual conference, and advocacy model as WPHA.
• Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards (WALHDAB): Wisconsin-based association representing local health departments and boards. WPHA's primary state-level peer and joint lobbying partner with overlapping members (e.g., county health department directors serving on both boards) and a co-hosted annual conference.
• Ohio Public Health Association: Statewide association of public health professionals in Ohio and Great Lakes Public Health Coalition member. Operates a directly comparable membership, conference, and advocacy model as WPHA.

Broad incumbents

• American Public Health Association (APHA): National professional association for public health professionals. WPHA is an APHA affiliate, providing a direct comparable on mission, governance structure, and member benefits while APHA operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO): National association representing local health departments across the U.S. Adjacent to WPHA's mission with overlapping membership from local public health officials, but operating at national scale with a broader government-official focus.
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO): National nonprofit association representing state and territorial public health officials. Operates at a higher tier of government public health than WPHA, but the two organizations' missions and advocacy priorities overlap significantly on state-level public health policy.

Others

• Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB): National accrediting body for state, local, and tribal public health departments. Not a direct competitor but a peer in the broader public health professional ecosystem where WPHA's local health department members pursue PHAB accreditation and continuing education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WIPublicHealth
• Xx.com/WIPublicHealth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wisconsin Public Health Association