The life and autobiography of Scott Mark Huelsman (Waunakee, WI).
State of Wisconsin Service
While I highly valued being an independent web developer (and had been so for nearly 15 years), my wife Susie convinced me to join the State of Wisconsin, a fateful request that worked out better than anything else I have ever done professionally!
During my 16 1/2 year stint with the State of Wisconsin, I first worked for the Department of Transportation as their DMV Webmaster from June 2008 to August 2012. After that, I was hired by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as their Division of Forestry Web Coordinator from August 2012 to November 2015. Finally, I joined the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction where I worked as a programmer/web content manager until my recent retirement in November 2024.
Department of Transportation (June 2008 - August 2012)
My wife Susie was already working at the WisDOT when a job opportunity came along perfect for me (DMV Webmaster). Without my knowledge, she applied for the position and while I was skeptical, I did earn the position and ended-up loving the job! Primarily responsible for all DMV (Division of Motor Vehicles) online content, I also helped manage a variety of other Internet, Intranet and Extranet webs throughout the agency. My biggest highlight was the totally from-scratch mass migration of the DOT Internet to a mobile-friendly format, followed by the training of 200+ web developers from all over the agency.
Department of Natural Resources (Aug 2012 - Nov 2015)
I had hoped to eventually migrate over to the WDNR given that my bachelor’s degree was in the Environmental Sciences, and the opportunity came in August 2012 when the Division of Forestry hired me as their dedicated divisional web coordinator. Hence, I was responsible for all Forestry Internet and intranet content, I was always on-call during Fire Season (basically the non-winter months) and I coordinated quite a bit with Public Affairs (in making sure all communications going out were consistent). My biggest highlight was the full development of an online training course for foresters that not only did the job but saved money and avoided potential regulatory issues.
Department of Public Instruction (Nov 2015 - Nov 2024)
I joined the DPI primarily because they offered something neither the DOR or DNR could not–the opportunity to program! In November 2015, I was hired to not only rebuild the School Financial Services team website but work on application development as well, building my first app in the summer of 2016 which would later become the foundation of “WiSFiP” (Wisconsin School Finance Portal). Today, WiSFiP is the primary portal used to collect, process, manage and report on district and school financial data from all over Wisconsin, and I’m very proud to say that WiSFiP was my “baby” that I developed from scratch throughout my nine year career with DPI!