About
Our Mission
Northwoods Policy Network exists to share real stories, drive a vision of a better future, and educate others on the path forward. We seek to unleash the potential of the region, making it a desirable place to raise a family, innovate, and build. We believe we can preserve our heritage while advancing new opportunities.
Who We Are
Paul Schecklman, Executive Director, is a doctoral candidate at Missouri State University’s School of Defense and Strategic Studies. He holds an MPSA from the Bush School at Texas A&M. Most of his studies center around energy security, diplomacy, and industrial capacity. He currently works on public policy campaigns throughout Wisconsin after serving as a firefighter and SWAT paramedic for over a decade. Paul is an avid sportsman, chasing game throughout the country and fishing whenever he can. He founded a small business that ran for six years before complications from the pandemic. This venture enabled Paul to spend significant time working with Special Operations Forces and highlevel athletes. He works with various non-profits ranging from veterans and first responders to burn victims. He and his wife now reside in Cumberland with their newborn daughter.
Ben Dryden, Communications Director, is a veteran entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience running businesses, including the last decade as the founder of DrydenWire.com, a leading online news outlet serving rural northwest Wisconsin. Since its launch in 2015, DrydenWire has become the most-read media source in its six-county coverage area and, in 2022, was recognized as the most-read independently run media outlet in the state of Wisconsin. Under Ben’s leadership, DrydenWire has also earned multiple honors, including the Innovative Business of the Year award. In addition to leading the newsroom, Ben has hosted more than 600 live, long-form video podcasts, featuring hundreds of guests ranging from local leaders to regional and state elected officials. These broadcasts have become a trusted, go-to platform for public figures and political candidates seeking to engage directly with rural communities.
Adam Jarchow, Operations Director, has practiced law for nearly 20 years and helps his wife run their small businesses. In 2014, Adam was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly. Voters re-elected him by a wide margin in 2016. Adam was the lead author of several conservative reforms that were signed into law by Governor Walker. As a result of Adam’s legislative leadership, he had the support of the Wisconsin Builders Association, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Dairy Business Association, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Association, Wisconsin REALTORS Association, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, and the Wisconsin Grocers Association. Adam is an avid sportsman and lover of the outdoors. He can often be found hunting, fishing, canoeing, water-skiing, and snowmobiling. The greatest joy in Adam’s life has been sharing his love of Wisconsin’s great outdoors with his kids. Adam has spent nearly a decade as a volunteer firefighter with the Apple River Fire Department and helped start the Polk County K-9 Association.
Our Approach
We live here. Our research is robust and rooted in our region’s top issues. All publications are written through the lens of life in the Northwoods. We’ll meet with you in supper clubs before boardrooms. We know how to meet people where they are, drive awareness, and point the region into a new direction full of opportunity.
Northwoods Policy Network is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax-deductible and used to research and inform the public generally concerning matters of public policy.
