Derse Foundation

The Derse Foundation is vitally concerned with protecting and restoring the environment. The foundation supports conservation-related causes, with particular emphasis on furthering our understanding of critical ecosystems to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

The Doris Katherine Derse Scholarship is named in honor and loving memory of Doris Katherine Derse (1924-2019). Doris graduated from Milwaukee’s Washington High School and married James F. Derse in 1944. While nurturing her four children, she played a key role in founding The Jim Derse Sign Company alongside her husband, a venture that eventually evolved into The Derse Company. Doris led a rich and adventurous life, driven by her fervent passions for global travel and cherished moments spent with family and friends in both Wisconsin and Florida. Her deep affection for science and nature, particularly her love for birds, was evident throughout her life. This passion became a lasting legacy as she imparted it to her children and grandchildren.