Support Staff Spotlight: Maddie Iwaszko

“Support Staff Spotlight” is a weekly series that shines a spotlight on those that work behind the scenes in our area county departments that keep everything running smoothly. These individuals rarely get any attention (or credit?) but are vital to their respective departments. A new “Support Staff Spotlight” (formerly known as "21 Things You Might Not Know About Me") from one of our six-county coverage-area county departments will be published each Monday on DrydenWire.com.

BURNETT COUNTY -- This week, we shine the spotlight on Maddie Iwaszko. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Maddie, she is the Office Coordinator at the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office and is Sheriff Tracy Finch's Administrative Assistant.

Before you read Alicia’s "21 Things You Might Know About Me," check out what Sheriff Finch had to say about her:

"Maddie is our Office Coordinator and my Administrative Assistant. Maddie does accounts payable, ordering, budgeting, disseminating reports and anything else I ask of her. She helps keep my life organized. She is a great communicator and is able to work under pressure. Maddie always has a smile on her face and brings so much laughter to our office. She is often the target of light-hearted office pranks and she takes in all in stride. We are very lucky to have Maddie working with us." — Sheriff Tracy Finch

21 Things About Me: Maddie Iwaszko

1. My real name is Madelyn, but I only hear that when I’m in trouble.
2. I am fluent in three languages; English, American Sign Language, and Sarcasm
3. When I was in first and second grade half of my peers were deaf and I became fluent in ASL at a young age.
4. I graduated college from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology. GO DOGS!
5. After graduating college, my first job was for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services for the State of Minnesota.
6. After five years of no contact, my high school sweetheart Sam reached out to meet up for dinner while he was visiting the Duluth area….we’ve been together ever since! We’ll be married for 6 years in October.
7. We have two kids- Nash (4) and Aubrey (2). Nash is the ultimate Dino dude, he can say the names of dinosaurs better than I can. Aubrey has her mama’s looks but her dad wrapped around her little finger! She is the definition of a daddy’s girl.
8. My husband and I LOVE to go camping and fishing by the Brule River. Typically we try to catch some trout, but we went smelting for the first time a couple of years ago and had a blast!
9. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Cliff jumping and sky diving are already checked off my bucket list.
10. I have ridden a greyhound bus from Eau Claire to Little Falls, Montana to visit my now husband when he was stationed in the Air Force. I was 18 at the time and my parents were less than thrilled but my dad’s advice to me was always “drive fast and take chances because you are going to do the opposite of what I tell you to anyways.” I may be the reason for a grey hair or two.
11. My birthday is New Year’s Eve. I love that everyone celebrates my birthday!! At least that’s what I thought growing up when my parents would get hotel rooms with friends and family. Next year will be my golden birthday.
12.  When I was growing up my “dream job” was to be a waitress…. I made that dream come true when I turned 30 and started working part-time serving and bartending at Adventures in Siren.
13.  I am originally from Somerset, WI and my first job was at Float-Rite Park dealing with the craziness of tubers!
14. I love listening to True Crime Podcasts. It makes cleaning and laundry so much more enjoyable. My favorite right now is Crime Junkies.
15. I hate the smell of Ketchup. My coworkers one time put ketchup in a Scentsy warmer under my desk which made the entire office smell…we have a bunch of pranksters in this office.
16. I have several tattoos. The last one I got was on a girl’s trip to Arizona with my two best friends. I figured we’ve been friends long enough that branding myself with matching tattoos was a safe bet. We all know way too much about each other anyways.
17. My mom is my hero. She is always positive and just an absolute ray of sunshine. You would never guess in a million years she has beat cancer three times.
18. I grew up always having a dog. Right now we have two dogs named Jordy and Marley. Jordy is a lab/Catahoula leopard mix and Marley is a hound mix. My dream dog is a French bulldog named Stitch…but my husband is a hard one to convince!
19. We also have a cat named Reese… Reese has been with me since my college days. She may have been a resident of the campus apartments without permission…
20. I have worked for the county for almost two years. Before coming to the Sheriff’s office, I worked for Siren Police.
21. I am a firm believer that if you can’t have fun at work you are going to get burnt out. Especially in this line of work you have to be able to have a sense of humor. Laughter is the best medicine!

You can read "21 Things" from other support staff members from our area county departments by clicking the link below.