KEWAUNEE COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – It’s clear to anybody who walks into his office that Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski knows how to serve.
“There’s a deep-rooted need to be needed,” Sheriff Joski told Local 5. “That’s what fuels my batteries.”
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Sheriff Joski’s career in service didn’t begin in the County Sheriff’s Office, nor did it even begin with a local law enforcement agency. It began in 1989 when he enlisted in the United States Marines.
“It was a desire, a need to chase that dream,” Sheriff Joski said. “At the time, it was the Marines.”
Sheriff Joski served in the Marines for 11 years, as he decided in 2000 that it was time to focus on growing a family and a career in another form of service, with local law enforcement.
“Life happens. You start raising kids, buying houses and getting jobs, but in the back there’s always that nudge, ‘I wish I could do more,'” Sheriff Joski said.
Beginning as an officer with the City of Kewaunee’s Police Department, Sheriff Joski eventually rose up to make a run for the County Sheriff position in 2006, an election he won, and continued to win four more times.
In 2016, his ‘nudge’ to return to military service returned, when the Army contacted him in 2016 and asked about continuing.
Sheriff Joski joined up with the Wisconsin National Guard after about 16 years away from military service, and continues to serve, traveling for duty once a month. While on those duty calls, he drives trucks. He added that the military is far different now than when he started.
“We might talk a lot about resiliency and soldier wellness,” Sheriff Joski said. “That wasn’t a thing 30 years ago and I’m very grateful that it is now.”
After nine years in both roles, Sheriff Joski remains a mainstay as a Staff Sergeant, and he’s got his family behind him all the way.
“She’ll remind me ‘I thought you were only going to do this for a year or two,'” Sheriff Joski said. “But I think she knows how much this brings to my life, what a change it’s been, and I’m very grateful for it.”
But, after five straight terms as the Kewaunee County Sheriff, he’ll hang up the badge in 2026, and he’ll also end his time in the army, carrying fond memories from serving both his community in Wisconsin and the nation.
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But, it won’t mark the end of his desire to serve, as he’ll continue to make good on the aforementioned deep-rooted need to be needed, which fuels his batteries.
“Whether that’s the community as Kewaunee County or the state, I’m not done trying to affect change or to be an influence,” Sheriff Joski said.
