Meet Ryan
Sauk County's Own.
Ryan Jesberger isn’t a career politician — he’s a dedicated public servant shaped by real-world challenges and driven by a deep belief that policing begins with community collaboration, cultivating public trust, and – above all – upholding the Constitution for all who live in and visit our great county.
A proud graduate of Sauk Prairie High School, Jesberger was born and raised in Sauk County, the son of a teacher and nurse. After living in La Crosse for college, in San Antonio for his first job out of school as a Residence Hall Director at the University of Texas – San Antonio, and in Madison for a brief period of time as he sold hard hats, first aid kits, and other random safety products to pay the bills and figure out what he wanted to do with his life, Jesberger always found his way back home to Sauk County.
This beautiful county we call home is a special place because of the people who live and visit this amazing part of our state – it would be the honor of a lifetime to serve as our Sheriff to continue to ensure Sauk County remains a safe place to live, learn, and grow.
Experience
Executive.
Elected Official.
Certified Instructor.
Experience is more than simply years on a resume or time at a department–it is an accumulation of knowledge, skills, and abilities gained from unique roles, challenging circumstances, teamwork, multi-million dollar budget management, and tough decision-making. In addition to his role as a seasoned and trusted law enforcement executive, Ryan Jesberger is the only candidate in this race who has served in an elected Chief Executive role as both a School Board President and Village President.
Jesberger began his career in law enforcement with the City of Fitchburg Police Department, where he served as a Patrol Officer and Sergeant on multiple shifts for over seven years. In 2017, Jesberger was hired as a Sergeant with the UW-Madison Police Department, promoting to Lieutenant in 2018 to lead the newly created Specialty Services division, including the K9, Motor, and Lake Rescue and Safety teams.
Throughout his time at UWPD, Jesberger has served as the commander of all three patrol shifts, the department’s Public Information Officer (PIO), led the Professional Standards division responsible for Internal Affairs, Accreditation, Open Records, and Department Building Projects, and led the Personnel division responsible for Recruitment, Hiring, Background Investigations, and Staff Retention. Jesberger currently serves as a certified instructor in Professional Communications, Constitutional Law, ICAT De-escalation, Ethics, and Fair and Impartial Policing. Jesberger is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, the International Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership in Police Organizations course, and the UW-Madison Kauffman Administrative Development program.
Jesberger is currently the Village President of Sauk City, where he leads as the Village’s Chief Executive Officer–responsible for a multi-million-dollar municipal budget, providing administrative oversight for all Village Operations and Departments, signature authority for contracts, ordinances, and financial accounts, and yearly appointments to over 20 Village committees and commissions. In this role, Jesberger also serves on the Sauk Prairie Police Commission, Sauk City Fire District Commission, Village Finance Committee, and as the Village’s Alternate Emergency Management Director.
As an experienced elected official, Jesberger served on the Sauk Prairie School Board from 2013-2019–the last two years of his second term as Board President. The Sauk Prairie School District includes families from 16 townships and villages throughout Sauk, Columbia, and Dane counties, and during his time on the Board, Jesberger worked with these communities to establish a Joint Commission on School Safety, provide oversight for multiple referendum projects, and served as the signature authority for an annual budget of over $28 million.
Education
Doctor of Education.
Servant Leader.
Committed to public safety.
A proud product of the public education system, Ryan Jesberger attended Sauk Prairie High School, where he was an active member of the student council, National Honor Society, and was a three-sport athlete–competing in football, basketball, and tennis. A member of Sauk Prairie’s 2001 and 2003 WIAA State Championship Tennis Teams–Jesberger credits these high school experiences with instilling the importance of teamwork, dedication, focus, and leadership he has carried with him into his law enforcement career.
A lifelong learner, after high school, Jesberger continued his education at UW-La Crosse, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and Master’s degree in Sports Administration. At UW-L, Jesberger served as the Chief Justice of the Student Court and was active in multiple student groups and organizations. Candidly, Jesberger had no interest in the field of law enforcement while in college and was more interested in avoiding underage drinking tickets than becoming a police officer.
After graduation, Ryan moved to San Antonio, TX to experience a new part of the country–not knowing a soul and completely out of his comfort zone. As a Residence Hall Director at UTSA, Jesberger gained an appreciation for the incredible, positive impact of police officers on campus as a member of the Student Judicial Affairs council. After multiple ride-alongs and conversations with mentors, family, and friends, Jesberger discovered his true calling in law enforcement.
Following his return to Wisconsin, Ryan put himself through the 114th Madison College Law Enforcement Academy. Jesberger graduated as the Valedictorian of the academy, before being hired and beginning his career with the City of Fitchburg Police Department.
The only candidate in this race with a Doctorate, in 2025, Ryan graduated with his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree from UW-L. Jesberger’s Coursework and Dissertation research focused on the effectiveness of current substance abuse enforcement and education efforts, as well as the evaluation of Organizational Culture–two areas incredibly applicable to the role of Sauk County Sheriff.
Jesberger’s Dissertation,“One More Drink: The Impacts of College Student Binge Drinking and the Effectiveness of Alcohol Education and Enforcement,” was successfully defended and published in 2025.
A practitioner of Robert K. Greenleaf’s “Servant-Leadership” philosophy, Jesberger’s leadership focuses “primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong, helping people develop and perform as highly as possible – fostering a trusting, collaborative environment.”