Managing Partner and Clinical Director, Tall Pines Behavioral Health
UW Majors: Biology, Psychology
Kaiser grew up in a small town outside Wausau, Wisconsin, and he was the first in his family to attend college. He started at UW–Marathon County (now UW–Stevens Point at Wausau) before transferring to UW–Madison, where he earned two bachelor’s degrees along with certificates in environmental studies and educational policy studies. His varied experiences helped prepare him in distinct ways: learning to translate science into community impact through the Nelson Institute’s Community Environmental Scholars Program; helping new students build relationships, as a house fellow; and developing his leadership in a mentored space through student government.
“Coming from a town of 1,200 people to Madison and meeting people from a global community really changed how I understood the world,” Kaiser says. “There’s something about the big, grand ideas at the UW and being around people who want to make a real difference that pushes you to think bigger and lean in.”
Graduate training at Marquette University and Iowa State University included clinical work in large health systems, but in 2019, he and his young family returned to Marathon County: “I felt motivated to reinvest in this community and pay forward the same kinds of investments people made in me early on.”
Working in clinical and leadership roles at a community health clinic in Wausau, Kaiser saw firsthand the challenges of rural mental health care: limited access, particularly for underserved populations, and systems struggling to meet growing demand. Wanting to address those challenges, Kaiser and his wife, counselor and senior partner Rachel Sheldon, founded Tall Pines Behavioral Health.
They built Tall Pines to operate differently, using telehealth and hybrid care teams to expand access and bring specialized services into the region, while coordinating care across medical settings and supporting patients with complex conditions. The model also emphasizes sustainable workforce development, helping clinicians build lasting connections in the community.
Kaiser’s commitment to his community goes beyond the clinic. He’s involved with initiatives that aim to expand access to care and support families, such as school-based mental health programs, suicide and overdose prevention, and advocacy for low-income families and individuals with disabilities. In 2024, he was appointed to a statewide task force charged with identifying strategies to improve patient care and alleviate burdens on the health care workforce. He’s also helping build the future by mentoring students, supporting new providers, and strengthening connections across clinics, schools, and community organizations.
Kaiser is carrying forward a long-standing culture of collaboration, rooted in Wisconsin’s Northwoods and reinforced during his time at the UW. From the historic logging camps and lumber mills that inspired the name Tall Pines to the connections he built as a Badger, he’s seen how shared effort shapes communities: “We go farther and do better when we all work together.”