Judge Wilke was appointed to the bench in 1992. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1970, and his law degree from the University of North Dakota in 1974. Judge Wilke was in private practice in Fort Dodge from 1974 until his appointment to the bench and also served as Webster County Magistrate from 1977 to 1992. In 2007 he was appointed Chief Judge of Iowa's Second Judicial District.