THE GMC

On November 11, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan joined the GMC for a conversation about the state of MPS and the district’s progress on its Corrective Action Plan, Facilities Review and other matters. 2025 will be a defining year in K-12 education in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and GMC members must decide what roles we can play individually and collectively to disrupt the unacceptable status quo related to the outcomes for kids educated in the city of Milwaukee. Nothing is more vital to a stronger future for our community and our region than improvements to the overall educational landscape, and we encourage you to join us for this conversation.

On October 7, the GMC gathered at ThriveOn King in the burgeoning Bronzeville neighborhood. Anchored by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Medical College of Wisconsin, ThriveOn is a modern and innovative solution, addressing core needs and providing opportunity to the residents of Milwaukee, especially those who reside on the near north side. The collaboration is the result of sustained input from area residents and the outcome will enhance economic opportunity and community health for generations to come. In Bronzeville, projects like ThriveOn King, Howard Fuller Academy, Food for Health and the Bronzeville Center for the Arts focus on providing resources from education to healthcare to job training and create spaces for growth and development. While these investments and the projects they have created are significant, how can we continue the momentum in Bronzeville and other Milwaukee neighborhoods? Is the Bronzeville model being successfully replicated elsewhere? What else is needed and what’s missing? We can and should celebrate historic progress but also challenge ourselves to imagine what comes next and what role each of us plays. On October 7, we heard from these leaders who have forged progress and broken new ground and help shape your vision of what else can be done: Kathy Koshgarian, President and CEO- Food For Health Michelle Nettles, Board Chair, Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy & Chief People and Culture Officer, ManpowerGroup Clifton Phelps, VP of Business Development, JCP Construction Dr. John Raymond, President and CEO, Medical College of Wisconsin

Investing in Milwaukee's Infrastructure The Republican National Convention in July garnered national attention and thousands of new visitors to Milwaukee, providing an opportunity to showcase the new infrastructure investment and amenities in our city. The RNC is a prime example of what happens when focused community effort follows investment, which is exactly what happened after the public and private efforts to build the Fiserv Forum, the Deer District, and the Convention Center. Further growth is underway, and the investment of another $500 million into American Family Field will be part of both keeping the Brewers in Milwaukee and drawing additional events and activities in the coming decades. The stages have been taken down and the Democratic Convention will ramp up in days in our neighbors to the south, so what’s next? How can we continue to ensure that the entire community benefits from the public investment in infrastructure now and in the future? What other needs still must be addressed? And what role can you play in elevating Milwaukee even more on the national stage? On September 9, we heard from community leaders about how these major infrastructure investments have transformed our community and hold the promise of a stronger future for our residents.

On August 9, the GMC hosted the Wisconsin Policy Forum via Zoom for an overview of their newest report. The Wisconsin Policy Forum's most recent education study, Roll Call, focuses on Milwaukee's K-12 landscape, across the many publicly funded options available to families: traditional public schools, charter schools, and private choice programs. The report analyzes how student enrollment and demographics, education funding, and school outcomes have changed in recent years, both before and after the pandemic. As the city grapples with how to best educate its children, WPF offers facts and nonpartisan insights to ground the discussion. Colleston Morgan, president and executive director of City Forward Collective, also presented data from CFC's recent "State of Milwaukee Education" survey. Education is a key factor in preparing our future workforce and leaders, and a core pillar of the GMC's strategic plan.

Governor Tony Evers: A Conversation with the GMC On June 10, we welcomed Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers for a discussion with GMC, moderated by Joel Brennan. The conversation was guided by the questions GMC members submitted ahead of time and questions aligned with our strategic plan. In addition to our questions, we invited Governor Evers to provide insight into Wisconsin's successes, strategies in which his administration focuses on innovation and growth, and the priority areas to provide solutions for the most challenging issues facing Wisconsin and Milwaukee. Thank you to Michelle Nettles and ManpowerGroup for generously hosting the June meeting.

Affordable Housing in Milwaukee: A Foundation for Infrastructure Milwaukee has long faced challenges addressing the community’s needs in housing, which is a central factor in so many community circumstances, related to areas like education, health, and workforce. With aging housing stock, lack of adequate inventory, home acquisition costs that far outpace income for many Milwaukee families – especially in the African American and Hispanic communities – and predatory landlords, the environment for stable neighborhoods and growth in home ownership has hurt our community for more than a generation. Utilizing research and a community-driven collective action model, the Community Development Alliance (CDA) has been tasked with implementing Milwaukee’s Collective Affordable Housing Strategic Plan to meet affordable home ownership needs and rebuild neighborhoods in Milwaukee. To address these concerns, GMC focused our Monthly Membership Meeting on May 13, 2024, on housing issues. The meeting began with GMC member Steve Radke, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, discussing the role that local corporations and foundations have played in strengthening neighborhoods by addressing capacity, safety, and housing through a collective impact lens. Following Steve’s introduction, Teig Whaley-Smith, chief alliance executive of CDA, presented CDA’s housing strategy, featuring the Acquisition Fund, new construction data, and community investment strategies. He was joined by Rae Johnson, a local homeowner, and JoAnna Bautch, executive director of VIA CDC, who outlined the current action steps underway and what it will take as a community to adequately address our challenges through wise investment, advocacy, and sustained commitment. Many stakeholders are already involved in this effort, and we offer this meeting for you to learn more and engage in how we can have an immediate impact in cementing neighborhoods and building wealth for our residents.

Infrastructure in Milwaukee: What road will we choose? Many in Milwaukee have been inspired by Mayor Johnson’s stated goal of increasing our resident population; his ambition to grow to a city of a million residents gives us a target to work toward in the years to come. To make this progress, we must move forward on many fronts, with infrastructure a central need for the existing population and those we want to attract. As our community identifies priority areas where we need to strengthen infrastructure, the GMC will play a role in highlighting these projects and encouraging members to weigh in. Milwaukee is addressing infrastructure as we grapple with the future of I-794. Aspects of the 60-year-old roadway require repair or rebuilding, and a community dialogue is underway to determine how far we can and should go. Decisions will be made in the next year that will affect the current built environment, as well as future development and growth. The voices of residents, businesses, commuters, and visitors must be considered, and you should be an informed participant in the conversation. On April 8, we took a deeper dive into the future of I-794 and heard from parties with different viewpoints and perspectives. We started with a brief overview of the project and the timeline for action by the State Department of Transportation. John Kissinger, CEO of Graef, then moderated a conversation with Taylor Korslin from ReThink 794 and Jim Plaisted from the Historic Third Ward Association. Each party discussed the benefits of their desired solutions, addressing how it could change the trajectory of Milwaukee’s growth.

Public Safety in Milwaukee With the recent good news of Enerpac moving downtown, the imminent arrival of Fiserv, the integration of Milwaukee Tool, and the ongoing construction of the North Tower at Northwestern Mutual, signals of a community on the rise abound in Milwaukee. At the same time, both existing and new employers, in addition to residents in every corner of Milwaukee, identify public safety as a top community priority. The GMC Membership and the Community outlined this issue as a driving need for additional action and improved outcomes. We have begun conversations with our members and community leaders on the appropriate areas where the GMC can engage on this critical issue, and we will kick off that conversation with the broader membership on Monday, March 11. Despite the additional investment in certain parts of the community, other neighborhoods are plagued with daily violence. We want to provide a realistic perspective, what goals we can set as a community and the paths we can take together to achieve better results. Our community has short-term resources to direct toward public safety and a long-term obligation to increase law enforcement resources, but we know that community safety challenges have root causes that need to be addressed as well. At the March 11 membership meeting, we discussed how GMC members are already engaged in this effort and how we can collectively create long-term solutions for priority needs. Program Details: Mayor Johnson provided an overview of public safety in our community, what his administration is currently working on, and how their strategy has refocused with efforts including the Office of Community Wellness and Safety and Vision Zero. Dan Bader, GMC member and CEO of Bader Philanthropies, and Earnell Lucas, vice president of security for Fiserv, hosted a candid conversation with the Mayor, followed by an update from Rob Henken on the status of the Wisconsin Policy Forum and GMC's public safety relationship. GMC Members also discussed solutions and opportunities at their table.

On February 16, Marquette University Law School Research Fellow John Johnson joined us via Zoom to discuss the imminent changes to the Wisconsin legislative maps. The landscape is changing rapidly from day to day. Even since our GMC meeting on Monday, the Legislature adopted maps recently submitted by Governor Tony Evers to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court and sent those maps to the Governor for his signature or veto. The Governor must decide before next Tuesday whether to sign this legislation or veto the maps and rely instead on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court to determine the final boundaries. As things play out in Madison, John Johnson has likely spent more time analyzing the ultimate impact of new maps than anyone else in Wisconsin, and we have the opportunity to hear his viewpoints and ask questions. In addition, GMC Member Tom Florsheim outlined efforts for greater civic involvement and engagement from employees in our state. He and other business leaders statewide have worked over the past few years to broaden and protect participation in the democratic process through Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy. The looming changes in legislative maps will almost certainly create additional competitive primary and general elections in Wisconsin, meaning that each individual’s voice and vote may have more influence on elections and public policy.