This is the fourth of a five-part series. Part one is here, part two is here, and part three is here.
Preston Cole is Secretary of the WIsconsin Department of Natural Resources. He had been a member of the Natural Resources Board since 2007, first appointed by Governor Jim Doyle and then re-appointed for another six-year term by Governor Scott Walker in 2013. Secretary Cole served as NRB chair from 2013-14, where he put an emphasis on making board meetings open for citizens to see online. Previously, Secretary Cole worked in a government setting as a parks superintendent for the city of St. Louis and a resource forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation. He also served as operations chief for the Milwaukee Department of Public Works and earlier the city forester. Most recently, Secretary Cole was the commissioner of the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services. Raised on 15 acres in southwestern Michigan, Secretary Cole hunts ducks, geese and pheasants, and enjoys hiking the state park system with his wife, Laura.
Ron Adams is vice president, field diversity and inclusion at Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual, a role to which he was just promoted in April after serving for five years in upwardly-mobile D&I roles. He is also recently retired from the Wisconsin Army National Guard, where he held a variety of roles from 1997 until 2016, including diversity officer and company commander. He was a board member of the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative and is currently a member of the board of the Wisconsin Veterans Network.
Marjorie Rucker has been the Executive director of The Business Council Inc. since 2014. This year she received the Diverse Business Development Award at the MARKETPLACE conference. Rucker assists businesses in better accessing corporate supply chains. She is also the chair of the Ethnic and Diverse Business Coalition.
Sequanna Taylor represents the Second District on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors and is 1st Vice Chair. Taylor also represents District 3 on the Milwaukee Board of School Directors for Milwaukee Public Schools. She also served on the board of directors of the National Education Association. She was named Woman of Excellence in the 2020 Wisconsin Leadership Community Choice Awards based on the vote of community members across Wisconsin.
Annie Weatherby-Flowers is the community engagement coordinator at the Madison Public Library and has organized Madison’s Juneteenth celebration for 30 years. She holds a bachelor of science in organizational behaviors and leadership, and a master’s in education. She is a clinical substance abuse counselor, has fostered nearly 40 kids, and runs support groups through her church, Fountain of Life Church.
Michelle Nettles is the chief people and culture officer at ManpowerGroup, the third-largest staffing firm in the world. It is a multinational corporation headquartered in Milwaukee. Prior to her current role she was the chief people and diversity officer of Molson Coors and the chief human resources officer of MillerCoors.
Makda Fessahaye was just this week named director of employee relations for the City of Milwaukee by Mayor Tom Barrett. Previously, she was administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ Division of Adult Institutions where she is responsible for the operations and management of 36 correctional facilities, six bureaus and offices, and oversees day-to-day operations of the division that employs over 7,200 employees. Prior to her appointment to the role of Administrator, Fessahaye served as legal counsel for the Department of Corrections, primarily practicing employment law, privacy law, and open government law. She earned her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from Northwestern University and Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School. Fessahaye is the immediate past president for the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers, a member of Women in Focus, Inc., and a supervising attorney for Madison’s Unemployment Appeals Clinic. Makda is also the co-founder of Brunch of Professionals, a networking organization that provides a space for women to connect with one another and forge professional and personal relationships. She was honored with a Wisconsin Women in Goverment 2020 Rising Star Award.
Dr. Carlton D. Jenkins is superintendent of Madison Metropolitan School District, a position he just took on in August 2020. Previously, he served as superintendent of Robbinsdale Area Schools; Chief Academic Officer of Atlanta Public Schools; Superintendent of Saginaw Public Schools. Dr. Jenkins’ long career also includes the previous service in MMSD as assistant principal of Memorial High School. Dr. Jenkins earned a bachelor’s of science in physical education from Mississippi Valley State University, a master’s of science in Educational Administration at UW-Madison; and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at UW-Madison.
Adrian Lipscombe is chef and owner of Uptown Cake & Bakery. After the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests this past spring, Lipscombe began receiving a multitude of donations for her “emotional labor.” The donations gave Lipscombe an idea: to use the money to purchase land, Black-owned land. Following the first series of anonymous donations, Lipscombe created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a plot of farming land of her own with the hopes of using said land to preserve Black agricultural traditions and foodways.
Ingrid Parker-Hill is the Family Engagement Coordinator at the Green Bay Area School District, responsible for connecting schools and community agencies, and organizations with parents to help them engage more actively in the learning and development of their children. Parker-Hill was formerly the Community Development Manager-Green Bay for the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc.
