With the inaugural Men’s Leadership Summit just a few weeks away, several high-power men have committed to return to Wisconsin — albeit virtually — to share their wisdom and experience.
Madison365 spoke with former Alliant Energy CEO Errol Davis, former Oshkosh Corp Director of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Shelton Goode, University of Wisconsin alum Zach Ellis and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation board member Winslow Sargeant about their hopes and expectations for the two-day online event set for April 14 and 15.
The four will join more than 40 other successful men of color as panelists in 12 sessions on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to C-Suite aspirations to fatherhood in times of crisis.
“I am grateful for men like these four and many others who are willing to give of their time and talents to lift up men of color from across Wisconsin, to help make Wisconsin a better place for men of color to thrive,” said Henry Sanders, CEO of 365 Media, the organization behind the summit. “Our Black, Latino, Asian American and Indigenous brothers all face their own challenges, and we share struggles as well. With the help of men like these, we can turn those barriers into opportunities.”
“I think all Black men should be (at the summit),” said Ellis, who is now managing director at Rev1 Ventures in Columbus, Ohio. “There’s so many things that we need to know and you don’t know where you’re going to get them. You don’t know where you’re going to get that one piece of information that activates something in you. All of these tend to come out in nuanced ways. And just from the tone of the people I know that (are speaking at the summit), there’s a lot of powerful cats who have a lot of knowledge to share and you just don’t know what’s going to resonate with you. A lot of these things we’ve heard before, but it’s not until you hear the right way that something clicks.”
Goode, who now runs his own consulting firm based in Atlanta, has retained strong ties to Wisconsin — his clients include Harley Davidson, Froedtert Health Care, Marquette University, the Milwaukee Center for Independence and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
He said all the way back in 2016, he identified racism as a public health crisis in his book, Crisis As A Platform For Social Change, which chronicled 115 cases of Black men killed by police. Now, five years later, many cities, counties and healthcare providers have followed suit in declaring racism a public health threat.
“If racism is a public health threat, then that means that Black men are an endangered species,” he said. “So you need summits like the one we’re having to raise awareness about the fact that we’ve got to have changes in public policy if in fact we’re civil and moral and human rights are going to be protected.”
He also noted that progress has been made, which means anyone in corporate or nonprofit leadership needs to reckon with a vastly different landscape than even 10 years ago.
“The top talent looks different than it did a decade or two ago. The talent is more women and more people of color. And you put those two together, you’re talking about seven out of 10,” he said. “You take the top 10 people, you’re going to find that seven out of 10 of those people are going to either be a woman or a person of color, or both. Companies have to come to that realization. And that means you’ve got to recruit differently and you have to create an environment that’s more welcoming for women and people of color. And that means you’re going to have to be more intentional. You can’t keep doing what you’ve always done.”
And the Men’s Leadership Summit might spark that change in thinking.
The Summit could also fan the flames of entrepreneurship, said Davis, now retired and living in Atlanta.
“I think it is important that we empower everyone, especially men of color, people of color, to be able to pursue their dreams, especially along the dream of entrepreneurship,” he said. “By helping especially men of color to be able to empower themselves and to tap to their talents, it has a domino effect throughout society. So I would like to be part of that solution.”
He hopes the summit will help men of color wrestle with some difficult questions as they move along their career path.
“What sort of behaviors do you have to manifest? Are there any secrets?” he said. “Do you have to compromise your integrity? Can you remain Black?”
The answer is yes, he said, but it’s no always easy — which is why summits like this one are important.
Ellis said it’s important to give men of color the opportunity to hold each other up.
“In many ways we are looked to as leaders and representatives of our community,” he said. “Therefore it’s important that we come together to uplift, to mentor and ultimately encourage one another to be our best selves to take advantage of the best opportunities accessible to us.”
Sergeant echoed that sentiment.
“I think it is important that we empower everyone, especially men of color, people of color, to be able to pursue their dreams, especially along the dream of entrepreneurship,” he said. “By helping especially men of color to be able to empower themselves and to tap to their talents, it has a domino effect throughout society. So I would like to be part of that solution.”
The Men’s Leadership Summit is one such opportunity. Registration is open now at WisconsinLeadershipSummit.com/MensSummit. Full registration is $49; nonprofit and government employee registration is $39 and student registration is $19. The first-ever Women’s Leadership Summit will take place in June and the fourth annual Wisconsin Leadership Summit is scheduled for October.
