Welcome to the Real Talk Virtual Summit on Racial Justice!
On Friday, June 5, we convened some of Wisconsin’s most influential Black leaders to take on questions of racial justice from a variety of perspective. It was streamed live on our Facebook page, and we will took questions via Facebook comments. The videos of those discussions are available below, and the audio will be available in the Real Talk with Henry Sanders podcast feed. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Each panel was hosted and moderated by Madison365 Publisher & CEO Henry Sanders and Boys and Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson.
Everything you need to know about the panelists is below the videos.
Government Policy & Social Justice
Corporate Leaders & Social Justice
Criminal Justice Reform & Community Building
Education Reform and Justice
Community Organizations Creating Social Justice
Panelist Biographies
Government Policy & Social Justice
Congresswoman Gwen Moore was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District in 2004, making her the first African American elected to Congress from the State of Wisconsin. She is a member of the esteemed House Ways and Means Committee, which is the oldest committee in the United States Congress and has jurisdiction over the Social Security system, Medicare, the Foster Care System, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Unemployment Insurance, and all taxation, tariffs, and revenue-raising measures. She serves on the Oversight, Select Revenue Measures, and Worker and Family Support Subcommittees.
On the Oversight Subcommittee, Congresswoman Moore works to guarantee that the laws within the jurisdiction of the Committee are being implemented and carried out efficiently and in accordance with Congressional intent. She is also a member of the Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee, working to create a more fair and progressive tax code that provides Americans greater opportunity and financial security. And she oversees a range of critical supports for workers, children, and families as a member of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee.
She is an active member on the Congressional Progressive Caucus, LGBT Equality Caucus, the Great Lakes Caucus, and the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. She was also a former member of the Financial Services and Budget Committees and the former Regional Whip for the Democratic Caucus.
As a lifelong Milwaukee resident, County Executive David Crowley knows as well as anyone that Milwaukee County is truly a tale of two counties. He has lived the pain and struggle that many in our communities face every day, and he knows the joy of bringing people together to conquer those struggles. The fundamental tenet of Executive Crowley’s administration is to build bridges to bring people together, not walls that keep them apart.
Growing up in a working-class family in Milwaukee’s 53206 neighborhood, David was no stranger to hardship. As a child, David’s family moved around frequently, often as a result of evictions. He lived in a home with multiple family members who suffered from mental illness and drug addiction, and saw first-hand the impact that these issues have on our community.
In two terms in the Assembly, David sat on the Energy and Utilities, State Affairs, Workforce Development and Transportation committees and was the ranking member on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. He served as the chair of the Milwaukee Delegation, the chair of the Black Caucus, and the co-chair of the Black and Latino Caucus. He also served on the Boards of Directors of both the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and the Outreach Community Health Centers (OCHC).
David is a member of numerous community organizations including the ACLU, Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals and the Milwaukee NAACP. He attended Bay View High School, UW-Milwaukee and currently lives in Milwaukee with his wife, Ericka, and his three young daughters.
State Representative Shelia Stubbs is a graduate of Beloit Memorial High School. She attended Tougaloo College located in Tougaloo, Mississippi and Jackson State University located in Jackson, Mississippi. She also attended Mount Senario College located in Ladysmith, WI and Cardinal Stritch University located in Milwaukee, WI. She obtained a Bachelors of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration; Bachelors of Arts in Political Science; Masters of Science & Management.
Shelia Stubbs is extremely active in the community in providing leadership, mentoring and volunteer services. Currently, she serves as the First-Vice President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Madison Branch, Former 3rd Vice-President of the WI State NAACP Conference of Branches, Youth Advisor for the Madison Youth Council of the NAACP, WI Women of Colored, and President of the Bridge/Lake Point Neighborhood Association. She is a member of Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She was the recipient of many community recognition and service award. She received the Broadway-Simpson-Waunona Neighborhood Center, 5th Annual Pride Festival Spirit Award, 100 Women in White and The Black Women Expo; Eleanor Roosevelt Award.
She is a member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors and is the first African American to represent any part of Dane County in the State Assembly.
Celestine Jeffreys is a former at-large member of the Green Bay Board of Education in Wisconsin. She was first elected in 2010. Jeffreys’ seat was up for general election on April 5, 2016. She is currently the Chief of Staff for Mayor Eric Grenrich in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Jeffreys is an active community member, having served on many boards including NeighborWorks, the Fox River Navigational Authority, and A Woman’s Place Advisory Board. She and her husband, Derek, have two sons who are students in the district.
Corporate Leaders & Social Justice
Cory L. Nettles is the Founder and Managing Director of Generation Growth Capital, Inc., a private equity fund focused on buyouts and providing growth capital to small businesses and lower-middle market companies in the upper Midwest. Mr. Nettles is formerly of counsel at Quarles & Brady LLP in the Corporate Services and Government Relations groups. Mr. Nettles also served as secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.
As secretary of commerce, Mr. Nettles was the “point man” on business and economic development for the state of Wisconsin. Mr. Nettles managed a wide range of duties, including negotiating a $500 million venture capital package, negotiating banking and commercial lending legislation, and negotiating regulatory reform legislation. Mr. Nettles currently serves as a board member for several corporate and nonprofit organizations, including Weyco Group, Inc., Robert W. Baird’s Baird Funds, Inc., the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Milwaukee World Festival, Teach For America, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the University of Wisconsin Foundation, Usher’s New Look Foundation, and Associated Bank, among others.
Mr. Nettles also served as a senior advisor to Baird Private Equity and on the boards of Lawrence University and The Private Bank-Wisconsin. Mr. Nettles graduated magna cum laude from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI (1992) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School (1996). He has received several awards and distinctions, including the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship (post-graduate research in Africa and the former Soviet Union), University of Wisconsin-Madison LEO Fellowship, Dean’s List, Ethel Brown Award, Mathys Memorial Award for Appellate Advocacy, Abe Sigman Award for Scholarship and Character, North Milwaukee State Bank Trail Blazer Award, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Connection 2003 Trail Blazer Award. Mr. Nettles also was named a “Wisconsin Super Lawyer Rising Star 2007”, and he’s a 40 Under 40 Award Recipient.
Telisa Yancy was named chief operating officer of American Family in 2019. She has primary accountability for the Personal, Commercial-Farm/Ranch, and Life lines of business, as well as our Sales and Claims operations. She joined American Family in 2009 as advertising director in the Marketing Division and was promoted to vice president of Marketing in 2013. Telisa was named chief marketing officer in 2016. In her Marketing roles, Telisa oversaw all branding, marketing and advertising activities for the company, including launching the award-winning “Dreams” campaign in 2011 and its numerous extensions. She also introduced the concept of inspirational brand ambassadors to serve as “dream champions:’
Prior to joining American Family, she served in sales, marketing and general-management leadership positions at several companies, including Ford Motor Co. and Burger King. In 2016, Telisa was named to the prestigious EBONY POWER 100 list. She also earned spots on Savoy magazine’s 2014, 2016 and 2018 list ofTop 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America, and Top Influential Women in Corporate America. Telisa was appointed to the board of directors for National Public Radio (NPR) in 2019. Telisa is a graduate of the University of Illinois and earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business.
Cedric Ellis is executive vice president and chief enterprise officer at CUNA Mutual Group. A native of Waterbury, Conn., Ellis cares deeply about making a positive impact in the community and donates his time and talents to several local organizations including Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Dane County. He is also a member of the Governor’s Council on Workforce Investment (CWI) and the CWI partnership development committee. Before joining CUNA Mutual Group, Ellis served as senior vice president of HR for the Atlantic region of Wachovia. Ellis joined CUNA Mutual Group in 2005 and previously served as a senior vice president. He was also recognized on Our Lives Magazine’s inaugural “Queer People of Color” list.
Criminal Justice Reform & Community Building
M Adams (all pronouns) is the Co-Executive Director of Freedom Inc. M loves rap battles, reading, and being a dad. M is a Radical Black Queer Feminist born and raised in Milwaukee. M witnessed and has experienced state violence first hand and has been dedicated to building Black futures. M’s dad has been incarcerated most of her life and she comes from a community that has been the extreme targets of police violence. In March 2016, M’s mother transitioned after fighting cancer and many forms of violence. As a queer Black person, M has developed and advocated for a strong intersectional approach in numerous important venues. M is a leading figure in the Movement for Black Lives and Take Back the Land. M presented before the United Nations for the Convention on Eliminating Racial Discrimination and is the co-Author of Forward from Ferguson and a work in progress on Black community control over the police, and author to intersectionality theory in Why Killing Unarmed Black folks is a Queer issue. M provides guidance, support, and development to the Youth Justice Team in their fight for police free schools.
Honorable Rev. Everett Mitchell is a Dane County Circuit Court Judge. He is also Senior Pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Judge Mitchell believes in the idea as expressed by James Baldwin, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” He is a graduate of Morehouse College, Princeton Theological Seminary and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Judge Mitchell has demonstrated in many areas his continued commitment to fairness and justice. Before being elected to the bench, Judge Mitchell served as Director of Community Relations for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Under his leadership, UW-Madison invested $350,000 in opening the South Madison Partnership Space to better promote University and Community relationships. Before going to the University, Judge Mitchell served Dane County as Assistant District Attorney. Previously, Judge Mitchell served as associate director of the Madison Area Urban Ministry (MUM) from 2004-2010 where he worked extensively with restorative justice programs for ex-offenders. As a Restorative Justice coordinator with Madison-area Urban Ministry, he and his team developed a system so men and women who return from prison would have a residence, employment, support, treatment and education. In addition to being on the Wisconsin Law Review and the Law School Mock Trial team, Judge Mitchell taught non-violent communication with Chapter 980 Sex Offenders as well as co-facilitated a program entitled, “Tying Your Tie,” to teach Dane County Jail inmates how to use computer systems to job search.
Of all the speaking engagements and awards, Judge Mitchell is most honored to be the first black Pastor of a Baptist Church to marry a same sex couple. While he has received considerable push-back and anger from those who oppose his position regarding same gender marriage, he has remained committed and dedicated to his path of equity and justice. He is working on a book entitled, “My Black Gay Church: A Congregation of Resistance.”
As Senior Pastor of Christ the Solid Rock, he leads a congregation involved with improving the lives of children, families and communities. It is truly an inspiring place where the ideal of being a church “where everybody is somebody,” is lived out and put into practice. He has assisted in starting programs from gardening at the church to building relationships with diverse racial and theological congregations.
Whether Judge Mitchell has marched in the streets protesting the shooting of unarmed people by police or counseling young men and women at community centers about how to build a life of options, he does so with a passion and desire for justice and equality.
Jacquelyn Hunt has been one of Madison’s truly impactful community members, currently serving as the community support specialist for the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, where she identifies and implements necessary programming conducive to the needs of various communities in Madison. Her work in the organization includes helping emerging leaders develop leadership skills to help their respective communities. Hunt is also a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor for Anesis Marriage and Family Therapy Center. Hunt uses her skills as a culturally competent professional counselor to assist disadvantaged adults, helping them realize their potential.
Noble Wray retired from the Madison Police Department after more than 30 years of service. He was promoted through the ranks and was appointed Chief of Police of the City of Madison in 2004. Before becoming Chief, Noble received Life Saving and Outstanding Service Awards as a member of the Madison Police Department. Noble has also excelled as a nationally recognized consultant for law enforcement organizations, such as the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the Police Foundation in the areas of problem solving, community policing and trust-based policing. He has served on staff at the Police Leadership Institute at the University of Lowell Massachusetts for a course he developed for police managers called “Problem Solving Lessons Learned.” Noble continues to be a national presenter on these topics. In 2011 Noble was asked to present on these topics by the International Conference on Innovative Solutions for Law Enforcement and US Department of Justice’s COPS Office annual conference. He is also a certified trainer/consultant for both Steven Covey and COPS Office Fair and Impartial Policing. He also served as Interim CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison. Noble has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a graduate of the Wisconsin Department of Justice Executive Leadership Course for future police leaders.
Ajamou Butler, affectionately known as Brother Heal the Hood, is a staple in the Milwaukee community as the founder of Heal the Hood, a community organization. Each summer, through events, mentorship and public gatherings, Heal the Hood encourages neighbors to come together and promote peace and safety in Milwaukee. Butler hosts block parties, youth events, and community dialogues. Butler is also an educator, business owner and spoken word artist using his artistry to propel his mission. Butler grew up in several underserved neighborhoods in Milwaukee and considers himself to be from every corner of the city.
Education Reform and Justice
Dr. Jack E. Daniels III led Madison College in reshaping how the college responds to unique needs of the communities it serves. He led a successful campaign to construct the Goodman South Campus bringing access to educational and community resources to an area with substantial poverty, underemployment and unemployment. The Goodman South Campus opened for the Fall, 2019 semester. The College’s Corporate Training Center, STEM Center, and the Entrepreneur Center were also established under the direction of Dr. Daniels.
Dr. Daniels has served nearly 22 years as a community or technical college president. A recipient of numerous leadership awards and recognition, Dr. Daniels has a Ph.D. from the Wright Institute Graduate School of Psychology in Berkeley, California.
Gloria Ladson-Billings is a Madison365 columnist and former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor in Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction and Faculty Affiliate in the Departments of Educational Policy Studies, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis and Afro American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison until she retired in 2018. She was the 2005–2006 president of the American Educational Research Association. She is currently the Presidentof the National Academy of Education. Ladson-Billings’ research examines the pedagogical practices of teachers who are successful with African American students. She also investigates Critical Race Theory applications to education.
Ladson-Billings is the author of the critically acclaimed books, The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children, Crossing over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms, and Beyond the Big House: African American Educators on Teacher Education. She is editor of 6 other books and author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters. She is the former editor of the American Educational Research Journal and a member of several editorial boards. Her work has won numerous scholarly awards, including the H. I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship, Spencer Post-doctoral Fellowship, and the Palmer O. Johnson outstanding research award. She is the 2015 winner of the Social Justice in Education Award given by the American Educational Research Association. She was named the 2012 winner of the Brock International Prize in education.
In 2012 she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain. In 2010 she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Massachusetts – Lowell. In 2002 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. During the 2003–2004 academic year she was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California. In fall 2004 she received the George and Louise Spindler Award from the Council on Anthropology and Education for significant and ongoing contributions to the field of educational anthropology.
In spring 2005 she was elected to the National Academy of Education and the National Society for the Study of Education. In 2007 she was awarded the Hilldale Award, the highest faculty honor given to a professor at the University of Wisconsin for outstanding research, teaching, and service.
She is a 2008 recipient of the state of Wisconsin’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Award and the Teachers College, Columbia University 2008 Distinguished Service Medal. In 2009 she was elected to Kappa Delta Pi International Education Honor Society’s Laureate Chapter—comprised of 60 living distinguished scholars. Former laureate members include notables such as Albert Einstein, John Dewey and Eleanor Roosevelt. Ladson-Billings is currently one of the NEA Foundation Fellows charged with providing advice on its “Achievement Gap Initiative.”
In 2014 she was a panelist on the White House’s African American Educational Excellence Initiative’s Essence Festival, “Smart Starts at Home” panel. In 2015 she received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Literacy Research Association.
In 2016 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Benjamin Banneker Association of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics.
Kaleem Caire is an accomplished trailblazer, social entrepreneur and national leader in K-12 education reform, economic and workforce development and community transformation. He is the founder and chief executive officer of One City Early Learning Centers, a 21st century preschool aimed at eliminating the racial achievement gap at its core. Kaleem was born and raised in Madison and is a fifth generation Madisonian. He grew up on Madison’s South Side and attended Franklin Elementary (76-77), St. James School (77-84), Cherokee Middle (84-85) and West High Schools (85-89). He is also a 2000 graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s of science degree in education and holds a certificate in nonprofit management from Harvard Business School.
Prior to developing One City, Kaleem served as President & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison in Madison, WI where he successfully implemented several new education and workforce training programs, initiatives and partnerships, and catalyzed the Greater Madison community to address persistent racial disparities in education and employment during his tenure. Prior to the Urban League, Kaleem was co-founder and CEO of Next Generation Education Foundation, a Bowie, Maryland based nonprofit organization that addresses the educational and career development needs of young men. Kaleem has also held executive leadership positions with Target Corporation, Fight For Children of Washington, DC, and the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO). Prior to BAEO, Kaleem served as project director with the Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth (WCATY), educational consultant with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and Madison (WI) Metropolitan School District, and director of national initiatives with the American Education Reform Council.
In 1997-98, Kaleem served on the Madison (WI) Metropolitan School District’s Equity & Diversity Panel, advising the superintendent on the District’s plans to improve student achievement, and served on Wisconsin’s Comprehensive School Reform team. In 2001, he commissioned the nation’s first comprehensive study on High School Graduation Rates in the United States, which has helped shift the nation focus from dropouts to graduates when measuring high school productivity. In 2002, Kaleem was appointed to the Independent Rules Panel that advised the U.S. Secretary of Education on the evaluation of No Child Left Behind. In 2003, he guided the establishment of the District of Columbia Public Charter School Association and the passage of unprecedented federal legislation that has since provided more than $600 million to the District of Columbia for public school reform, charter schools, and the nation’s first federally funded private school scholarship program for children from low-income families. In 2009, Kaleem was appointed to serve as an expert Reviewer for President Barack Obama’s $3.5 billion Race to the Top education reform initiative.
Winnie Karanja is the Founder and Executive Director of Maydm, an organization focused on equipping girls and students of color with the technical skills and experiences to become innovators and technology leaders. With a background in education, technology and workforce development, Winnie has worked on national data projects, has led economic development initiatives, and is committed to equipping youth in utilizing and understanding the power of technology to fuel their dreams. She was recently named one of Forbes 30 under 30 2020: Social Entrepreneurs.
Dr. Joan Prince serves as Vice Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, appointed in 2000. She is the chief administrator for the Divisions of Global Inclusion and Engagement and Partnerships and Innovation, with responsibilities as the Chief Inclusion Officer. She also leads campus-wide project areas such as the STEM Inspire Pipeline, the Inclusive Internationalization Project, Global Partnerships in STEM, Center for International Health, and Equity/Diversity Services.
In 2012, Dr. Prince was nominated by President Barack Obama to the key administrative post of Alternate Representative to the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations, with the honorary rank of Ambassador. This diplomatic position also maintains an appointment as a Senior Advisor to the State Department and Public Delegate. Her roles and responsibilities included serving as a United States representative to UN committees and related organizations such as ECOSOC, UN Women, UNESCO, and UNICEF, delivering statements on US policy, and engaging other diplomats and advisors in discussions focusing on global issues. She also served as a member of the 2013 United States Delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), appointed by Secretary John Kerry and Ambassador Susan E. Rice.
Prior to this, Dr. Prince held responsibilities as the Project Director, lead strategist and implementer for the Health Professions Partnerships Initiative collaborative at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, as well as a Clinical Laboratory supervisor for a five hospital regional health care system in Milwaukee. A native of Milwaukee, Prince was the first African American recipient of a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Technology and Masters in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, with a specialty in Hematology and Flow Cytometry, from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She also holds a doctorate degree in Urban Education, with a specialty in Medical Science Education from UWM. She has been acknowledged as a 2007 Aspen Institute Fellow, a 2008 member of the International Jewish Council’s Civic Leadership delegation to Israel, a fellow of the Millennium Leadership Institute Class of 2009 for higher education executives, and a 2012 Fellow of the American Council on Education. She is a former member of many civic boards, including her local leadership roles as a board trustee emeritus of The Greater Milwaukee Foundation and emeritus board chair of the Milwaukee Public Library Board. She is also President Emeritus of the global women’s networking organization, Tempo International and board member emeritus of The Council on Foundations where she served as Governance Chair. She is currently the Immediate Past Board Chair of the Urban Libraries Council (www.ulc.org).
Community Organizations Creating Social Justice
Ruben L. Anthony, Jr., was appointed president & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison in March 2015. Dr. Anthony has been a manager for over 27 years. He started RowJAC Consulting, a Management and Planning Firm that Specializes in Civil Rights in government contracting, in 2013. Through RowJAC he has served as the interim Director of Milwaukee County?s Community Business Development Program which is responsible for enforcing compliance in procurement and contracting. Dr. Anthony has also served as a disadvantage business enterprise capacity building adviser to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and to the Dulles Airport in Washington D.C.
Prior to launching RowJAC, Dr. Anthony was the Senior Vice-President of Bloom Companies, an engineering firm, from 2010 to 2013. The majority (19 years) of his career has been as a manager with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation where he started as a first line supervisor and eventually became the Deputy Secretary and served as the Chief Operations Officer from 2003 to 2010.? As the Deputy Secretary he managed 3,600 FTEs and an annual budget of over $3.25 billion dollars. He was also responsible for managing the day to day operations of the agency and overseeing the programming of all areas.
Ruben has an extensive professional and academic background in disadvantaged business development. Under his leadership WisDOT reached historically high DBE goals on all mega projects. In 2004 he won local, regional and national awards from the US Small Business Administration. He won an excellence award from the Wisconsin Suppliers Diversity Council in 2004 and 2008 and a Stewardship and Advocacy Award from the National Association of Minority Contractors in 2010.
Ruben is the architect of the Wisconsin Model for increasing disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) participation. As a result, in 2010 and 2011 Dr. Anthony was asked to go on a national tour with the FHWA to share the model with other states. The federal highway administration (FHWA) has deemed this among the top two models in the nation for increasing small and disadvantaged business participation.
Dr. Anthony and his wife Wanda have lived in Dane County Since 1988 and they have three children: Anderson, Justice and Cornelius. Ruben is also an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a Deacon at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
From a young age while serving under the tutelage of her parents and other esteemed servant leaders, Tiffany Henry believed she was destined to be involved in an environment that would allow her to authentically serve people, advocate for equality and justice, and lead the next generation. A native of Beloit, Wisconsin; and a proud alum of Beloit Memorial High School and Xavier University of New Orleans, Louisiana where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. She received her Certificate for Leadership Training from the African American Leadership Program (AALP) hosted by Cardinal Stritch University, a premier leadership program for Milwaukee African American professionals.
She began her professional career in 2005 working for then United States Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. In 2013, Tiffany joined, now United States Senator Tammy Baldwin’s Senate staff in Milwaukee, a rare feat to serve in both chambers of the United States Congress for minority federal government employees. Presently, Tiffany serves as the Milwaukee Office Director for U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin.
As MULYP President, she is both equipped and enthusiastic to stand in partnership with our Milwaukee Urban League, National Urban League Young Professionals and the entire Milwaukee Executive Leadership Team in being the Brand Manager for MULYP. Tiffany is eager to bring her passion and commitment of service to our Membership by continuing to build and brand the organization, identifying and developing leaders, engaging the community in advocacy, and empowering our membership and impacting the Milwaukee community. Tiffany is mission driven to be impactful, intentional and vocal in advocating for those who are not heard or represented in an ever changing climate, and she is vision focused that when voices are heard the next generation is EMPOWERED!
Robyn Y. Davis is the President and CEO of Brown County United Way, Green Bay, Wisconsin, a community impact organization that unites people, ideas and resources to create community solutions that strengthen every person and every community in Brown County. Robyn began serving in that role in May, 2017. Prior to joining Brown County United Way, she led Freedom House Ministries, Inc. in Green Bay as its President for 8 years. Robyn is currently a member of the Green Bay Packers Board of Directors, the Donald J. Schneider School of Business and Economics Board of Advisors, the Weidner Center Presents Board of Directors, and the Northeast Wisconsin Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service sorority. Robyn received the 2019 St. Norbert College Ambassador of Peace Award from the Norman Miller Center for Peace, Justice and Public Understanding. In 2018, Robyn was named one of Wisconsin’s 42 most influential African-Americans by Madison 365. She is a past member of Management Women, Inc. and was the 2017 recipient of the organization’s Nancy A. Felhofer Leadership Award. Robyn also serves as a facilitator with the Center for Exceptional Leadership of St. Norbert College and often speaks throughout the community on the subject of leadership. She has been a faithful attendee of Living Hope Church in Green Bay for the past 14 years.
The oldest of five children, Robyn was born and raised in New York City, New York. She has been a resident of the Greater Green Bay area for the past 17 years and has lived and worked in Washington, D.C., Rhode Island and Michigan. Robyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University in English and Sociology as well as a Juris Doctor from the George Washington University School of Law. Robyn has leveraged her education and professional experience through a variety of leadership positions, including the practice of law, retail management and ministry. Robyn is an avid sports fan, loves reading, jigsaw puzzles and music.
Rev. Dr. Marcus Allen Sr. is the Pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Madison, Wisconsin, and president of the African American Council of Churches.
Dr. Allen served honorably in the United States Army for over 10 years. He completed three combat tours: two to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. Dr. Allen has received the Bronze Star Medal which is one of the highest military honors and as well as numerous other awards.
Dr. Allen is a graduate of the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University with a Masters’ of Divinity. Dr. Allen received his Doctor of Ministry Degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to the former Terra Cook and God has blessed them with three beautiful children: Alexandrea, MeKiyah and Marcus Jr.
Dr. Allen has a tremendous desire for God’s word coupled with a love for God’s people. He is passionate about proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, making the Word of God relevant in the lives of believers, and building the Kingdom of God in the congregation and community.
Thank you to our partners for their help in spreading the word:
- One City Schools
- United Way of Dane County
- United Way of Brown County
- Madison College
- Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals
- Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce
- MAYDM
- FOSTER
- African Heritage Inc.
- Urban League of Greater Madison
- The People Company
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County
- American Family Insurance
- Christian Faith Fellowship Church
- Wisconsin Leadership Summit