Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series

At this year's Armed Forces Week program, Rotarians heard from Col. Charles Merkel, commander of the 128th Air Refueling Wing at the General Mitchell Air National Guard Base. The Colonel addressed the current state of the Refueling Wing, their mission, plans for modernization, and efforts to compete for the KC-46 tanker. He also discussed changes coming to the Air National Guard's role in the Indo-Pacific region.

Vision Zero is an international movement to end traffic deaths with a public health and safe system approach that the City of Milwaukee has adopted. This past Tuesday, Rotarians heard from Milwaukee's Vision Zero Policy Director, Jessica Wineberg, as she shared an overview of key crash trends that are informing a data driven response with the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2037.

Milwaukeans quickly recognize the name A. O. Smith but not all know that this historic Milwaukee brand is one of the world's leading providers of water heating and water treatment solutions for 150 years. This week in Memorial Hall,, Chairman and CEO of A.O. Smith, Kevin Wheeler, provided a snapshot of their 150 year history, and shared how they are continually developing state-of-the-art solutions to push new boundaries and pave the way in their industry.

Elysabeth Alfano is the CEO of VegTech(TM) Invest and an expert on food systems transformation. She runs an ETF on the New York Stock Exchange that invests in innovative companies that are focused on a sustainable food system shift. Learn how companies like Anheuser-Busch are using their fermentation processes to grow protein for human consumption and the associated health and ecological benefits derived from these new sources of protein.

Located 60 miles north of Milwaukee, Road America, also known as The National Park of Speed, opened in 1955 and welcomes over 800,000 motor sport fans each year to enjoy over 600 acres in the Kettle Moraine. This week at Rotary Mike Kertscher, President of Road America, discussed the history of the track and its economic impact on Sheboygan County and the state of Wisconsin.

VISIT Milwaukee's CEO, Peggy Williams-Smith, gave an energized presentation to Rotarians on Tuesday and introduced VISIT's new and improved fresh brand while addressing the driving forces behind tourism in 2024 and beyond. Check out the presentation for an insightful glimpse into Milwaukee's vibrant tourism scene and its promising future.

Every summer crowds flock to our city, but this time, in addition to a large number of high-profile visitors, Milwaukee is poised to get about as much attention as it can handle on July 15-18, when the eyes of almost every nation on the planet, and every state of the union will be upon us. At a packed Memorial Hall yesterday, Rotarian Andy Bochman, senior grid strategist for Idaho National Laboratory's National and Homeland Security directorate provided a brief snapshot of what Rotary members may expect to see as the RNC approaches.

On Tuesday, Rotarians heard from Dr. Megan Schultz from Children's Hospital on gun violence in children. Guns are now the number one cause of death for American children - more than cancer, more than car accidents. Pediatric emergency physician Dr. Megan Schultz shared her perspective from working on the frontlines of America's gun violence epidemic, and what we can do to make our community safer for children.

Connecting in-person will always be at the heart of Rotary, yet we can also make personal and meaningful connections through social media—while expanding professional networks and enhancing brand visibility. Rotarians enjoyed a two part presentation on Tuesday. First, Rotarian Hanna Paul of Ideawake presented our club's Social Media Kit, sharing how Rotarians can get involved online and help maximize RCM's reach. Then, Wayne Breitbarth of Power Formula provided handy tips on how to get the most out of LinkedIn and enhancing your connections and profile even further.

At a packed Memorial Hall on Tuesday, Rotarian John Franke shared his perspective on the the FBI undercover investigation that brought agent "Donnie Brasco" to our city in the late 1970's, the related extensive wiretaps conducted by the FBI, and his work in leading the successful prosecution of Milwaukee's Balistrieri organized crime family in the mid-1980's.