Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series

This week at Rotary, members were introduced to the world of esports, the growing competitive video game industry that is projected to earn $3.5B in revenue by 2025. Brandon Tschacher, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Esports Alliance, provided an overview of the rising esports scene and shared how competitive gaming is taking off right here in Wisconsin.

Rotarians filled Memorial Hall this week to hear from Executive Director of Protect Democracy, Ian Bassin. Ian discussed global trends endangering democracy, what some of the factors are driving these dynamics, and what risks they pose for American civil society, including our business community.

Program Committee Chair Jamie Reeve, III noted Rob Henken has spoken to Rotary more frequently than any other person—and consistently get strong reviews. On Tuesday, Rob looked back on Milwaukee's fiscal challenges, reviewed how the city is making ends meet in 2024 and what that says about its longer-term financial prognosis and its ability to sustain key services like police, fire, and libraries.

"Arts and culture are a central part of what makes Milwaukee a great place to live, work and play." This week, new Rotarian and Executive Director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Chad Bauman, introduced the Rep's upcoming plans for the new Associated Bank Theater Center and shared an outlook on Milwaukee's arts and culture sector in the coming years.

Rotarians were given a glimpse into the future as they heard Jason Turner of Wintrust Wealth Management return to Memorial Hall for his 2024 Economic forecast this week. Using the philosophies of Warren and Jimmy Buffet, Jason shared state of the economy and the prospects for continued economic growth or recession in 2024 and beyond.

Since the war broke out on October 6th, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis has been in the fore front of the news and also in the hearts of many. As a neutral platform, our club decided to invite two speakers to represent both views at Rotary. Last week, we heard from Miryam Rosenzweig, President and CEO of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. And yesterday, we heard from Othman Atta, Executive Director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, who approached the conversation from the Palestinian perspective.

Since the war broke out on October 6th, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis has been in the fore front of the news and also in the hearts of many. As a neutral platform, our club decided to invite two speakers to represent both views at Rotary. Yesterday, we heard an Israeli perspective from Miryam Rosenzwieg, President and CEO of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Next week, we will hear a Palestinian perspective from Othman Atta, Executive Director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.

On December 19th, the fabulous Florentine Opera performers regaled us with tunes of the season. Happy Holidays from Rotary!

As we approach the end of 2023, County Executive David Crowley looked back a historic year that saw many accomplishments for Milwaukee County. On Tuesday, we heard from the County Executive share his thoughts on these achievements, including the passage of new revenue generating tools, the first budget surplus in over two decades, many critical investments that are making our community healthier, and more.

This week at breakfast, Rotarians heard from Pulitzer Prize finalist and former reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Meg Kissinger. Meg shared the story behind her latest book, WHILE YOU WERE OUT: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence, which details how her own family's story is part of a broader movement to destigmatize mental illness.