Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series

On September 13th, we heard from David Lubar of the Wisconsin Business Leaders For Democracy and Claire Woodall-Vogg of the Milwaukee Election Commission.

David discussed how businesses depend on a stable democracy to prosper and how they have a role to play in encouraging civic engagement. He also outlined what organizations can do to support their employee’s involvement in the upcoming elections. Claire addressed what Milwaukee is doing to make voting as secure and accessible as possible and will provide information regarding what resources the City is offering to support Civic engagement for the Midterms in November.

On September 6th, we welcomed Rick Barrett, President of Barrett Lo Visionary Development LLC.

Rick and his team are spearheading the development of The Couture, the 44-story skyscraper that has been designed to serve as a key thoroughfare connecting our lakefront and cultural amenities with our downtown. Rick discussed what's next for The Couture, as construction continues on Milwaukee's newest skyscraper.

Barry Mandel is often credited with the rebirth of Milwaukee’s downtown, and is a former Rotary Person of the Year recipient. Barry is helping to spearhead a unique, comprehensive and holistic education initiative anchored with extensive wraparound services to help students and their families thrive and succeed.

On Tuesday, we heard from fellow Rotarian Reggie Reed, the Founder & CEO of Mindful Staffing Solutions. Mindful Staffing Solutions addresses poverty, housing, workforce, and economic isolation of underserved communities in Milwaukee. Reggie describes in depth on how we currently fund these issues, why we're funding them the wrong way, and how we can do better.

It seems that every day there is now another story in the news about major water issues in the United States and across the world. The impacts have dramatic ramifications and the solutions are complex. Living and working along Lake Michigan we may feel immune from those challenges. But in a global economy, business leaders can’t ignore these water issues and their impact on global operations, supply chains and the food that we all eat. Unbeknownst to many, there is a globally connected organization in Milwaukee that is working to bring new technologies and water stewardship practices to help solve these critical challenges that face our world. Dean Amhaus shares how The Water Council tackles major water issues locally and worldwide.

As the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built, the James Webb Space Telescope will serve as the premier deep space observatory for the next decade. On Tuesday, we heard from Dr. Jean Creighton, UWM’s planetarium director and astronomer, about our ever-expanding view of the universe and the search for new and exciting worlds beyond our solar system.

Regardless of your role, what are people, customers and business partners looking for in you? What is the workplace culture you have created with your team that leads to success? Creating a mission driven culture with compassion and trust turns satisfied customers into loyal customers. In addition, if the work we do is tied into a purpose beyond profits our job satisfaction increases substantially and employee turnover is reduced. John McHugh e explores the role you play in your organization’s success and how you can find the key people to help you achieve that greatness. His examples and stories are ones that you won’t forget.

On July 19th, we heard from Nikki Otten, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at Milwaukee Art Museum on the Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret exhibition. This exhibition is the first U.S. solo exhibition for the “father of the modern poster.” Learn about 19th-century Paris through colorful, large-scale posters that advertise popular products and pastimes of the day.

Reggie Moore is the Director of Violence Prevention Policy and Engagement for the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). Mr. Moore has over 24 years of local and national experience in nonprofit, public health, government, and policy. He previously served as Director of the Office of Violence Prevention at the City of Milwaukee Health Department. In his current capacity at MCW he is focused on advancing violence prevention capacity throughout the state of Wisconsin and across the country. His talk at Rotary focuses on state and national trends along with promising strategies for addressing violence as a public health issue.

On Tuesday, June 28th, we toasted outgoing President Todd Bentley, and welcomed 2022-23 President Karen Hung.