Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series

We recognize the recipient of the 2020 Rotary Person of the Year Award, Paula Kiely, Director of the Milwaukee Public Library.

Immigration and COVID-19: What’s the Connection? What are we Learning? COVID-19 has shined a spotlight on characteristics of immigrants and immigration that have been largely unseen prior to the pandemic. Those characteristics include the fact that the foreign-born have been at the cutting edge of the crisis by being overrepresented in both essential worker occupations – especially health care and food production – as well as in those suffering the largest job losses.  What the evidence is showing about the connections between the nation’s health crisis and immigration and what they mean looking ahead will be the subject of this program.

Mike Gousha is a distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette University Law School and Lynn Sprangers is an award-winning journalist who served in executive capacities in sports, higher education and the performing arts.  They are producers of a new documentary film for PBS, America’s Socialist Experiment, which looks at the nearly half century when socialists led Milwaukee, including three mayors and the first socialist congressman.  With special relevance in Milwaukee’s selection as the site of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, the film looks at these “sewer socialists” who fought for clean drinking water and public health programs, vowing to clean up the city. The film airs on Milwaukee PBS on June 9 at 8:00 pm and Mike and Lynn will offer insights into what they learned while filming this unique 20th Century political drama that played out in Milwaukee.

Veterinary Medicine and its Impact on Animal and Human Health and An Update on COVID-19

Veterinary medicine has long been critical to advancing breakthroughs in both animal and human health.  From novel advances in cancer treatment to breakthroughs in vaccine development, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine has long been a leader in investigating therapies and disease prevention strategies that benefit both animal and human health.  This presentation will focus on many of the intersections between the diagnosis and treatment of disease conditions of both animals and humans pioneered by faculty at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine.  A particular emphasis will be the school’s international leadership in infectious disease research and the current COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

David Villa is the Executive Director of The State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB). SWIB, created in 1951, is responsible for managing the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), the State Investment Fund (SIF), and other state trust funds. As of December 31, 2019, SWIB managed more $128 billion in assets.

This was our annual Armed Services Program. This year, we were pleased to welcome Captain Michael Brasseur, Director of Naval Armaments Cooperation at the U.S. Mission to NATO, and Director of NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Innovation & Coordination Cell (MUSIC2).

Covid19:  A view from the trenches

In the fall of 2018, Austin Ramirez spoke to Rotary about tariff policy and the increasing uncertainly facing international trade markets.  Today Husco is witnessing first-hand the havoc created  by the COVID-19 pandemic on manufacturing here and abroad.   How is he managing?

Austin Ramirez is the second-generation President and CEO of Husco International, a global engineering and manufacturing company. During his tenure as CEO, the company has grown more than 300% and been recognized as Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year.  In 2016 he moved to Washington, DC to serve one year as a White House Fellow on the National Economic Council of both the Trump and Obama administrations.

Let Us Go Forward Together: An Inspiring Message of Endurance and Perseverance from a very special guest, Sir Winston Churchill

Rotarian Richie Burke interviewed six fellow Rotarian business owners about how COVID-19 has affected their companies.

The Rotarians include:

• Jim Barry, President of The Barry Company
• Todd Bentley, President of Bentley World Packaging
• Mark Kannenberg, President of RBP Chemicals
• Darren Miller, President of JM Construction
• Michael Sheppard, Managing Partner of IronwoodDrive Financial Group
• Julie Tolan EVP & Owner of Lauber Business Partners

After General Motors and Ventec Life Systems sought out the capability to construct 200,000 ventilators, they switched to U.S. providers for the components, since the coronavirus pandemic threatened international supply chains and forced speed an integral driver.

Pindel Global Precision of New Berlin quickly stepped up the challenge.  Pindel CEO Bill Berriens says that he expects that the international pandemic to hasten the change which was happening away from U.S. firms sourcing parts from Asian nations.  He sees rising automation and artificial intelligence changing the price advantage right back to the U.S. ”We have a health-care crisis that is also … the mother of innovative thinking and innovation.”