Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series

This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarians heard from the Milwaukee Bucks' new President, Josh Glessing, on the intersection of professional sports, global business, and civic impact. He shared his strategic assessment of his first 60 days in the role, his vision for evolving the Bucks' business model to drive regional growth, and the important role the organization plays in the Milwaukee community.

This week in Memorial Hall, Darryl Morin, President and CEO of Advanced Wireless, Inc. and President of Forward Latino, sat down with Rotarian Dave Haynes for a discussion on the economic impact of immigration and immigration policy. He highlighted the important role immigrant labor plays in Wisconsin's economy and addressed some of the most common misconceptions on the topic.

This week in Memorial Hall, Brenda Cassellius, Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, returned to the Rotary Club of Milwaukee to discuss the district's $46 million budget gap. She outlined her plans to restore fiscal health while protecting classrooms, maintaining safe schools, and investing in academic achievement.

This week in Memorial Hall, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley highlighted his administration's ongoing efforts to promote fiscal sustainability, maintain the critical services residents rely on, and strengthen economic development, public safety, and affordable housing across Milwaukee County. He also discussed the Future State Project, a new initiative designed to improve programs and services, save taxpayer dollars, and advance his vision of achieving measurable equity to build a brighter future for the community.

Yesterday in Memorial Hall, Dr. Lia Medeiros PhD, Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Gravitation, Cosmology, and Astrophysics, shared the history of how telescopes around the world united to capture the first-ever image of a black hole—and how she used that historic image to test Einstein's theory of gravity. She also introduced her innovative machine learning algorithm, explaining how it allowed her team to create the highest-resolution image of a black hole to date, further advancing our understanding of the universe.

This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarian Colleen Foley, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, shared yesterday how Eviction Free MKE addresses homelessness caused by evictions. She highlighted how this Right to Counsel program ensures individuals and families facing eviction receive the support, guidance, and legal representation they need to remain in their homes.

This week in Memorial Hall, Rima Alaily, Corporate Vice President & General Counsel of Infrastructure Legal Affairs at Microsoft, shared an update on the company's expanding investment in Wisconsin, including its multi-billion-dollar commitment to advanced AI datacenters and cloud infrastructure. She also highlighted the economic opportunities these projects bring, discussed Microsoft's Community-First Infrastructure Commitments, and explored what these efforts mean for the state's competitiveness in an AI-driven future.

Yesterday at Rotary, Dr. Kim Sajet, newly appointed Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, shared how cities worldwide are placing art and creativity at the center of economic growth, innovation, and community life. Drawing on global examples and Milwaukee's ambitions, she highlighted how museums and artists drive measurable impact while strengthening identity and belonging.

This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarians heard from Mike Knetter, Economist and Senior Advisor for Investments and Business Development at the UW Foundation & Alumni Association, who shared an economic outlook for the U.S. economy, with special emphasis on the role of the AI innovation cycle and America First policies.

Yesterday, Greg Borowski, Executive Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, discussed with Rotarians how he and his team are navigating today's challenging news landscape. He shared how their focus on connection, relevance, and community partnerships is bringing stability and impact to their reporting.