Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series

This week in Memorial Hall, Edgar Lin, Rotarian and Deputy Director of Impact Programs with Protect Democracy, discussed the organization's legislative work to strengthen election administration and advance "New Federalism," an effort to restore the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and states. He drew on Protect Democracy's work across the country, including Wisconsin, where he helped lead passage of the landmark, bipartisan law safeguarding presidential election certification.

Yesterday in Memorial Hall,  Rotarian Jodi Gibson, President and CEO of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, and Tracey Dolphin, Director of Animal Management and Health at the Milwaukee County Zoo, shared how modern zoos play an important role in wildlife conservation and animal wellbeing. They highlighted the Milwaukee County Zoo's elephant conservation efforts, how the zoo has evolved over time, and what is ahead with new exhibits and experiences.

Yesterday, Ana Simpson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, joined us to share findings from the Wisconsin Girl Report, a first-of-its-kind report grounded in data and the lived experiences of girls across Wisconsin. Ana highlighted the challenges today's girls are navigating and how they can impact their confidence, well-being, and potential. She also outlined ways we can turn these insights into meaningful action.

Earlier this week, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson addressed a number of pressing issues facing the city, including immigration enforcement, election investigations, and the challenges of developing the 2027 city budget. He also provided an update on Milwaukee's continued growth and progress, highlighting the city's ongoing efforts to make Milwaukee safer and strengthen the community.

This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarians heard from Bennet Merens of the Division of Trade & Consumer Protection at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. Bennet discussed the growing scam epidemic and shared four simple communication rules that can help consumers protect themselves and explained why following them is more important than ever for the safety and financial well-being of individuals and families.

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, Rotarians gathered yesterday in Memorial Hall to reflect on the nation's founding document with Joseph Kearney, Dean of Marquette University Law School. Dean Kearney explored the meaning and significance of the Declaration of Independence, examining how the 1776 document should be understood within the context of its own time and how it continues to shape our understanding of the Constitution, and discussed the Declaration's lasting relevance and its continued role in conversations about American ideals, government, and civic life.

This week we celebrated the conclusion of President Kent Lovern's successful year of leadership and thanked him for his dedicated service to the Rotary Club of Milwaukee over the past year. We also proudly welcomed Beth Heller, Vice President of Programs for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, as our Club President for the 2026–27 Rotary year.

This week in Memorial Hall, Joe Peterangelo, Research Director at the Wisconsin Policy Forum, joined us to discuss the Forum's latest report on the state of small businesses in Wisconsin. He also shared insights from the organization's research on Milwaukee's small business support ecosystem and demonstrated the Metro Milwaukee Innovation DataTool, which measures the region's progress in innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.

This week in Memorial Hall, we heard from Lafayette Crump, Milwaukee's Commissioner of City Development, as he shared his vision for Milwaukee in 2026 and provided an update on the city's economic development efforts and priorities.

This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarians heard from Milwaukee School of Engineering's 6th President, Dr. Eric Baumgartner, as he shared his vision for MSOE and the future of the region's leading technical university. Drawing on leadership experience in higher education, robotics, and at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Baumgartner offered a unique perspective on innovation, engineering, and the evolving landscape of technical education.

This week in Memorial Hall, community members gathered for an engaging discussion on the significance of Juneteenth in U.S. history and Milwaukee, and how the day is commemorated and celebrated today. Speakers included Tony Kearney, Executive Director of Northcott Neighborhood House; Clayborn Benson of the Wisconsin Black Historical Society; Sarah Pancheri of Milwaukee World Festival; and Miss Juneteenth, Sydney Purifoy-Mahone, with the conversation moderated by Rotarian Karine Moreno-Taxman. Together, the panelists explored the history of Juneteenth, how it is honored in our community today, and ways individuals can take part in the celebration.

This week, we celebrated our Armed Forces Week luncheon featuring Major General (Ret.) Brian Winski, Rotarian and President & CEO of the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center, as we recognized the dedication and sacrifice of active-duty military personnel in our community.

This week in Memorial Hall, Paul Smith, who has covered the outdoors for Wisconsin newspapers for more than 30 years, sat down with member David Haynes to talk about Wisconsin's long love affair with hunting, fishing, wildlife, and the state's natural beauty. He shared his thoughts on the deer population, recent bald eagle sightings in Milwaukee, and the impacts he is seeing from climate change.

Yesterday, Rotarian Dave Haynes moderated a bipartisan conversation featuring Mayor Tom Barrett and Representative Scott Klug, Wisconsin board members of the Democracy Defense Project. Their discussion focused on the state of civility in public discourse, Wisconsin's election administration systems, strategies for strengthening trust in civic institutions and showcased bipartisan cooperation as a model for preserving confidence in democracy.

The Rotary Club of Milwaukee's highest honor is the Rotary Person of the Year Award, which recognizes an outstanding individual each year for exceptional professional achievement and meaningful community impact. This week, we proudly recognized our Executive Director, Mary McCormick, as our 2026 Rotary Person of the Year. Mary exemplifies our club's mission of "connecting" by serving as the ultimate connector of people, ideas and resources for the betterment of the Milwaukee community. Congratulations, Mary! 👏

This week at Rotary, Mark Hasting, CEO & President of Blain's Farm & Fleet, shared the story of the family-owned retailer as it celebrates 70 years of serving customers. He also emphasized the company's continued momentum—building on a legacy of trust, hard work, and community commitment while actively adapting, expanding, and investing for the future

On Tuesday April 7th, Rotarians heard from Gil Peri, President and CEO, Children's Wisconsin. Children's Wisconsin has more than 7.3 million connections with kids and families throughout the state each year. Gil discussed the services and capabilities the organization has to support children – from prevention and early intervention through highly-specialized and complex hospital services. He also discussed the organization's roadmap for the future.

Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Rotarian and Milwaukee native, shared reflections from his service in the Biden-Harris Administration as the 11th Administrator of the U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, where he led and oversaw one of North America's most vital international waterways. Adam discussed the economic, environmental, and geopolitical importance of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence system, along with the initiatives undertaken to strengthen trade, safety, and decarbonization across the corridor.

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.

This week, Tom Content, Executive Director of the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin, discussed CUB's work to fight energy inflation and the growing challenges to energy affordability posed by the development of data centers in Wisconsin and around the country.

This past Tuesday, we kicked off our first Rotary program of 2026 with a presentation from Michael Ford, Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue. Michael shared his talk, "Practical Tools for Navigating Difficult Conversations," offering practical, evidence-based tools for engaging in disagreement without deepening polarization.

This week in Memorial Hall, Steve Vavrus, Senior Scientist at UW–Madison, shared how Wisconsin's climate is rapidly changing, with the past two decades being the warmest on record and the 2010s the wettest. Drawing on work from the State Climatology Office and WICCI, he highlighted major trends, extreme weather impacts, and what these shifts mean for the state's future.

Yesterday, Adam Procell, Director of Milwaukee's Office of Community Wellness and Safety, joined us for a moderated, in-depth conversation about his personal journey, his leadership in building Milwaukee's collaborative reentry ecosystem, and his vision for the future of this work in our city. The discussion highlighted the systems-level approach he is advancing to strengthen community safety, coordination, and long-term stability across Milwaukee.

This week in Memorial Hall Rotarians heard from Dr. Kimo Ah Yun, President of Marquette University, as he shared details about the momentum Marquette is experiencing and discussed the challenges facing higher education both locally and nationally.

In honor of Veterans Day, Rotarians welcomed Janice Bell and Ben Hendershot from the Veterans Community Project to share their innovative approach to ending veteran homelessness. They also highlighted plans for VCP's new Milwaukee campus, which will feature 40 tiny homes and onsite services on a 7-acre site along North 60th Street.

Yesterday, Chris Corkery, Founder and CEO of Hundred Acre, joined us to share the story of his state-of-the-art indoor hydroponic farm in Milwaukee, where fresh produce grows year-round—without soil, pesticides, and using 95% less water than traditional farms. Chris also highlighted  how Hundred Acre's vertical farming technology creates "endless summer" conditions to produce five times more food per square foot, redefining the future of local agriculture.

This week in Memorial Hall, we marked the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations with an address by Jack Leslie, a renowned communications strategist and international development leader. Jack called for rebuilding trust and creating a new global framework that empowers local leadership and partnerships to better address today's challenge around the world.

This week in Memorial Hall, we were honored to welcome Serhiy Koledov, the Consul General of Ukraine in Chicago. The Consul General spoke about the current situation in Ukraine, sharing insights on the nation's economic recovery and the growing opportunities for investment in the country.

This week's program featured Rotarians Ian Abston, Maurice Thomas, and Joe Poeschl, who shared how the next generation of Milwaukeeans is intentionally building networks that strengthen both personal and community growth. They also shared inspiring stories of connection and collaboration through Forward 48, the region's premier leadership development program.

This week in Memorial Hall, Brian Thompson, UW -Milwaukee's Chief Innovation & Partnership Officer, shared how their Lubar Entrepreneurship Center empowers students and community leaders to think like entrepreneurs—spotting opportunities, testing bold ideas, and turning them into real solutions.

This week in Memorial Hall, Dr. Brenda Cassellius reflected on her first six months as Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. She outlined progress on lead paint stabilization, enhancements to financial reporting, and the rollo

Yesterday in Memorial Hall, Chef Paul Bartolotta, Co-Owner of the Bartolotta Restaurants, shared personal stories about his family and his roots in Milwaukee. He also reflected on the history of the Bartolotta Restaurants and shared how the pandemic reshaped the hospitality industry, including the ways he navigated those challenges.

On Tuesday, Rotarians heard from Michael Antonelli, Market Strategist for Baird Private Wealth Management, on one of today's most talked-about topics- cryptocurrency. Michael offered a refresher on what crypto is, how it's used, and where it came from, while also exploring the investment implications and the current state of the industry.

This week in Memorial Hall, Tracy Johnson, the President and CEO of the Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin, Jim Barry, President of the Barry Company, and Matt Hunter, CEO of Hunter Real Estate shared their perspectives on the commercial real estate market in Southeast Wisconsin. They discussed the challenges and opportunities shaping the industry, what's driving demand, and how shifting trends are impacting businesses and communities.

This week in Memorial Hall Dr. John Raymond, President & CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin shared how stable research funding and strong public private partnerships are so important for advancing health and innovation. He also explained how Milwaukee's research enterprise drives economic growth, regional development, and better health outcomes for all.

Yesterday, Vincent Lyles of Milwaukee Succeeds and Jeff Pertl, Wisconsin Secretary of Children and Families discussed how new state funding for childcare came to be and its impact on families and providers across Wisconsin. They also explored what the future may hold once this temporary investment concludes next year.

This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarians heard from Paul Verdu, Managing Director for Asahi Beer USA, who shared insights on the rapidly evolving beverage-alcohol industry. Paul also discussed how shifting consumer preferences and emerging trends are driving innovation and shaping Asahi's approach to growth.

Milwaukee stands at a turning point, with new opportunities on the horizon that demand fresh thinking. This week in Memorial Hall, Rebecca Gries, Executive Director of the Milwaukee 7 Regional Partnership (M7), explored how the region can build a more resilient and prosperous future by embracing change.

On Tuesday, Alex Lasry, CEO of the New York/New Jersey Host Committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup shared details on the NY/NJ region's role as the centerpiece of the tournament's U.S. footprint. Alex covered how the region is preparing to host eight matches, including the Final Match, and highlighted the large-scale, cross-region coordination underway to deliver 39 days of unparalleled excitement and fan experiences.

This week, Rotarians heard from fellow member Dr. Anthony Cruz, President of Milwaukee Area Technical College Dr. Cruz reflected on his first year as President of MATC, and provided  insights on the educational needs of the community, MATC's new strategic plan, and new initiatives that will lead to new bold targets in student success, caring culture, and community trust.

This week in Memorial Hall, we toasted outgoing President Saj Thachenkary and welcomed new Club President Kent Lovern.