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The numbers tell part of the story.

Northeast Wisconsin — like the whole state — has become more racially and ethnically diverse.

The number of Wisconsinites who identify as a race other than white grew 47% between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census. Those who identified as Hispanic or Latino grew 33%.

In Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties, the growth is even bigger. The number of non-white residents increased 60% and Hispanic or Latino residents increased 46%.

The List Is Here and in the article at the link...

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Ken Notes: WOW this list is extensive! Bookmark this story it is a great resource. Larry Gallup deserves a journalistic award for this work!

An upcoming survey seeks feedback from residents of Lincoln and Marathon Counties on their perceptions and attitudes toward diversity, inclusion and community welcomeness.

The Lincoln and Marathon County Diversity, Inclusion and Community Welcomeness Study will be released May 3, 2022, and will accept responses until June 3, 2022. A paper version of the survey will be distributed to randomly selected households throughout the area, and all residents of Lincoln and Marathon Counties, ages 18 years and older, will be able to learn more about and complete this survey after May 3rd online here: 

wipps.org/LMdiversitystudy.

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Luke Notes: Full disclosure WIPPS is the parent organization of the Toward One Wisconsin Conference and this Newsletter. If you are interested in a diversity study for your region drop us a note.

Dwayne Maddox has joined Old National Bank as vice president and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), splitting his time between Old National Bank’s Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin, offices.

Maddox arrives after spending two years with the National Guardian Life Insurance company in various marketing roles. He previously held positions at Allstate Insurance and American Family Insurance.

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MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Special Olympics Wisconsin announced Friday they have chosen a new President & CEO for the 50-year-old organization.

Chad Hershner will begin his new role on May 16, 2022. According to Special Olympics Wisconsin, Hershner is an experienced executive with over 25 years of leadership experience.

“Mr. Hershner has an impressive track record of management, fundraising, and organizational culture-building experience, as well as a heart for advocating for people with intellectual disabilities,” Chair of the Special Olympics Wisconsin Board of Directors Marc Cadieux said. “We are thrilled to have Chad join our organization and we are confident the talent he brings will help guide us forward.”...

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Ken Notes: Welcome! and thank you for leading such an important organization. Keep us in the loop as to what you are doing...

Michael Ford, AIA, known globally as The Hip-Hop Architect, has been named one of three “Young Architects of the Year” by the American Institute of Architects Wisconsin Chapter.

The announcement was made at the organization’s annual conference at Monona Terrace Wednesday. The other two honorees are Matthew Clapper, AIA and Brandon Reinke, AIA. Ford was nominated by Walter Wilson, AIA and Stacey Keller, AIA.

“To me, it means a lot,” Ford said of the honor. “One, it’s recognition of the work that I’ve been doing not just this past year, but since I came to Madison in 2010, working to expose more people to the profession of architecture. To me, this is an acknowledgement of that work by our institute. And then the second thing that means to me is for the very few licensed Black architects that we have in the state. It’s eight of us. And I am the youngest of that group who have their license. It’s a very small number of us. This award is not just an award for me, it’s an award for all of the people that I use hip hop to introduce architecture to.”...

See Also:

National Guardian Life hires Hip-Hop Architect Michael Ford to set their DEI commitment in stone — literally

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Historic racism, state-level meddling and decade-long trends have combined to severely harm the state of affordable housing in Milwaukee. To solve it, a citywide and long-term plan is required, according to Teig Whaley-Smith, the chief alliance officer at the Community Development Alliance and a former Milwaukee County official.

Whaley-Smith spoke Tuesday at a meeting of the Milwaukee Rotary Club about what is needed to reduce racial disparities in homeownership in the city, a problem with branches that extend from the health and education of children to the area’s economic strength...
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Ken Notes: This is so important, most of our zoning programs prevent the construction of smaller affordable housing. It is fine to live in a 600 sq ft apartment but almost impossible build a 600 sq ft home...

The 2022 Wisconsin Triennial titled Ain’t I A Woman?, an exhibition that explores the intersection of race and gender as well as the underrepresentation of Black women artists in Wisconsin, will open at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) on Saturday, April 23.

Fatima Laster, the owner, operator, and curator of 5 Points Art Gallery + Studios in Milwaukee, is the guest curator for Ain’t I A Woman? which will run until October 9 and will highlight Black women artists in Wisconsin who expand upon the nature and scope of art production.

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Ken Notes: if you share our newsletter or articles let us know...

Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service	Church Mutual Insurance
Wisconsin Development News	Wisconsin Public Radio

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Notes:

By earning a college degree this weekend, thousands of Badgers will have achieved something impressive. Many have left a lasting impact on campus, and some have already made a mark far beyond UW–Madison. Here are just a few of those accomplished graduates — consider them a small subset of the excellence of the Class of Spring 2022...

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Ken Notes: A very impressive list...

Cheryl Daniels is among the most volunteer-minded lawyers in Wisconsin.

The president of the Wisconsin State Bar, Daniels is the third consecutive woman to serve in the post, which oversees the 25,000-member professional organization for licensed attorneys in the state.

Daniels, who is originally from Buffalo, New York, and completed her law degree at UW-Madison, started volunteering with the State Bar in the 1980s while working as an attorney with the state Department of Agriculture. In a pinch for resources while overseeing a project on distressed farmers, Daniels contacted the State Bar, which had long wanted to start an initiative focusing on farmers...

...Though in her two years as president, Daniels has above all pushed the State Bar to reimagine how it approaches diversity and inclusion in the legal field...

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It`s a recurring theme when you ask people why they choose to live in northeastern Wisconsin.

Good jobs, affordable homes, quality schools and safe communities in which to raise families have drawn people to the region for generations and kept them anchored here.

Those same considerations are behind the eye-opening increase in the region`s racial and ethnic diversity as documented in the 2020 U.S. Census.

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Ken Notes: Interesting read...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Federal Asian Pacific American Council awarded Marie Kopka, water resources planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, their 2022 Outstanding Individual Leadership Award from for her work on diversity and inclusion.

Kopka, who works out of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, co-founded the creation of a national Army Corps of Engineers Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander, or AANHPI, Employee Resource Group within the last fall.

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At 28 months of age, University of Wisconsin-River Falls alum Lindsey Moreland was diagnosed with autism after showing classic signs including not responding to her name and banging her head into walls.

“It was devastating,” Lindsey’s mom, Lauri Moreland, recalled. “We called it the death sentence. There was nothing good to read about autism. We were told by a social worker that Lindsey would probably live in an institution. Everything was what she was not going to do.”

Now 28, Lindsey has come to appreciate how autism has shaped her.

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WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service will launch a community survey on Tuesday in Marathon and Lincoln Counties after last summer’s heated debate over the “community for all” resolution.

Executive Director Eric Giordano says they want to find a way to thread the needle between those who were against the issue and supporters, saying there has to be a middle ground. “I think the truth is we all sort of want to move forward around some of these issues, right? We don’t want to be dwelling on the negativity. Whatever side of the issue you were on.

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Luke Notes: This is a reminder that the survey is now "live". This is for Marathon and Lincoln Counties but if you would like to explore DEI in your county contact us at WIPPS today. Also full disclosure, WIPPS is a partner in the production of this Newsletter.

CARY, N.C. and MILWAUKEE, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, a team of data scientists and technology enthusiasts from around the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the outcome of foreclosure policies and procedures in Milwaukee County, aiming to identify potential inequity, bias and racism...

..."The emergence of explainable AI allows us to better understand how seemingly innocuous policies may lead to bias in practice," said Schmidt. "Together, we can use this innovation in algorithms to affect truly positive change in the communities in which we live. It has been thrilling to begin this work with the dedicated and passionate teams at MKE Equity and SAS."...

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Ken Notes: Interesting and using tech will eliminate many of the hidden biases other may bring to the research.

As they waited in their bus at the airport in Kabul last August, Samira and her friends kept watch out the windows in case someone might be approaching the bus with a bomb.

That was just one moment in a long, harrowing journey from Afghanistan to Milwaukee for a group of young women now enrolled in UW-Milwaukee’s Intensive English Program. (Because of the risk of retribution against family members who remain in Afghanistan, this story is using only their first names and photos that don’t show their faces.)...

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NEW YORK, April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Business Coalition for Education (GBC-Education) is pleased to announce the winners and finalists from its first-ever "Big Ideas, Bright Cities Challenge." The Challenge honors teams for their bold, innovative ideas that equip young people to participate in the workforce. Challenge winner Action Greensboro will receive $100,000 and be part of a network of changemakers working to boost youth skills development in cities across the country.

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UnityPoint Health Named Among 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare

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Ken Notes:Some great resources and ideas in this article...

Jessie Montgomery is having a moment. Several moments at once, actually.

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2022-- The Morgan Stanley Institute for Inclusion’s (IFI) Equity in Education and Career Consortium, focused on supporting high school and college students in achieving stronger career and financial outcomes, today announced the launch of a multi-year program in partnership with the Morgan Stanley Foundation to support Community College students from low- to moderate-income communities with an investment of $5.5MM to College Possible and CUNY ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs). This new commitment is part of the $20MM announced last December to help address systemic inequities in education and career outcomes for young adults from low- to moderate-income students...
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Oshkosh resident Shawn Robinson has taken a difficulty he’s faced in his own life and turned it into a business that helps support young children. Robinson and his wife have written three “Doctor Dyslexia Dude” graphic novels, which tell the story of a young Black superhero who has Dyslexia.

On this week’s episode of Project Pitch It, Robinson and his Doctor Dyslexia Dude business won the $10,000 Project Pitch It Award...
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 Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson—one of the nation’s most prolific educational researchers—has been tapped to be the next dean of the College of Education at Michigan State University. He is the first African American to hold the post at MSU.

Jackson—who is currently the Rupple-Bascom Professor of Education and the Vilas Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison—will also hold the title of MSU Foundation Professor of Education when he arrives to the land-grant university in July. ...
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Ken Notes: We will mis his leadership...

Winners will be honored in June at Inclusion Forum

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Ken Notes: I had a chance to work with Chancellor Shields when i was in Lafayette County, he was an asset to the UW System and will be missed as he heads to Southern University system in July...

Thursday, May 12, 2022 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm - VIRTUTAL

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College sports is going through a time of unprecedented changes. A new constitution was ratified earlier this year that could serve as the beginning of restricting the NCAA. Its president, Mark Emmert, last week unexpectedly announced his retirement.

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Ken Notes: Yet another Wisconsin leader...

For the first time in the history of Wisconsin’s BTN Student U program, an all-female broadcast team will produce this Saturday’s Wisconsin softball game against Nebraska.

Jeff Bell, assistant director of video services, came up with the idea soon after the announcement of our 50th Anniversary of Title IX celebration...

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Dr. Simpson to lead  Colorado Community College System’s largest college starting August 2022.

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Ken Notes: We may need a Wisconsin program to keep our DEI leaders in the state! Congrats Dr. Simpson!!

T1W Network Members

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Ken Notes: Feel free to also let us know what we can do to help, as well as send us your "stories" to share.

Organizers of Toward One Wisconsin Conference (T1W), an annual conference on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), have announced the launch of the T1W Network.

The T1W Network is intended to be a convenor, network builder, and information resource for DEI work. The Network will provide pathways to meaningful connections, encourage people and organizations to move from talk to action, and build a pipeline for DEI leaders and activities in Wisconsin.

In addition to a weekly newsletter featuring DEI news and updates, members have the ability to connect with other professionals, as well as share updates on what they are doing to move the needle on DEI issues in their communities or organizations.

The Toward One Wisconsin Conference began with a mission to foster and sustain a statewide culture that understands that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to the state’s continued excellence. Since the first conference in 2019, T1W has brought together thousands of attendees from diverse backgrounds to have broad ranging conversations around the work of DEI and how to move from talk to action.

“It’s incredibly important that this work doesn’t stop once the conference is over each year,” said T1W organizer, Eric Giordano. “The T1W Network will allow those interested in DEI to stay up to date, engaged, and connected to what others are doing.”

Members are encouraged to submit updates, articles, and stories on the work that they are doing. These articles will then be shared on the T1W Network website and newsletter.

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