Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series

Yesterday in Memorial Hall, Rotarian Dr. Doug Davis provided an update from the frontlines of Ukraine as he shared stories from his recent international work to support the acute care needs and address the physical and mental trauma resulting from the war in Ukraine.

This week at Rotary, Rich Eng, Founder of Voters First Wisconsin, provided an update on the progress of Final Five Voting in Wisconsin. Rich highlighted its success in Alaska, and provided an honest appraisal of its potential for empowering voters and countering political divisiveness. The program also included a demonstration of the Final Five Voting process - an election to choose Rotary's favor...

From Tariffs to Tax Rates: Navigating the Markets Reaction to the New Administrations Economic Policies. This week at Rotary, Dominic Ceci provided an economic and market overview from his perspective as Chief Investment Officer for Johnson Financial Group.

Yesterday, Rotarians and alumni of the Kellogg School of Management heard from Kellogg Professor Harry Kraemer as he shared insight into his recently released fourth book: "Your Values-Based Legacy: Making a Difference at Every Age and Phase of Life." Harry also shared his journey as a values-based leader by sharing life experiences and the advice he received many decades ago from his grandfather.

Enthralled Rotarians filled Memorial Hall on Tuesday to hear from Michelle Thaller, former Assistant Director at NASA, as she took us on a journey through the birth of stars and galaxies and explained how the materials that make up the cosmos are more connected to us than we might think.

This week in Memorial Hall, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman provided an update on crime trends, public safety developments, and efforts to strengthen community relationships. He also engaged Rotarians in an extensive Q&A session for an insightful discussion on policing and Milwaukee partnerships.

Brittany Kinser, candidate for State Superintendent, spoke yesterday at a joint program hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, WisPolitics.com and the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. After making her opening remarks, Kinser sat down for an interview with Jeff Mayers, WisPolitics.com president, and answered questions from the audience.  Incumbent State Superintendent Jill Underly was invited to speak, but w...

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, who is seeking election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, spoke yesterday at a joint program hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, WisPolitics.com and the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. Judge Schimel answered questions from the audience and from a panel of journalists that included Alison Dirr - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Charles Benson - TMJ4 News, and Matt Smi...

Journalism has undergone a revolution in the past decade or two. Reporters are younger, media outlets are more integrated, and newsrooms are gathering information in novel ways. This week, in Memorial Hall Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Dan Bice, a political reporter since 1987, addressed what these changes mean for consumers of today's news in a conversation with Rotarian David Haynes, the...

Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford, who is seeking election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, spoke yesterday at a joint program hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, WisPolitics.com and the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. Judge Crawford answered questions from the audience and from a panel of journalists that included Alison Dirr - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Emilee Fannon - CBS 58 News, and Matt Smi...

Over time, Fr. Michael Simone, S.J., PhD, Pastor at Gesu, has identified several "keys to understanding" that help people in a polarized society apprehend and respect differing worldviews. This week Fr. Michael shared with Rotarians attitudes towards values of hierarchy and consensus, tradition and progress, and unity and diversity that underlie many of the fiercest debates in contemporary America...

On this chilly Tuesday, Rotarians welcomed back former Milwaukee Mayor and U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, Tom Barrett. Tom joined Joel Brennan, President of the Greater Milwaukee Committee in conversation about his journey from mayor to ambassador, the issues that shaped his time in the small European country, and some interesting stories from his three years in Luxembourg.

Rotarians heard from Dr. Jeremy Kedziora, Endowed Chair of Artificial Intelligence at MSOE, for a data-driven exploration of three key AI trends shaping 2025. This insightful talk will covered the plateauing of large language model performance, the rise of agentic systems, and AI's evolving impact on the labor market. He also highlighted how MSOE is leading in this space, offering a glimpse into t...

Our region has several award winning public and community radio stations broadcasting from Milwaukee. At a time when listeners have unlimited information and entertainment choices on air and online, the stations are working hard to retain current listeners and attract new audiences. Rotarians heard from leaders of local radio with Sarah Ashworth, Wisconsin Public Radio; Jordan Lee, Radio Milwaukee...

Rotarians ventured into the cold this week to hear Michael Antonelli, Market Strategist and Managing Director at Baird Private Wealth Management, for an economic outlook in 2025. Michael, a frequent speaker and the author of the Bull and Baird blog, discussed the strong year that the stock market had in 2024 and the potential impact that the new administration's policies could have on the economy...

This week at Rotary, Kevin Shafer, the Executive Director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District addressed MMSD's 2035 Vision for a cleaner water environment through short term projects and collaborations.

Rotarians returned to Memorial Hall for the first meeting of the new year to hear from Micaela Bomhack, President and CEO of Rite-Hite.  Micaela shared the story of how Rite-Hite came to be, and how their move to downtown Milwaukee fits into the company's long term plans to better serve customers, increase innovation, attract and develop key talent, and accelerate corporate growth.

Port Milwaukee is known for being multimodal, but the current team and business partners are working to make it multifaceted. This week, we heard from Port Milwaukee Director, Jackie Q. Carter, as she shared the vision to grow the reach and reputation of this regional asset.

This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarians heard from Tom Boldt, Chairman of The Boldt Company as he provided insights about his employees, customers, and community from the 135-year history of The Boldt Company. Tom also shared his thoughts on how an organization can innovate for a sustainable future and be purpose-driven.

In conjunction with the Milwaukee Press Club and WisPolitics, attendees in Memorial Hall heard from Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley on Tuesday. Executive Crowley shared details on the 2025 budget, other current issues in Milwaukee County and answered questions from a panel of journalists including Aaron Maybin of Fox 6 News, Edgar Menendez of Neighborhood News Service, and Vanessa Swales...

On November 5th, Kent Lovern won the Milwaukee County District Attorney election. Kent, a prosecutor for 26 years, has served as the Chief Deputy District Attorney since 2008, where he managed the attorneys and staff in the District Attorney's office and worked closely with law enforcement and community leaders.   This week at Rotary, Kent shared his vision for Milwaukee County's future and the pu...

On Tuesday, Chip discussed his latest book, A Different War, which uses poetry to help articulate the horrors of the war in Ukraine and to help demonstrate the impact the war is having on the lives of ordinary people.

This week, Rotarians heard from James Mathy, the Administrator for Milwaukee County Housing Services, and manager of a number of homeless and real estate programs. James discussed Milwaukee's current homeless crisis, his commitment toa  long-term vision for affordable housing, and how his team's initiatives have garnered attention on a national scale.

Rotarians celebrated the United Nations 79th anniversary on Tuesday with Dr. Emma Belcher, President of the Ploughshares Fund. As the world faces a polycrisis, a simultaneous convergence of multiple global challenges at once, Dr. Belcher emphasized the need of working together and negotiating good faith to build peace across states.

This week at Rotary, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson shared an update on public safety, city fiscal issues, and the importance of upcoming elections. He also addressed Milwaukee's future and his optimism surrounding what's ahead.