A Lifetime Working for Social Change
Mike has spent a life-time building community and creating change while working for social and economic justice. He currently serves as the President of the Center for Learning Communities. Following is a summary Mike's work.
Creating Community Change – Mike has served as a community change agent throughout his career. As a lead organizer and Director, Mike created and managed neighborhood development nonprofit organizations across New England and the Midwest. Issues led by Mike within these organizations received local, regional and national recognition.
As a public policy advocate, Mike helped to design and lead citywide and statewide community campaigns centering on the issues of welfare reform, childcare, education, drug abatement, job creation, affordable housing and homelessness. Mike was the lead organizer in a five year campaign to create a Housing Trust Fund in the city of Milwaukee. This campaign received state and local awards as well as national recognition and was cited by one city official as the “most impressive grass roots campaign” in the city’s recent history
Collective Impact – Mike served as Director of Milwaukee Succeeds, a large collective impact organization working on education. Widely seen as a “best practice” in the field, Milwaukee Succeeds received national recognition under Mike’s leadership, including a national award from the StriveTogether partnership. During Mike’s tenure, Milwaukee Succeeds developed nine Learning Communities with nearly 300 partner organizations participating in the effort. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cited the work of Milwaukee Succeeds as "something working in urban education."
Mike has spoken extensively about the collective impact process and has received accolades for training workshops he has led on the subject.
Organizational Development – Mike has broad experience in organizational development, having started several nonprofit organizations from creation of a 501 (c) (3) status through to implementation.
In addition to starting and managing cutting edge nonprofit organizations, Mike has also served in a leadership capacity of large nonprofit entities such as the Archdiocese of Milwaukee where he created and managed the social ministry agenda over an eleven county area and the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee where he served as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Mission Impact.
City Government - Mike also has significant government experience, serving as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Milwaukee; as Director of the City Block Grant Authority – overseeing the allocation of more than $30 Million in federal funds and as the Director of the Department of Administration. Mike also served on the Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission – the only body of its kind in the nation with the capacity to hire and terminate personnel in the city Departments of Fire and Police.
Creating Community Change – Mike has served as a community change agent throughout his career. As a lead organizer and Director, Mike created and managed neighborhood development nonprofit organizations across New England and the Midwest. Issues led by Mike within these organizations received local, regional and national recognition.
As a public policy advocate, Mike helped to design and lead citywide and statewide community campaigns centering on the issues of welfare reform, childcare, education, drug abatement, job creation, affordable housing and homelessness. Mike was the lead organizer in a five year campaign to create a Housing Trust Fund in the city of Milwaukee. This campaign received state and local awards as well as national recognition and was cited by one city official as the “most impressive grass roots campaign” in the city’s recent history
Collective Impact – Mike served as Director of Milwaukee Succeeds, a large collective impact organization working on education. Widely seen as a “best practice” in the field, Milwaukee Succeeds received national recognition under Mike’s leadership, including a national award from the StriveTogether partnership. During Mike’s tenure, Milwaukee Succeeds developed nine Learning Communities with nearly 300 partner organizations participating in the effort. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cited the work of Milwaukee Succeeds as "something working in urban education."
Mike has spoken extensively about the collective impact process and has received accolades for training workshops he has led on the subject.
Organizational Development – Mike has broad experience in organizational development, having started several nonprofit organizations from creation of a 501 (c) (3) status through to implementation.
In addition to starting and managing cutting edge nonprofit organizations, Mike has also served in a leadership capacity of large nonprofit entities such as the Archdiocese of Milwaukee where he created and managed the social ministry agenda over an eleven county area and the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee where he served as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Mission Impact.
City Government - Mike also has significant government experience, serving as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Milwaukee; as Director of the City Block Grant Authority – overseeing the allocation of more than $30 Million in federal funds and as the Director of the Department of Administration. Mike also served on the Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission – the only body of its kind in the nation with the capacity to hire and terminate personnel in the city Departments of Fire and Police.