What is your story? How did you end up in Milwaukee? 

I was born and raised in Milwaukee. I never lived anywhere else.

What keeps you in Milwaukee/What do you like best about Milwaukee?

Family and wanting to improve my hometown is what keeps me here. Milwaukee is a large city yet can have a small town feel -- “Smallwaukee”, as it is often referred to.

Favorite spot in the city?

My favorite spot in the city has to be the lakefront area. There are a lot of good memories of hanging out with friends and enjoying the warm weather.

Milwaukee festival you are eager to attend each year?

Race events at the Milwaukee Mile was my favorite. That hasn’t happened in the past 2 years so, heading up to Road America in Elkhart Lake for some good ol’ racing is my favorite.

What drew you to Echelon?

Echelon’s community involvement was attractive and the way the group sticks together, even outside of Echelon events.

Share with us a memorable experience you have had thus far with the organization.

Seeing the connection that the older generation has with The Salvation Army is probably one of my most memorable experiences. It says a lot when events that happened years ago are remembered and valued.

What struggles do you see our city dealing with? What can our generation do to help?

Impact. Milwaukee has a lot of non-profits and churches that have been involved in the community for years and I think there can be greater impact. Greg Marcus mentioned something similar, acknowledging that there are a lot of well-meaning non-profits but they continue to use the same approach and it’s just not working. There needs to be a greater focus on innovation in the social services sector. Our generation can help by evolving the approach to tackling issues that Milwaukeeans face. We are innovative in other ways, tech companies, food trucks, marketing, etc. We can also be innovative in the social service sector. A challenge to that might be the people in leadership who have been in their roles and in the field of, “doing good” in the community for years. The classic challenge of change. Well, if we want to change our community, then we must change our approach.