On Tuesday, September 19th Mike Nichols, President of the Badger Institute spoke on “Why Wisconsin Needs a Flat Tax.” Wisconsin is the home of the first progressive income tax. Do we really want to abandon our roots? Aren’t flat taxes just schemes to help the rich? Are we shifting the burden to those who need help the most?

Dana Guthrie is the Managing Partner of Gateway Capital, a Milwaukee based venture capital firm which seeks overlooked emerging entrepreneurial opportunities that traditionally lack venture capital investment. The firm’s objective is to exceed national average returns for their investors and create a stronger and self-sustaining entrepreneurial ecosystem. At this luncheon, Dana talks about her background along with the "WHY” and “HOW” of the work that drives her passion.

Joe Gallamore, Project Supervisor of WisDOT, Mike Hammond, Public Involvement Lead at HNTB, and Mike Ernst, Deputy Project Manager at HNTB discussed a recent study of the I-794 at the Lake Interchange. The study identified a transportation solution that addresses deteriorating infrastructure in a manner that will improve safety and operations while striving to enhance community connectivity and compatibility with local plans.

New York Times best selling author David Maranniss will spoke on his new biography, Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe. This riveting biography details the life of America’s greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe, who rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, was an All-American football player at the Carlisle Indian School, the star of the first class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and played major league baseball for John McGraw’s New York Giants. Even in a golden age of sports celebrities, he was one of a kind.

Sara Shaw, Senior Education Researcher for the Wisconsin Policy Forum, discussed a new Forum report released today on teacher turnover trends in Wisconsin. Her presentation sized up how much turnover is occurring and what that means for districts' ability to staff their classrooms. Sara also reviewed whether turnover is caused by teachers moving to different districts versus leaving the profession altogether and how turnover rates compare among various districts, including the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Scott Walker, former two-term Wisconsin governor, spoke at the Rotary luncheon on Tuesday, August 8, in conjunction with the Milwaukee Press Club and WisPolitics.com. Walker now is president of Young America’s Foundation [YAF], an outreach organization that introduces young adults to principles of conservatism such as individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. The foundation is a partner with Fox News in the first Republican presidential primary debate for the 2024 election cycle, scheduled for August 23 at Fiserv Forum. Walker, who briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, has urged former President Donald Trump to take part in the debate. Trump, the current Republican front-runner, has not committed despite such criticism and has said he might hold an alternative event. Walker took questions from a panel of journalists and from the audience at the luncheon, moderated by Milwaukee Press Club President Maryann Lazarski, series/documentary producer for Milwaukee PBS.

Construction has begun to restore and re-purpose the former Gimbels-Schuster’s building on Martin Luther King Drive. On Tuesday, Greg Wesley will share the vision of ThriveOn King and details of the restoration and redevelopment of the iconic department store building. ThriveOn King, a collaboration between the Medical College of Wisconsin, Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Royal Capital Group is focused on five priority areas - housing, early childhood education, health and wellness, social cohesion, and economic opportunity. Guided by deep deliberate community engagement and partnership, the collaboration and project are catalyst and exemplar for community and economic impact and investment.

Daily headlines are filled with references to generative AI, ChatGPT, Deep Learning and Neural Networks. As business and community leaders, what do you need to know to stay ahead of the curve? On Tuesday, Dr. Jeremy Kedziora, Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence at MSOE shared his presentation, Beyond the ChatGPT Hype: What is AI?

On June 27th Rotary toasted outgoing President Karen Hung on a successful year and welcomed Leslie Hauser as the new Club President for 2023-24.

This week, we we welcomed President of the UW System, Jay Rothman to speak on the priorities of the UW System. President Rothman discussed topics such as driving economic prosperity and the war for talent, reducing socioeconomic disparities in Wisconsin, and addressing civic engagement and civil discourse. He also introduced the UW System strategic plan and highlighted partnership opportunities with the employer community in the greater Milwaukee area.

As we gain distance from pandemic-prompted schooling disruptions, how are students in Milwaukee and Wisconsin actually doing - especially compared to their peers nationally? School closures widened many pre-existing academic disparities, but they also spurred innovations in teaching and learning that continue to work for some kids and families. But political strife, election concerns, and cultural controversies are often sidelining discussions of academics. Rotarian Erin Richards, Editorial Director at the Center on Reinventing Public Education and a former education reporter for USA TODAY and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, presented the latest data on academic recovery and offer ideas for supporting the renewal of schools that better serve students' diverse needs and desires.

On the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Major General Brian Winski provided an overview of the 2003 invasion with a particular emphasis on the 101st Airborne Division where he was serving at the time. Winski, a retired 2-Star General with 37 years of service in the U.S. Army, served across the globe and commanded formations at every echelon including the famed 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell Kentucky.

On March 14th, we held a joint meeting with the Press Club and WisPolitics featuring Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly. Dan was interviewed by a media panel including: Charles Benson – TMJ4 News Corrinne Hess – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Victor Jacobo – CBS 58 and Telemundo Wisconsin Please note: Janet Protasiewicz was invited but is not able to attend.

On March 7th, President of the Milwaukee Bucks Peter Feigin and Executive Vice President, Froedtert Health Eric Conley presented on the newly created Froedtert / Milwaukee Bucks initiative.

On February 28th, we welcomed Tom Florsheim, CEO of Weyco Group. Weyco is a shoe company that has roots in Milwaukee that go back to 1906. Tom talked about the history of the company, the four different shoe brands that Weyco owns (Florsheim, Stacy Adams, Nunn Bush, and Bogs) and give an overview of where the company is today.

Grace Stanke, a University of Wisconsin – Madison student and recent reigning Miss Wisconsin, was the featured guest at this joint program with the Milwaukee Press Club. Stanke, a senior at UW- Madison majoring in nuclear engineering, was crowned December 15 and is the third Miss Wisconsin to become Miss America. She won the talent portion of the competition, performing a piece from Vivaldi, Summer/Four Seasons – Storm, on her electric violin. Stanke will spend her year as Miss America traveling the country to promote her advocacy platform of “Clean Energy – Cleaner Future.” By encouraging worldwide change for clean, zero-carbon emission energy sources, Stanke focuses on the benefits of nuclear power and seeks to dispel myths around nuclear energy. She also seeks to inspire the next generation of female scientists, engineers, and mathematicians.

This week, Director of Marquette University Law School's Poll, Dr. Charles Franklin, explained why polling isn't broken, but it isn't easy. Using data from the last few state and national elections, Dr. Franklin shared with us the trends he has found which often complicate the result of polls across the country.

“Blacks in History – Things Your History Teacher Never Taught You.” For many of us, our knowledge of the contributions of African Americans in America is limited. Traditionally, the contributions and stories of people of color in America have been omitted or ignored. During this lecture Derek examined the many contributions of African Americans and fully understand that Black History is indeed U.S. History. Derek Mosely, Director of Marquette Law School’s Lubar Center takes us on a journey where we will meet people and hear stories that will amaze and inspire.

Milwaukee’s city and county government leaders have been pushing hard for the legal authority to ask voters to approve a 1% county sales tax to address their worsening fiscal challenges. Rotarian Rob Henken, President of the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum, discusses the factors that have created these challenges and why the two governments fear they’re near a breaking point. He also touches on the potential consequences if no action is taken, as well as other steps the two governments might take to improve their fiscal outlooks.

This week, Futurist David Zach gave a though provoking presentation about "The Fog of Progress" and shared a few futurist thinking tools and tips to help us look around and through that fog that surrounds us all.

On January 3rd, we welcomed Michael Belot, Senior Vice President- Ventures and Development for the Milwaukee Bucks. Michael helped spearhead the development, implementation, and activation of the strategic real estate and business growth for the Deer District. He addressed the Bucks’ impressive impact and investment in the Deer District and what’s next to come.

On Tuesday, we held our final program of the 2022 calendar year with our annual holiday program. In case you missed it, check out the program below where we learned more about our club's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, recognized our latest Paul Harris Fellows, recapped our significant accomplishments for 2022, were enthralled by beautiful performances from members of the Florentine Opera, and honored Mary McCormick for her 20+ years as RCM's Executive Director.

Through the exponential power of working together as M-Cubed, Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are transforming the future of Milwaukee through education. UWM Chancellor Mark Mone, MATC President Vicki Martin, and MPS’ Director of College & Career Readiness, Dr. John Hill highlight examples of our shared work to increase access and affordability and eliminate equity gaps that include: To better connect learning from K-12 to postsecondary education, M-Cubed brought together 600 MPS, MATC and UWM educators in 2021-22 for joint professional development, up from 400 the year before. Educators explored best practices to improve instruction, understand students, and enable study that is personally meaningful to students. To help students successfully transition from high school to higher education, the fast-growing M-Cubed College Connections program helped 150+ graduates earn college-level credit by taking classes at both MATC and UWM, up from 91 the year before. Since 2019, participants have earned more than 5,000 college credits while still in high school, a potential cost savings of about $1.5 million. To better drive completion and unlock access to colleges and universities, M-Cubed efforts helped MPS increase completion of the critical Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by 8% in 2021-22, double the national average of 4%. The FAFSA allows students to see what grants and loans are available to help pay for college and thus opens doors for students to afford higher education. Learn more about the instrumental work of M-Cubed and its impact on public education in Milwaukee.

George Stanley, Editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and regional editor of USA TODAY Network Wisconsin, shared his insights on local and national trends in journalism. With advertising revenue declining, newspapers are seeking innovative strategies to fund critical public service journalism to insure an informed citizenry.

Kim Stoll, the Board Chair of Milwaukee Women Inc and Vice President at Badger Meter and Rotary member Mara Swan, President, Xceleration -Human Capital Consulting will provide insights on how to move forward on the critical issues facing women in leadership today.

On November 8th, Rotary held our Veterans Day Program with Dan Buttery, CEO of the War Memorial and Chuck Konsitzke, Team Lead for the University of Wisconsin Missing-In-Action Recovery and Identification Project (UW MIA RIP). Dan spoke on the recently opened Medal Of Honor exhibit at the War Memorial Center. Chuck explained how the UW MIA RIP’s primary mission is to recover missing U.S. military personnel from past global conflicts, while also educating students and communities on the importance of past national service.

Every Tuesday the Rotary Club of Milwaukee hosts speakers on important topics of the day. During election season, the Club routinely invites candidates to address the Club and answer questions from members. Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes addressed the club on November 1st.

The threat of nuclear way is looming large once gain. What does this mean? Ira Helfand, MD is co-chair of the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Committee of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). He is also a member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)’s International Steering Committee. He is a co-author of PSR’s report, Nuclear Famine: 2 Billion at Risk?, which outlines the global health consequences of regional nuclear war. Dr. Helfand has addressed national delegations at international conferences across the globe and at U.N. General Assembly negotiations in 2017. This program was sponsored by the A.D. Robertson Fund for the United Nations in honor of 77th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world. Today, Rotary holds the highest consultative status offered to a nongovernmental organization by the UN’s Economic and Social Council, which oversees many specialized UN agencies. The Rotary Representative Network maintains and furthers its relationship with several UN bodies, programs, commissions, and agencies.

Every Tuesday the Rotary Club of Milwaukee hosts speakers on important topics of the day. During election season, the Club routinely invites candidates to address the Club and answer questions from members. Gubernatorial Candidate Tim Michels addressed the club on October 18th.

In partnership with the Milwaukee Press Club and WisPolitics.com, the Rotary Club of Milwaukee hosted Governor Tony Evers on October 11th. Governor Evers answered questions from a panel of journalists including: Molly Beck – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Diana Gutierrez – WISN 12 Ryan Jenkins -- TMJ4 News During election season, the Club routinely invites candidates to address the Club and answer questions from members. Gubernatorial Candidate Tim Michels will speak on October 18th.

Senator Ron Johnson is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Wisconsin on November 8th. He was first elected to the Senate in 2010 and won re-election in 2016. On Tuesday morning, Johnson spoke about his focus on growing our economy, creating good jobs and economic opportunity for all. Senator Johnson is the first of the Wisconsin Election candidates to speak to Rotary this month. We will hear from Governor Tony Evers on October 11th, Gubernatorial candidate on October 18th, and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes on November 1st.

Among the stars on the faculty of the Medical College of Wisconsin, you’ll find John Kirby, PhD, the Walter Schroeder Professor in Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Kirby and his team are engaged in leading edge research about how metabolic imbalances impact health. Obesity, diabetes and hypertension are strongly correlated in humans. The American Heart Association reports that obesity and related metabolic disorders represent the single greatest challenge to improving cardiovascular health. Understanding the obesity epidemic and developing novel approaches to prevent weight gain and maintain weight loss is a challenge studied by Dr. Kirby.

On September 20th, we heard from Rotarian and City of Milwaukee Health Commissioner, Kirsten Johnson. Kirsten addressed what Milwaukee’s Public Health 3.0 plan means in focusing on social determinants of health, racism as a public health issue and the overall priorities she and her team are working to address moving forward. Kirsten also shared the ins and outs of the Milwaukee Health Department’s new strategic plan which includes priorities such as multiple pandemic response, violence, lead, and infant mortality.

On September 13th, we heard from David Lubar of the Wisconsin Business Leaders For Democracy and Claire Woodall-Vogg of the Milwaukee Election Commission. David discussed how businesses depend on a stable democracy to prosper and how they have a role to play in encouraging civic engagement. He also outlined what organizations can do to support their employee’s involvement in the upcoming elections. Claire addressed what Milwaukee is doing to make voting as secure and accessible as possible and will provide information regarding what resources the City is offering to support Civic engagement for the Midterms in November.

On September 6th, we welcomed Rick Barrett, President of Barrett Lo Visionary Development LLC. Rick and his team are spearheading the development of The Couture, the 44-story skyscraper that has been designed to serve as a key thoroughfare connecting our lakefront and cultural amenities with our downtown. Rick discussed what's next for The Couture, as construction continues on Milwaukee's newest skyscraper.

Barry Mandel is often credited with the rebirth of Milwaukee’s downtown, and is a former Rotary Person of the Year recipient. Barry is helping to spearhead a unique, comprehensive and holistic education initiative anchored with extensive wraparound services to help students and their families thrive and succeed.

On Tuesday, we heard from fellow Rotarian Reggie Reed, the Founder & CEO of Mindful Staffing Solutions. Mindful Staffing Solutions addresses poverty, housing, workforce, and economic isolation of underserved communities in Milwaukee. Reggie describes in depth on how we currently fund these issues, why we're funding them the wrong way, and how we can do better.

It seems that every day there is now another story in the news about major water issues in the United States and across the world. The impacts have dramatic ramifications and the solutions are complex. Living and working along Lake Michigan we may feel immune from those challenges. But in a global economy, business leaders can’t ignore these water issues and their impact on global operations, supply chains and the food that we all eat. Unbeknownst to many, there is a globally connected organization in Milwaukee that is working to bring new technologies and water stewardship practices to help solve these critical challenges that face our world. Dean Amhaus shares how The Water Council tackles major water issues locally and worldwide.

As the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built, the James Webb Space Telescope will serve as the premier deep space observatory for the next decade. On Tuesday, we heard from Dr. Jean Creighton, UWM’s planetarium director and astronomer, about our ever-expanding view of the universe and the search for new and exciting worlds beyond our solar system.