Milwaukee, Wis.
The stories, dreams and involvement of Milwaukee's multi-ethnic community brought the world to my front door.
Projects during this period reflect my efforts to improve understanding between groups and individuals — to activate inclusion, strengthen representation, and help give voice or agency to people and collectives. Some projects are fun; others daunting. Some are silly; others serious. It takes insight, humor, tough skin and an all-in approach to see them through.
The photographs documenting these projects reify a singular moment, but represent hours of planning, hundreds of actions, numerous steps backward and forward, frustrating unintended consequences, some feeling of success and, perhaps, a suggestion of closure.
Award (2026) · Received from Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors for dedication to community building and stewardship of shared spaces.
MKEneighbors (2023 to present)· Neighbors can live side by side for decades without ever really meeting. MKEneighbors started with two households and a simple idea: get people together. Through informal events and shared interest groups, and an annual block party, MKEneighbors grew to 50+ households. The goal is a neighborhood where every family belongs — including those who might otherwise be left out due to race, mobility, or age.
Taste It Tent at Jackson Park Farmers Market (2024/25) · Fresh fruits and vegetables are limited in this community defined by the FDA as a food desert. The project was straightforward — offer tastes of fresh fruits and vegetables to the 1,200 people who attended the market on the summer afternoon. The real focus was making sure families from the market's ethnic minority communities felt genuinely welcomed. A wink, an extra big smile, a silly dance often worked wonders.
Jackson Park Community Association (2025 to present) · Elected to the board to engage a community of approximately 12,000 while encouraging a paid membership.
Current personal focus is to expand programming to better reflect the neighborhood's ethnic and age diversity, including:
-Development of a new partnership with UW Milwaukee's Architecture and Planning Department to examine the the association's evolving community leadership role.
-Writing grants to provide equipment like a movie projector/screen and park benches to reach people of all ages and families.
Friends of Jackson and Manitoba Parks (2025 to present) · Founded and serving as its coordinator. The park draws from a four-mile radius — roughly 100,000 people.
Work underway: outreach to ethnic and racial who use the park but have no place at the table for decision making.
Projects include:
-two community surveys,
-events, programs and projects to meet the expressed desires of the community
-grants or fundraising for support
-public monthly meetings
-documentation of parks' historical background
-transition to a re-imagined Jackson Park after floodplain reconstruction
-collaboration with local organizations to develop community
-development and funding of a community center
Transportation in Milwaukee (began 2025)· Milwaukee Transportation planning has a long history of cutting through communities of color while prioritizing white suburban commuters. Such actions leave behind a transit systems that is underfunded and can be unreliable for the people who need it most. My involvement on three projects help push back.
- Initiated an AARP Walk Audit — a community-led assessment of pedestrian conditions to identify safety hazards and accessibility barriers.
- Appointed to the City of Milwaukee Mayor's Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee to help build partnerships and use data in support of safer movement.
- Volunteered for 414 in Motion, the city's Transportation & Mobility Plan, helping set vision, goals, and policy objectives for Milwaukee's streets and multimodal transit.