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Hello EWI-Milwaukee! This letter with the attached document, will give you information on all the board director positions and associated committees. Where can you fit in?
Click this LINK to find out more about what each committee or position does. The president will work to build your committee with the talent you’ll need to run smoothly for the year. It will be a mixture of new and longstanding members. Some of your committee members will have served in your capacity in the past and are available to guide at any time. You are never standing alone. There will always be a support system ready to help when needed.
Contributing your time and talents will not only help you build new skills but will also help you hone and perfect existing skills:
- Leadership Development and Visibility; position yourself as a leader and decision-maker
- Skill Building and Expertise (Improve communication and problem-solving, broaden your program management skills)
- Delegation abilities (yes, this is a real skill – don’t try to do it all. We ALL have full-time jobs. Spread the wealth. ASK FOR HELP!)
- Networking and Relationship building – working closely with a small group can enhance those relationships, create mentorship opportunities, and even create life-long friendships
- Event coordination (learn to anticipate what could go wrong, stay cool and calm to solve your problems and to keep everyone else on task)
- Time management – mix EWI Milwaukee in with your full-time job and your family – time management will be crucial.
- Workflow optimization – don’t work in your bubble. See the whole picture. How do the committees overlap and interact? How does something you do over here, effect someone else over there? Can you have common goals and share the load with another person? Committee?
- Influence and Impact; Contribute meaningfully to EWI Milwaukee’s direction and success.
- Gain experience in governance and gain a unique perspective on organizational operations.
- Gain personal satisfaction that you have made a tangible impact on the organization.
- And the list goes on!
The point is, serving as a committee director or chapter officer is so much more than a footnote on your resume. It adds valuable skills that could catapult you into your next promotion or position. Please consider nominating yourself or someone in the chapter for any of our available positions.
STRAW POLL LINK
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Marjorie Yoshida
Chapter President
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Date: February 4, 2025 - Handmade & Heartfelt at Mueller Communications
Our February meeting took place at Mueller Communications and brought warmth, energy, and a touch of creativity! 🎨 With Marjorie enjoying a well-deserved vacation at Disney 🏰, PE Laura Poll stepped in to kick things off with the opening and invocation. 🙏
We switched things up with a fun Breakfast for Dinner theme 🍳🥞 and hosted our Handmade & Heartfelt raffle to support EWI operations 🎟️❤️. Brewers & Bucks raffle tickets were also distributed.⚾🏀
We were thrilled to welcome new member Julie Williams 🎉, along with several wonderful guests who brought great energy to the evening.
Our featured speaker, Dr. Cassie Ferguson from the Medical College of Wisconsin 🩺, delivered a powerful and insightful presentation on Overcoming Overwhelm 💭🌟—leaving us feeling inspired and recharged.
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Date: March 4, 2025 - Semi-Annual Business Meeting at Transfer Pizzeria 🍕
We held our semi-annual business meeting at Transfer Pizzeria—because let’s be honest, meetings are always better with pizza! 😄🍕
While we didn’t have a guest speaker this time, we dove into meaningful conversations and important updates. The Board of Directors shared insights on their experience so far, highlighting wins, challenges, and ways we can all support each other moving forward 💬🤝.
To wrap up the evening, we got creative and crafted birthday cards for Eras Senior Network 💌—a heartfelt way to blend philanthropy with purpose. Giving back while getting down to business? Always a win! ❤️✨
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Date: April 8, 2025 at Concordia 27
We had the privilege of hearing from four powerhouse women shaping the future of economic development in Milwaukee. In an intimate setting, these leaders shared their insights, challenges, and hopes for a stronger, more vibrant community—and we left feeling energized and empowered. 💪
✨Our dynamic panel:
Moderator: Erica Nicole-Harris, Milwaukee Development Corporation Board Member
Panelists:
• Beth Weirick – CEO, Milwaukee Downtown BID #21
• Lindsay St. Arnold Bell – Executive Director, Near West Side Partners
• Ray Hill – Executive Director, Historic King Drive BID #8
🗺️ We also had the chance to tour Concordia 27, a shining example of intentional development in action.
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"Work, Grow, and Succeed Together"
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Our current member stats are as follows:
- Member Firms: 15
- Total Members: 21
- Representatives: 17
- Chapter Life Members: 1
- Sustaining Members: 3
- Individual Members: 0
- Member in Transition: 0
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Remember
Each member is asked to bring at least one guest to a meeting this year! Who will you bring?
| | If you're looking for recruitment tools, look no further than the handy, downloadable documents provided below. Feel free to distribute these to any prospective members who are interested in learning more about EWI. Be sure to have them contact Retention & Recruitment Director, Sue Chipman, if they have any membership questions. | | And, of course, please continue to invite guests to meetings! | | |
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Membership Meeting
5:30 - 8:30 pm
The Baird Center
400 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203
Firm Recognition Night
Speaker: Shantalea Gray, our 2024 1st Place ASIST Winner
As always, if you have any ideas for venues or speakers, please email Nickie Rouleau.
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LCAM 2025
It’s been announced that LCAM 2025 is headin’ down to Houston, Texas 🤠—September 17th through the 20th!
After takin’ a good look at our 💰 bank balances, 📊 budgets, and the incredible job our 💪 Fundraising for Operations team has done (hats off to ’em! 🎩), we’re thrilled to say we can send two additional representatives to this year’s EWI Leadership Conference and Annual Meeting.
We’ll be coverin’ your conference registration, 🏨 hotel stay for three nights, and round-trip airfare ✈️. Just a lil’ heads up—our two lucky attendees will be sharin’ a hotel room 🛏️.
If you’re interested in representin’ EWI Milwaukee down in Houston, holler at Marjorie Yoshida by sendin’ her an email. 📧
We can’t wait to see who’s ready to saddle up 🐎 and make us proud!
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Mary Caye Smith 4/17
Rocky Theisenkapp 4/19
Loren Skerencak 4/24
Missy Wahlen 6/6
Missy Monsoor 6/9
Melinda Stuart 6/15
| | Get your popcorn ready because the Milwaukee Film Fest just dropped its full 2025 lineupPDF File. Running April 24 through May 8, MFF25 returns with yet another selection of genre-spanning films from promising up-and-coming local and well-known national and international filmmakers alike, creating a cinematic celebration of film that draws movie lovers from across the region to Milwaukee. | | |
Summerfest Business Alliance
The Summerfest Business Alliance is a membership program that brings businesses, their employees and clients together through live music, events, and experiences. Gain access to countless entertainment opportunities, cultivate new business relationships, and support an event that positively impacts our community. Check out all the perks of your FREE Summerfest Business Alliance membership here!
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The West Allis Farmers Market, voted Best Farmers Market by both the Shepherd Express and Milwaukee Magazine, returns for its 106th season on Saturday, May 3 at 1 p.m. with a variety of seasonal produce, fresh meats and eggs, specialty foods, food trucks, local brews and more. Vendors may vary each market day.
The market season will run from noon through 5 p.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 1 p.m. through 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Local musicians will play the West Allis Farmers Market from June 5 through Oct.30 on Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 - 5 p.m.
Learn more about our 2025 season at WestAllisFarmersMarket.com.
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Sundays June 1 - October 12
Excluding July 20th for Bastille Days
In Cathedral Square Park from 9 AM- 2 PM
Wellness in the Park
Enjoy FREE wellness and fitness classes every Sunday at the cathedral Square Market, courtesy of the Wisconsin Athletic Club.
Local Vendors
Browse a diverse selection of vendors offering produce, fresh food, crafts, and homemade goods!
Live Music
Lively performances featuring a different local musician every week, starting at 10:30 am.
Come for the produce, stay for the vibes!
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Monday, May 5th through Friday, May 9th, will be Fondy Volunteer Week at the Fondy Farmers Market, as we prepare for our Early Season Opening Day on Saturday, May 10th.
If your place of business, school group, family, or just yourself would like to gather a group for a timeframe of cleaning, organizing, scraping, sanding, painting, please reach out to Venice Williams at venicewb@gmail.com.
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Generation Growth Capital, Inc. is a private equity fund focused on buyouts and providing growth capital to small businesses and lower-middle market companies in the upper Midwest. GGC invests in established manufacturing, service, and distribution businesses and its investment targets are typically well-established, profitable businesses with sustainable niches. The company was founded in 2007 by Cory Nettles, formerly a partner at the law firm Quarles & Brady LLP. Cory also served as Secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.
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SCAM OF THE MONTH
Rachel had just finished a long day of shopping when she received a text notification: "Fraud alert: Unusual transaction detected. Tap the link to verify your purchases." The link took her to what looked like her bank’s official website, asking her to log in to confirm recent NFC transactions. Without hesitation, she entered her username, password, and the one-time code sent to her phone. Within minutes, her phone buzzed again, but this time it was real banking alerts showing a series of unauthorized NFC transactions draining her account. Confused and panicked, Rachel called her bank, only to find out they never sent that first, original text message. Rachel had just fallen victim to a scam known as NFC phishing. The fraudulent link had stolen her login credentials, granting the scammers access to her digital wallet. They remotely activated her NFC payments, making high-value purchases before she could even realize what was happening.
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Earn with your spring gifting!
The 2025 Spring Gift Guide is now available! Whether you're shopping for moms, dads, grads, or just for yourself, you'll find all the earning inspiration you need, plus upcoming promotion dates and more. It's gift-giving (and earning) made easy.
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RaiseRight Info & FAQs
Whether you're shopping for a birthday, a special someone, or simply treating yourself, the RaiseRight fundraising program offers a great way to support our Chapter! By purchasing gift cards for everyday essentials like groceries, gas, dining, and shopping, you can effortlessly contribute to our operational funds—turning your purchases into meaningful support!
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The Let Them Theory
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins is a self-help book centered around a powerful mindset shift: instead of trying to control others’ opinions, behaviors, or actions, just let them.
The core idea is that when people show you who they are—through how they treat you or the choices they make—let them. Stop chasing, fixing, or over-explaining. Instead, focus on your own peace, boundaries, and self-worth.
It's about releasing control, conserving emotional energy, and allowing others to reveal their true selves—so you can respond with clarity instead of anxiety.
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💡 LinkedIn Tip from Our Marketing Expert (A.K.A. Nickie Rouleau)!
She recently took a session on LinkedIn and personal branding—and one key takeaway? Hashtag strategy matters!
✔️ The sweet spot: 3 hashtags per post
More than that can be overwhelming, and less is totally fine—but aim for 3 that best match your content. 🎯
To help you get started, here’s a curated list of hashtags perfect for our EWI Milwaukee community. Be sure to choose the ones that fit your message!
Professional & Networking
#WomenInBusiness #ProfessionalWomen #Networking
EWI & Community
#EWIMilwaukee #EWIConnects #EmpowerWithEWI
Development & Empowerment
#MentorshipMatters #CareerDevelopment #LevelUp
Local Love
#MKEBusiness #MilwaukeeNetworking #SupportLocalMKE
Let’s keep showing up online with purpose and power! 💪✨
#EWILeaders #WomenSupportingWomen #MKEStrong
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The Self-Compassion Test by Dr. Kristin Neff
The Self-Compassion Test (also called the Self-Compassion Scale) by Dr. Kristin Neff is a psychological tool designed to help people measure how self-compassionate they are.
Dr. Neff, a pioneer in self-compassion research, defines self-compassion as treating yourself with kindness, understanding, and support—especially during times of failure or suffering.
🔍 What the test measures:
The test includes 26 statements, and you rate how often each one applies to you. It assesses 6 components:
- Self-Kindness – Being kind and understanding to yourself.
- Self-Judgment – Being overly self-critical (reversed score).
- Common Humanity – Recognizing that suffering and imperfection are part of the human experience.
- Isolation – Feeling alone in your struggles (reversed score).
- Mindfulness – Holding painful thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness.
- Over-Identification – Getting caught up and overwhelmed by negative emotions (reversed score).
🧠 What you get from it:
You’ll get an overall Self-Compassion Score and sub-scores for each component. The higher your score, the more self-compassionate you are.
It's a great tool for self-reflection and personal growth, especially if you're working on being less self-critical or developing emotional resilience.
You can take the test for free here on her website:
👉 Self Compassion Test
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Learn more about our past activities by clicking on the links below. Share with your networks, so they can see first-hand the good work that EWI Milwaukee does for the community.
Volunteering & Philanthropy
ASIST
Literacy Initiatives
Operations Fundraising
Also, be sure to check out MyEWI for handy information you can start using NOW in your committees, like their Tool Kits (login required).
We'll also be updating the MyEWI Milwaukee Chapter Group page (login required) with news and resources, so be sure to visit there often. Members can also add their own posts to the chapter page, so you can keep the chapter abreast of what's going on in your world and your committees.
Check out our updated chapter roster for the 2024-2025 year.
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EWI of Milwaukee Website
Share our stories with others and visit for up-to-date member information. www.ewimilwaukee.org
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