View as Webpage Introducing: Community Advisory Committee (CAC) The CAC serves as the voice of the community in the process of cleaning up Milwaukee's Area of Concern. They do this by creating and facilitating conversation between the community and the regulatory authorities in charge of completing this work, ensuring the community's concerns and ideas are recognized and prioritized.

Let's meet the members that make up this wonderful committee!

Shalina Ali Workforce, Sourcing, and Contractor Engagement

Shalina S. Ali, born and raised in Milwaukee, is a Mother, Artist and Entrepreneur. Her commitment to helping others and promoting self-care drives her career and serves as a constant motivation in her work.  Shalina is the Co-Executive Director of TRUE Skool, Inc., co-created the Circulate Creative Entrepreneur Market and was awarded Creative Alliance’s “Creative Problem Solving Excellence” award for creating “Art of Coping” as a proactive approach to suicide prevention and addressing symptoms of depression. She is passionate about the intersectionality of water and environmentalism as a catalyst for measuring the health of a community and connecting its direct impact on systemic injustices to diverse black and brown communities.

Terry Evans Communications and Outreach Team

Terry Evans love for the community and environment has brought him to the position of Branch Manager for the Washington Park Branch of the Urban Ecology Center. Terry oversees daily operations at the branch, as well as program development, reporting, community engagement and educational exhibits.  Terry believes heavily in his commitment to community through ecologically literate approach to teaching, learning and living, volunteers and constituents. Terry has worked effortlessly to build and support community relationships through public programs, outreach, festivals, community awareness, and educational and learning opportunities. Terry has received training in Color Coding, Crucial Conversations, Rapport Leadership,Enterprise Management Leadership & Development, and Public Allies/ AmeriCorps Leadership Development.  Terry holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree from the University of Phoenix.

David Frazer Sediment Work Group

David Frazer is an outdoor enthusiast who hikes, kayaks and enjoys the waterways in and around Milwaukee. He lives just a few blocks from the Menomonee River where he walks his dog regularly. David is the Associate Director at the Center for Urban Population Health where he leads the expansion and sustainment of community partnerships and coordinating community-based research and initiatives. He facilitates collaborative, equitable involvement of the community in local research and is the link between the community at large and the Center. David received his Masters of Public Health from Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and has worked on water and sanitation related issues in El Salvador and Peru.

Nathan Herr Eutrophication Work Group

Nathan Herr has always enjoyed being around water, especially since his favorite hobby is fishing. His development and childhood throughout Milwaukee has given him an opportunity to not only enjoy the many sights, but also grow in understanding and being a voice for the many different communities, such as the Hmong people. Nathan is currently a Professional Science Master's Student at UW-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences. He plans to graduate in the Fall of 2021 and then pursue a career in wastewater treatment. With experience from internships, his education, and several mentors along the way, Nathan intends to stay close to the city of Milwaukee and contribute his skills and knowledge in enhancing the wastewater treatment processes here in the city or closeby municipalities.  Nathan graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences. He serves as a member of the CAC assisting with tasks and communicating the ideas and projects related to the Milwaukee Estuary to the public. While fishing is one of his biggest passions, Nathan wants to dedicate his hard work and commitment to giving back to the many communities that have helped shape his career in and around water.

Cheryl Nenn Fish and Wildlife Technical Advisory Committee

Cheryl Nenn has been the Riverkeeper for Milwaukee Riverkeeper for over 18.5 years.  Cheryl started the Volunteer Based Water Quality Monitoring Program in 2006, which has expanded to over 90 volunteers monitoring 100+ sites in the Milwaukee River Basin. Cheryl led development of the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail, which was declared a National Recreational Trail in 2006; and helped obtain protections for the Milwaukee River Greenway in 2010. As the Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Cheryl patrols local waterways, identifies problems in the Milwaukee River Basin, responds to citizen concerns, reviews and comments on permits, advocates for river protection, and helps find collaborative solutions to problems affecting local rivers.    Cheryl has been involved with Milwaukee AOC efforts since 2003. She serves on the technical advisory committees for the beach, sediment, and fish and wildlife related impairments. Cheryl has been a member of the Community Advisory Committee for the last 6 years, using her scientific and technical expertise to help inform the community about this important work to cleanup and restore Milwaukee’s waterways.    Cheryl serves on several non-profit boards, including Waterkeeper Alliance, Preserve Our Parks, and Friends of Milwaukee County Grounds Park. She also sits on several advisory boards for MATC's Environmental Health and Quality Program, UWM-School of Freshwater Science's Professional Science Master’s Program, and the Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition.    Cheryl has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment. In her free time, she likes to sail, hike, kayak, and canoe.

Christopher Piszczek Project Management Team

Christopher Piszczek is a proud South Sider since birth, an engaged community member, an MC, and founding member of the hip hop duo Browns Crew. His love for his community drives him to work toward creating a better Milwaukee and you can find him at public forums, working with youth, and community rallies or workshops as a participant or facilitator.

Pamela Ritger Beaches Work Group & Eutrophication Work Group

Pamela Ritger joined Clean Wisconsin in May 2013 and is based in Milwaukee. She gained an early appreciation of nature visiting her grandparents’ family farm in Allenton, Wisconsin, as well as the beaches, rivers and mountains of her mother’s native Dominican Republic. As Milwaukee Program Director, Pam works on several environmental justice issues, including building climate resilience in underserved neighborhoods utilizing green stormwater infrastructure practices, working with the Coalition on the Lead Emergency to help reduce childhood lead poisoning, and as a member of the City-County Task Force on Climate and Economic Equity.  She also works with Clean Wisconsin’s Legal Department to strengthen and enforce regulations to protect our air and water, and to facilitate greater usage and development of clean, efficient energy in Wisconsin.   Pam is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, the La Follette School of Public Affairs, and completed a certificate in Energy Analysis and Policy from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, where she focused on climate change mitigation and resilience. Prior to joining Clean Wisconsin, Pam worked as an Immigration Paralegal for several years and interned with the Sierra Club, Climate Focus, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, Midwest Environmental Advocates and the River Alliance of Wisconsin. She is on the Advisory Board of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and is an active member of the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association. Some of her favorite activities include hikes along Milwaukee’s rivers and Lake Michigan with her husband and three young daughters.

Susie Seidelman Communications and Outreach Team

Susie Seidelman has been obsessed with water for as long as she can remember. One of her earliest memories is looking at Lake Michigan from the bluffs of Grant Park, filled with a mix of excitement and terror but knowing this was a thing she needed to touch. She’s lived within walking distance of the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan her entire adult life and is so glad to raise her kids with an appreciation of these waters. Susie is the Principal and Director of Victura Communications. She has over fifteen years of experience working closely with nonprofits and foundations to understand their communications needs, craft goals and strategic plans to meet them, and execute that strategy to align messaging across platforms. She brings this experience to the CAC through service on the Communications Team.  Susie received her BA from Oberlin College and her MA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She plays an active role in her community, serving on the CAC, the Nominating Committee of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, directing the Take Back My Meds Milwaukee Coalition, and has served on numerous nonprofit boards. In her spare time, she likes to cook, eat, learn about cooking, talk about eating, and generally spend as much time as possible outside with friends and family, but especially with her wife, Laura, and their children, Asa and Forrest.

Demetria Smith Management Action Implementation Team

Demetria Smith is an entrepreneur and nonprofit executive focused on activating great ideas for the people and the planet. She has extensive experience leading new initiatives; moving projects from concept to completion is what gets her going in the morning! Demetria believes the environmental commons is a critical social justice issue and invests tremendous energy both in her professional and personal life in helping to build our collective will & skill to create a healthy planet where everyone has the chance to thrive.  Demetria is thrilled to bring her skills and passion to the Waterway Restoration Partnership’s Community Advisory Committee. As chair of the CAC, she is determined to advance this extraordinary cleanup into a comprehensive community conversation around equity and the environment.  Demetria has a BA from Northwestern University where she was trained in Asset Based Community Development, an approach that continues to inform her work. When Demetria is not busy trying to make the world more like it should be, you’ll probably find her in a Milwaukee Public Library, hiking or biking with her family (who happen to be pretty awesome) or refusing to follow the recipe while cooking.

Kletzsch Project Update After a pause in 2020, planning for the Kletzsch Dam Fish Passage project is again underway!  In response to feedback from the community regarding previous concepts, the project team has been working to find a viable option for an east side fish passage. One positive step was the recent purchase of a small parcel of land within the east-side floodplain that, together with adjacent publicly owned land, provides enough space for a fishway. The design contractor, Inter-Fluve, has also started concept design work for the east side, incorporating the required dam maintenance activities. A cultural resources review is underway for the potential east-side fishway area. Reconnecting river habitats and facilitating native fish migration past Kletzsch Dam is a regional priority and we look forward to the possibility of making this project a success! Stay tuned for more updates this fall/winter! 

GOT QUESTIONS? If you have questions about the Waterway Restoration Partnership or if you need information about the Milwaukee Estuary and ongoing projects, reach out to us at wrp@mkewaterwaypartners.org ASK US

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