Events

JOHN KOSKINEN is the Chief Economist for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and has served in that capacity for several administrations.  The Wisconsin Economy enters 2025 with the strongest economy it has had in a generation.  Koshkinen's presentation will review the multiple facets of Wisconsin's improved competitiveness in its region and nationally.  This provides a foundation for Wisconsin to continue a strong economy into 2025. 

For many of us, our knowledge of the contributions of African Americans in America is limited. Historically, the contributions and stories of people of color in America have been omitted or ignored in American history textbooks. During JUDGE DEREK MOSLEY's presentation, he will examine the many contributions of African Americans and help us fully understand that Black History is indeed U.S. History. On this journey, we will meet people and hear stories that will amaze , enlighten and inspire.

JAY ROTHMAN began his tenure as the ninth president of the Universities of Wisconsin on June 1, 2022. With 13 universities and a statewide extension network, the UW is home to world-class education, research, and outreach, serving approximately 161,000 students and awarding nearly 37,000 degrees each year. President Rothman leads a statewide workforce of some 35,000 faculty, academic staff, and university staff, and is responsible for the UW’s $6 billion annual budget. 

The Universities of Wisconsin serve more than 162,500 students.  These 13 public universities are Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live.  Providing a 23:1 return on state investment, the Universities of Wisconsin also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy.

President Rothman will discuss the Board of Regents approved budget request for the 2025-2027 biennium and its importance for the people of Wisconsin.

Ecologist Jeb Barzen explains what’s behind the comeback of bald eagles in Wisconsin and the on-going efforts to protect and understand them. We’ll learn more about this fascinating raptor found soaring in large numbers in Sauk Prairie these days and what we have learned from them. 

JIM LATTIS is director of the UW Space Place and a native Madisonian. He manages the historic Washburn Observatory and teaches course in introductory astronomy and its history as well as leading many trips focused on astronimical tourism. He will discuss some of this year's current and upcoming astronomical events, including current solar activity and the associated auroral activity, solar and lunar eclipses, and what the planets are up to in our night sky.

Like the rest of the world, Wisconsin is experiencing climate change and its impacts. The past two decades have been the state’s warmest on record, and the 2010s was Wisconsin’s wettest decade. How can we put these kinds of climate changes into historical context, and what does the future hold for our state? For many years the Wisconsin State Climatology Office and the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) have been documenting climate change and its consequences across the state. STEVE VAVRUS's presentation will highlight some of the major trends and effects, including those associated with extreme weather.

The landscape of behavioral health crisis care in Dane County has developed significantly in recent years. While Journey Mental Health has provided a 24/7 crisis hotline as well as mobile crisis response for decades, Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) adds a fourth branch of emergency response to 911 calls. SARAH HENRICKSON, Clinical Team Manager in Journey Mental Health Center’s Emergency Services Unit, and SHANE QUELLA, a CARES Crisis Response Team Member will discuss a partnership between the City of Madison Fire Department, Journey Mental Health, and the Dane County Public Safety Communications (911) to dispatch a non-law enforcement response to behavioral health calls for service in Madison, with expansion into surrounding areas pending.

YANG TAO is the Director of the City of Madison’s Traffic Engineering Division, which has over 150 employees and is responsible for the City’s pedestrian, bicycle and motor vehicle transportation systems. 

Yang will talk about the City of Madison’s Vision Zero Initiative, an innovative strategy aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all road users in Madison. He will discuss the progress the City has made so far, such as implementing the Safe System Approach, enhanced public engagement, the new Safe Streets Madison Program, speed management, and the team’s successful efforts on securing over $10 million of safety related federal grant funding. Yang will also share lessons learned along the way.

Regardless of your role, what are people, customers and business partners looking for in you? What is the workplace culture you have created with your team that leads to success? Creating a mission driven culture with compassion and trust turns satisfied customers into loyal customers. In addition, if the work we do is tied into a purpose beyond profits, our job satisfaction increases substantially and employee turnover is reduced.  Guest speaker JOHN McHUGH, Vice President of External Affairs for Kwik Trip, Inc.,  will explore the role you play in your organization’s success and how you can find the key people to help you achieve that greatness. His examples and stories are ones that you won’t forget.

JEN RUBIN, the former producer of the Moth StroySlam, and DANIELLE HAIRSTON GREEN, a host of the Moth StorySlam, will talk about the Moth, a nonprofit organization that celebrates the commonality and diversity of human experience through the art and craft of personal storytelling, what type of storytelling events are happening in Madison and the benefits of storytelling for both the audience and the teller. 

ANTHONY COOPER has worked for Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development since February 2013 as Director of Reentry Service and recently as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Reentry Services.  Having a strong foundation in financial management and business operations, MARK CASH continues to expand his expertise through ongoing education in technology, legal frameworks, and business practices bringing those skills to serve Focused Interruption.  Together, they will highlight building safer communities through engagement and support, and they will share data-driven insights, lessons learned, and future plans for expansion to address systematic challenges.  

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue is a national leader in technology innovations and the use of data to inform decision making. Secretary DAVE CASEY will discuss innovations in customer service and fraud detection, including new tools to improve business and individual taxpayer experiences.  DOR also maintains a wealth of publicly accessible economic, tax and property data used by government agencies and businesses alike to plan for economic growth. He will also touch on the use of this data to round out this less than taxing discussion.

Do you know how many voting members are in the House of Representatives? What year the US Constitution was written? Passing the US Citizenship Test might be trickier than you think! Approximately 9.1 million immigrants in the US are eligible to naturalize but haven’t done so yet (US Department of Homeland Security, 2019). In this overview of the citizenship process, you’ll learn the basics: eligibility requirements, steps in the legal process, the four areas of the test, and how Literacy Network helps over 100 students on their citizenship journey each year. A tutor-learner pair in the citizenship program will also join us to share their experience working toward this essential milestone.

CAITLIN MACKESEY found her way to the world of adult education when she signed up as a volunteer tutor at Literacy Network in 2010. After studying languages at UW-Madison, she taught English in Marseille, France. Since 2015, she’s lead ESL and citizenship programs at Literacy Network for adult learners from over 100 countries. 

Congressman MARK POCAN was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second congressional district in 2013 following 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly. In the 119th Congress, he serves on the House Appropriations Committee where he sits on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee and the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.  He will share the latest news from Congress with Rotarians and guests.

THOMAS FRIEDRICH is a professor of virology at UW-Madison, where he teaches students about global health, HIV/AIDS and emerging infectious diseases. In his research, Dr. Friedrich works with teams of scientists to understand how viruses like influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and Zika jump species to spread and cause disease in humans.  His Rotary presentation will cover: 1) what we specifically know about the dairy cattle outbreak; 2) what we know and don't know about how influenza viruses jump species and cause pandemics; 3) how we access pandemic risks; and 4) what we can do the control outbreaks.

MARK MALONEY is a member of the law firm of Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert, LLC, focusing on taxation, estate planning, and agricultural law.  A member of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, USA since 1980, Mark is currently serving as Chair of the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation. He also served as Rotary International president during 2019-2020 when he advocated for the addition of the environment as a seventh area of focus. He also emphasized strategies to grow Rotary, presided over the first virtual RI Convention that was organized during the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased awareness of Rotary’s longstanding relationship with the United Nations.  Mark led a Group Study Exchange to Nigeria.

Communities Learning to Invest and Mobilize for Business (CLIMB) has a mission to help teens and young adults to improve there financial capability through education and capital market engagement.  CLIMB's president, ROBERT WYNN, will provide an overview of CLIMB's work to date in our community and  its launchpad program elements.  In addition, Oregon High School senior PIERRE NICKLES will share his experience as a CLIMB Youth Leader.

TOM BARRETT has served the people of Wisconsin at the local, state, national and international level for decades. After being mayor of Milwaukee for almost eighteen years, he most recently served as the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg under President Biden.   He will discuss his three years in Luxembourg, the historical and present-day relationship between the two countries, as well as the challenges to the countries’ relations by China and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Rev. Dr. ALEXANDER GEE, a native Madisonian, is the Founder and CEO of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture.  The center will serve as a multifaceted transformational space where Alex and his team challenge systemic barriers to Black wellness and flourishing, while fostering Black excellence through Pan-African cultural celebration, innovation, leadership development, artistic and theatrical expression, as well as intergenerational programming. The Center broke ground in 2024 and is scheduled to open its doors later this year.

First sworn into office in May of 2020, DAVID CROWLEY became the youngest county executive in the history of Milwaukee County and the first Black leader elected to serve in the role. On April 2, 2024, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley was reelected to a second term. The fundamental tenet of Executive Crowley’s administration is to build bridges that bring people together, deliver prosperity for working families, and foster a safer, stronger and healthier Milwaukee County.

IAN ABSTON and our club president Jason Ilstrup created the Hoan Group—a private network of 160 civic-minded leaders focused on connecting the Milwaukee and Madison business communities.  Ian is a member of the Wauwatosa Rotary Club.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley  and Ian Abston will discuss the economic development opportunities and challenges that both Milwaukee County and Dane County are facing, and how partnerships will help create successful results for both communities, as well as the entire State of Wisconsin. As the two leading economic and educational engines of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Dane Counties share many of the same priorities. Addressing these shared priorities is critical in boosting economic development efforts, recruiting and retaining talented workers, and supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, and contractors to grow Wisconsin’s economy. They will share their perspectives on how Milwaukee and Dane Counties can continue investing in innovation and leading the Badger State forward in building the Made-in-Wisconsin economy of today, tomorrow and beyond.

A former small business owner and Dane County Board Supervisor, MELISSA AGARD was first elected to the State Assembly in November 2012, and served five terms in the Wisconsin State Legislature. She was elected to the State Senate in November 2020 and was chosen unanimously by her colleagues to serve as Senate Democratic Leader in November 2022.  She was then elected as Dane County Executive in November 2024.  Agard will talk about renovation plans for the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

GRANT SOVERN is the president of the board of the Community Immigration Law Center, the second in the country public defender service for immigrants threatened with deportation.  While we all know immigrants at our workplaces, schools, and families, almost none of us understand how dramatically the US immigration system has changed from the welcoming woman with a torch in New York Harbor to today’s promises to deport millions of people.  The basis of the misunderstanding is the various words and statuses we use to describe the immigration processes and who qualifies, or doesn’t qualify, for what.  While that may sound basic, Sovern's presentation will provide the vocabulary and understanding to weigh in more effectively at a dramatic time for this issue.