Rebecca Gries, Executive Director of the Milwaukee 7 Regional Partnership
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
Release Date: 08/06/2025
2026 Rotary Person of the Year, Mary McCormick
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
The Rotary Club of Milwaukee’s highest honor is the Rotary Person of the Year Award, which recognizes an outstanding individual each year for exceptional professional achievement and meaningful community impact. This week, we proudly recognized our Executive Director, Mary McCormick, as our 2026 Rotary Person of the Year. Mary exemplifies our club's mission of "connecting" by serving as the ultimate connector of people, ideas and resources for the betterment of the Milwaukee community. Congratulations, Mary! 👏
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Mark Hasting, CEO & President Blain's Farm & Fleet
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
This week at Rotary, Mark Hasting, CEO & President of Blain’s Farm & Fleet, shared the story of the family-owned retailer as it celebrates 70 years of serving customers. He also emphasized the company’s continued momentum—building on a legacy of trust, hard work, and community commitment while actively adapting, expanding, and investing for the future
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Gil Peri, President & CEO, Children's Wisconsin
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
On Tuesday April 7th, Rotarians heard from Gil Peri, President and CEO, Children's Wisconsin. Children’s Wisconsin has more than 7.3 million connections with kids and families throughout the state each year. Gil discussed the services and capabilities the organization has to support children – from prevention and early intervention through highly-specialized and complex hospital services. He also discussed the organization’s roadmap for the future.
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Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Rotarian and Milwaukee native, shared reflections from his service in the Biden-Harris Administration as the 11th Administrator of the U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, where he led and oversaw one of North America’s most vital international waterways. Adam discussed the economic, environmental, and geopolitical importance of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence system, along with the initiatives undertaken to strengthen trade, safety, and decarbonization across the corridor.
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Josh Glessing, President, Milwaukee Bucks
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarians heard from the Milwaukee Bucks’ new President, Josh Glessing, on the intersection of professional sports, global business, and civic impact. He shared his strategic assessment of his first 60 days in the role, his vision for evolving the Bucks’ business model to drive regional growth, and the important role the organization plays in the Milwaukee community.
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Darryl Morin, CEO of Advanced Wireless and President of Forward Latino
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
This week in Memorial Hall, Darryl Morin, President and CEO of Advanced Wireless, Inc. and President of Forward Latino, sat down with Rotarian Dave Haynes for a discussion on the economic impact of immigration and immigration policy. He highlighted the important role immigrant labor plays in Wisconsin’s economy and addressed some of the most common misconceptions on the topic.
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Rotarian Dr. Brenda Cassellius, MPS Superintendent
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
This week in Memorial Hall, Brenda Cassellius, Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, returned to the Rotary Club of Milwaukee to discuss the district’s $46 million budget gap. She outlined her plans to restore fiscal health while protecting classrooms, maintaining safe schools, and investing in academic achievement.
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David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
This week in Memorial Hall, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley highlighted his administration’s ongoing efforts to promote fiscal sustainability, maintain the critical services residents rely on, and strengthen economic development, public safety, and affordable housing across Milwaukee County. He also discussed the Future State Project, a new initiative designed to improve programs and services, save taxpayer dollars, and advance his vision of achieving measurable equity to build a brighter future for the community.
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Dr. Lia Medeiros, UWM Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
Yesterday in Memorial Hall, Dr. Lia Medeiros PhD, Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Gravitation, Cosmology, and Astrophysics, shared the history of how telescopes around the world united to capture the first-ever image of a black hole—and how she used that historic image to test Einstein’s theory of gravity. She also introduced her innovative machine learning algorithm, explaining how it allowed her team to create the highest-resolution image of a black hole to date, further advancing our understanding of the universe.
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Rotarian Colleen Foley, Executive Director, Legal Aid Society
Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series
This week in Memorial Hall, Rotarian Colleen Foley, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, shared yesterday how Eviction Free MKE addresses homelessness caused by evictions. She highlighted how this Right to Counsel program ensures individuals and families facing eviction receive the support, guidance, and legal representation they need to remain in their homes.
info_outlineMilwaukee stands at a turning point, with new opportunities on the horizon that demand fresh thinking. This week in Memorial Hall, Rebecca Gries, Executive Director of the Milwaukee 7 Regional Partnership (M7), explored how the region can build a more resilient and prosperous future by embracing change.