Rethinking Leadership: A Focus on Shifting Power

Leadership Table

In response to our 2020 strategic revamp, Milwaukee Succeeds began to consider the best leadership structure to support this new body of work. Our narrowed focus, coupled with the many lessons our team learned while leading three of the seven Civic Response Teams, highlighted the need to lead differently and engage actively.

Our new leadership model was developed with two principles in mind. First, we wanted to flatten and streamline our structure to improve the connection and communication between our governing bodies. Second, we challenged our positional leaders to practice “leading from behind” while trusting our lived experience partners to set the direction and develop key strategies.

In June, our long-standing Executive Committee evolved into our Leadership Table, adding four new lived experience members to their ranks, along with new philanthropy and government partners. Now comprised of 22 cross-sector leaders, the table has transitioned into a brave space where decision-makers focus on centering racial justice, sharing power with new sources of community leadership, and changing systems that impede education equity.

Funder’s Collaborative

Our Funder’s Collaborative continues to serve as a critical partner in this work while modeling how private investments can help improve educational outcomes. This year, they invested in our core operations, systems-level strategies, and anti-racist practices in order to help us transform Milwaukee’s education systems. (Read more in our Fiscal Impact Report.) Thank you to our amazing Funder’s Collaborative members!