There was a myriad of changes that occurred in 2021 that steered the direction of how the GMC showed up in the community in 2022. Through convening and collaborating, the GMC strategically partners with and supports organizations in Milwaukee to create solutions and effect change.

With new leadership at both the City and County of Milwaukee, we revived the work of Move Forward MKE and our commitment to addressing the fiscal challenges of Milwaukee. We look forward to continuing this work through an Operational Review with the City of Milwaukee. Beginning in late 2022 to set the groundwork for project completion in 2023, the review will offer areas in which the City of Milwaukee can operate more efficiently and sustainably.

There was much effort put into reinvigorating relationships in a post-pandemic world as we all navigated top priorities. A strong relationship that we identified was the Community Leaders working group of MKE United -- ensuring the voices of community residents are at the table in every step of the decision-making process. Voices of residents in these historically gentrified and disinvested neighborhoods haven’t always been included and this inclusion ensures that any decision made is truly done for those is impacts directly.

We also spent a great deal of time identifying how we effectively show up in the community. In early 2022 we worked with Gilbert & Associates to conduct an internal Racial Equity Audit that highlighted areas where we can be more effective in addressing equity in our operations, and confirming our work should continue to address equity in our strategy. The Racial Equity and Inclusion committee, board members, staff, and community partners also completed the Groundwater Training through the Racial Equity Institute.

We were able to rely more on a true sense of community by hosting in-person membership meetings, reaching pre-pandemic attendance soon after implementation. Member meetings are a place to problem solve and implementing “table talk” was a key piece of each meeting. These aspects, in combination with meeting topics that address the root challenges facing our community, have elevated member meetings back to an important piece of our strategic plan that will be used to carry out strategy in 2023.