Undergrad degree/university: BA in Secondary Education/UW Milwaukee
Graduate degree/university: Masters of Public Administration/UW Milwaukee
Joe’Mar Hooper, executive director of Milwaukee-based Safe & Sound, Inc., has maintained a community-first focus throughout his career. He has led multiple community-wide efforts for change including the creation of MENTOR Greater Milwaukee and helping found the Eviction Prevention Coalition an effort that has led to the creation of the Rental Housing Resource Center. He is currently helping co-lead efforts to address reckless driving.
In his time at Safe & Sound, a nonprofit that works to build safe and empowered neighborhoods, Hooper has stressed increasing diversity on his board and staff. He recently created new roles and filled them with women of color. The new executive leadership at Safe & Sound is 60% BIPOC.
Notable Minority Executives: Elmer Moore, Jr.
Executive director, Scale Up Milwaukee
Feb 23, 2021 3:23 pm
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Undergrad degree/university: Muhlenberg College (BA)
Graduate degree/university: Columbia Business School (MBA)
Elmer Moore, Jr., executive director of Scale Up Milwaukee, has dedicated his career to creating better opportunities for communities of color.
Through his work at Scale Up Milwaukee, he co-created both SPARC and Rising Tide to support the growth of minority-owned companies, with a focus on creating generational wealth for BIPOC entrepreneurs.
Securing a significant grant from the SURDNA Foundation, Moore and his team offer educational opportunities and resources for business owners of color working to significantly grow their companies and re-invest in their communities.
Notable Minority Executives: Jesus Gonzalez
Founder of Mazorca Tacos and Zocalo Food Park
Feb 23, 2021 3:58 pm
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Undergrad degree/university: Culinary Institute of America
Jesus Gonzalez is a first generation Mexican-American. A graduate of Nativity Jesuit Middle School and Marquette University High School, he obtained a culinary arts and business degree at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
Upon graduation, he worked in New York City for three years to advance his leadership and business skills. In 2017, he founded Mazorca Tacos with a vision for it to serve as a platform for young talent in Milwaukee. He also co-founded Zocalo, Wisconsin’s first food truck park.
Notable Minority Executives: Lupe Martinez
President and CEO, UMOS
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Undergrad degree/university: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
As president and CEO, Lupe Martinez is the chief strategist at UMOS, a non-profit, advocacy organization whose mission is to provide programs and services that improve the employment, educational, health and housing opportunities of underserved populations. UMOS, headquartered in Milwaukee, also has operations in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Texas.
Martinez is a former migrant farmworker who is familiar with the feeling of being overlooked and not having a voice. Today, Martinez instills into UMOS employees the importance of treating everyone like family, said Roderick Ritcherson, president of The Ritcherson Companies.