Overview Agenda Speakers Resources What to Expect We are so excited and thankful you can join us for the 4th Annual CREWS Convening in Milwaukee on September 12-13, 2022. Considering this is our first in-person convening since 2019, we want to make the best use of your time. With that in mind, the objectives of this convening are to: Connect water leaders and build power in solidarity across sectors. Promote grantee sharing of resources and learning. Strengthen the capacity of grantees to use climate science and equity in their work. Celebrate progress and strategize about the work ahead. There’s more below, including our agenda, hotel info, speaker bios, and a resources section that includes a full Welcome Packet, Participant Directory, and more. Social Media Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #KresgeCREWS and tag @kresgenviro @kresgefdn and @YeouJih. Questions? If you have any questions or need support during the event, please contact Kate O’Brien at kate @ catalystcollaboratives.com KEY LOCATIONS The CREWS 2022 Convening and hotel accommodations are: The Hilton Milwaukee City Center 509 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203 Hyatt Regency Milwaukee 333 W. Kilbourn Ave Milwaukee, WI 53203 Wisconsin Convention Center 400 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53203 Schedule & Agenda Sept. 11-13, 2022 A full printable agenda is below in the Resources section. Day 1, Sunday Sept. 11 Hilton Milwaukee City Center CREWS Registration and Open Space for Arrival8AM to 5PM Regency Ballroom – 5th Floor. CREWS registration, open work space, and wifi COVID-19 Info & Testing8AM to 7PM Kilbourn – 5th Floor Healing Room8AM to 9PM Miller – 4th Floor Quiet space CREWS Informal Buffet Dinner & Socializing5PM to 9PM CREWS informal buffet dinner (served from 5-8pm) CREWS Registration & Check-in (masks, tests) Short Film Screening – Swollen Introductory ‘interactivities’ Location: in case of inclement weather: Empire Ballroom, Ground Floor Day 2, Monday, Sept. 12 Hilton Milwaukee City Center COVID-19 Info & Testing7AM to 4PM Kilbourn – 5th Floor Healing Room7AM to 9PM Miller – 4th Floor CREWS Registration & Check-In7:30PM to 4PM Regency Ballroom, 5th Floor, Foyer Breakfast Buffet (To-Go and Outdoor Options)7:30AM to 8:45AM Regency Ballroom – 5th Floor or Six & Green Outdoors, Ground Floor CREWS Morning Program (Agenda, Breakouts)9AM to 12:30pM Welcome, Indigenous Acknowledgments, Arc of the Day 9:40AM: Morning Block 1: Stories of Self with Benny Starr & Leticia Carpenter (USWA) 11AM: BREAK & Informal Networking 11:20AM: Morning Block 2: Making Meaning of Our Stories of Self Regency Ballroom – 5th Floor Lunch Buffet (To-Go and Outdoor Option)12:30pM to 1:15pM Regency Ballroom – 5th Floor or Six & Green Outdoors, Ground Floor CREWS Afternoon Program (Agenda, Breakouts)1:15PM to 5:30pM 1:15PM: Afternoon Block 1: Stories of Us – Panel Discussions / Q&A 3 PM: Afternoon Block 2: Stories of Now – Brainstorming & Discussion 4PM: Afternoon Block 3: Next Steps & Closing Activity All activities in Regency Ballroom – 5th Floor CREWS Happy Hour & TA Vendor Fair5:30pM TO 6:30PM Six & Green Outdoors – Ground Floor CREWS Off-Site Dinner6:30PM Board buses to depart for offsite dinner at Bottle House 42 – Pickup on 6th St. CREWS Dinner starts at 7PM Keynotes: Mami Hara (USWA) & Karen Dettmeyer (EPA) Day 3, Tuesday, Sept. 13 CREWS at U.S. Water Alliance’s One Water Summit at Wisconsin Convention Center COVID-19 Info & Testing7AM to 5:30PM Wisconsin Center: 101D and Discovery World Networking Breakfast Buffet7:15 AM to 8:15AM Wisconsin Center – Ballroom Foyer BCD One Water Delegations: Welcome8:15AM to 8:30AM Wisconsin: Ballroom CD CREWS One Water Delegation-Hosted Peer Dialogue8:30AM to 9:45AM Wisconsin Center – 101s, 102s, or 103s One Water Delegation-Hosted Peer Dialogues10:15AM to 11:30AM Wisconsin Center – 101s, 102s, or 103s Boxed Lunch Pick-Up/Board Buses11:30aM – 11:50pM Wisconsin Center, Ballroom Foyer BCD For CREWS site visit: exit to the nearest door to N. Vel R. Phillips Ave to board buses CREWS Site Visits w/ Milwaukee Water Commonsnoon to 3 PM Or the One Water Summit Site Tours CREWS Convening Adjourns3:15 PM Buses return to Wisconsin Center US Water Prize Ceremony and Celebratory Reception5 PM Discovery World (for One Water Summit Participants) Hear from CREWS Keynote Speakers Click on photos to open bios and meet our speakers. All full CREWS participant directory is located in the Resources section. Letitia Carpenter US Water Alliance Senior Program Manager Letitia Carpenter US Water Alliance Senior Program Manager Letitia Carpenter (she, her, hers) is a Senior Program Manager at the US Water Alliance, a national nonprofit organization advancing policies and programs that build a sustainable water future for all. She works on the Alliance’s Equitable Water Future programs, and has years of experience in network management, advancing environmental justice, equity, and community centered practices. Before joining the Alliance, Letitia worked on community centered environmental justice initiatives in both the nonprofit and public sectors to ensure equitable access to environmental and community benefits. Brenda Coley Milwaukee Water Commons Co-Executive Director Brenda Coley Milwaukee Water Commons Co-Executive Director Brenda Coley is the Co-Executive Director of Milwaukee Water Commons. Over the years she has served in various positions in the non-profit and academic sectors and brings a long-standing commitment to social justice and community organizing. She has been a non-profit director, research coordinator and project manager with expertise in leadership development and organizational capacity building. Before joining Milwaukee Water Commons, Coley was sole proprietor of Brenda Coley & Associates, helping local and national organizations build the cultural competence to approach marginalized populations around health, leadership development and social justice issues. Mark Denning Cultural Speaker & Educator Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin Mark Denning Cultural Speaker & Educator Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin Mark Denning’s Anishinaabe name is Nodaway Benaise, and he is Sturgeon Clan. He is enrolled in the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, and his ancestry includes Menominee, Mille Lacs Ojibwe, Stockbridge-Munsee, French and English. His experience as an educator, lecturer and curriculum specialist in American Indian history and culture has taken him all over the world. He works with people, communities and organizations. As a parent of four children, he was also fortunate to serve on the board of Milwaukee’s Indian Community School, an independent Native-controlled school that is over 50 years old. He also served as a board member of Indian Summer Festival, Milwaukee Indian Economic Development Association. He is currently a youth lacrosse coach. When he is not in the classroom or working on a commercial project or speaking engagement, he is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the School of Continuing Education and an artist listed with the Oneida Nation Arts Program. He also works as a consultant and trainer with training and diversity consulting firms. Mark’s passion is helping teachers, students and businesses understand and appreciate Native American culture from historical and contemporary viewpoints. Through his work, his goal is to bring a depth of understanding to create greater wisdom, empathy, teamwork and communication. Karen Dettmer Managing Director Infrastructure Implementation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water Karen Dettmer Managing Director for Infrastructure Implementation for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water Karen Dettmer is Managing Director for Infrastructure Implementation for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water. The Office of Water works to ensure that drinking water is safe, wastewater is safely returned to the environment, and surface waters are properly managed and protected. Prior to joining EPA, Karen served as the Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Milwaukee and as Superintendent of Milwaukee Water Works in Wisconsin. In these roles she has developed and managed large capital projects, and her leadership has been recognized for advancing racial equity. Karen is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Wisconsin, and she holds a B.S. in architectural engineering and an M.S. in environmental engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering. Mami Hara US Water Alliance CEO Mami Hara US Water Alliance CEO The US Water Alliance brings together diverse stakeholders to identify and advance common-ground, achievable solutions to our nation’s most pressing water challenges. Water utilities, public officials, business leaders, agricultural interests, environmental organizations, community leaders, unions, and policy organizations comprise the diverse membership of the US Water Alliance. The Alliance educates the nation on the true value of water, accelerates the adoption of One Water and water equity policies and programs, and celebrates innovation in water management. The Alliance also manages the Value of Water Campaign, a coalition of leading water sector organizations that are building public and political will for investment in water infrastructure Mami (she/her/hers) was previously the General Manager and CEO of Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). She was a board member of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, a founding member of the Water Agencies Leadership Alliance, and the founder of the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange. Through her work in Seattle, at Philadelphia Water and as principal of a leading planning and design firm, she has developed just, climate resilient, and community centered land and water management investment approaches and practices. Mami brings her experience in green infrastructure, affordability and assistance, environmental finance, service equity, utility management, and urban planning to advancing water equity and One Water practice. She has taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University and holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University and advisor to several environmental, philanthropic, planning and design advocacy organizations. Yeou-Rong Jih Kresge Foundation Program Officer, Environment Program Yeou-Rong Jih Kresge Foundation Program Officer, Environment Program Yeou-Rong Jih (she/her/hers) serves as a program officer for The Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program, which helps communities build resilience in the face of climate change. Yeou-Rong supports the foundation’s Climate Resilient and Equitable Water Systems (CREWS) initiative grantmaking efforts, which advance equitable solutions to climate-related urban flooding. She joined the foundation in 2021, bringing a history of engagement in urban climate resilience efforts and a commitment to action on equity and racial justice. Previously, Yeou-Rong served as the director of urban initiatives at Greenlink Analytics, where she co-led equity mapping and clean energy planning efforts, working with cities and community-based organizations to create climate plans, policies and programs that center the equity and energy justice needs of residents. She has also worked with the City of Atlanta, supporting the development and implementation of its resilience, energy and equitable water strategies. Yeou-Rong earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University and a master’s degree in research psychology from the University of Oxford. In 2021, she was named a Grist 50 Fixer, which recognizes emerging leaders in climate, sustainability and equity, who are creating change across the nation. Kate O’Brien Catalyst Collaboratives LLC Founder and Principal Kate O’Brien Catalyst Collaboratives LLC Founder and Principal Kate O’Brien is founder and principal of Catalyst Collaboratives LLC, a boutique consultancy specializing in adaptive change management, facilitation, and capacity building. In her work, Kate draws from her twenty-year career in the nonprofit and public sectors. Trained as a social worker, Kate began her career as a case manager for people with serious and persistent mental illness. After navigating behavioral health systems, she moved into community development while pursuing graduate studies in urban and environmental policy and planning at Tufts University. Kate’s management experience grew significantly during the eight years she led transformative projects, programs, planning initiatives, teams, and operations at Groundwork Lawrence in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Following nearly a decade of ad-hoc coaching of executives and teams, Kate formalized and led Groundwork USA’s first-ever technical assistance program, funded by US EPA and focused on building trusting partnerships between CBOs and municipalities in pursuit of equitable brownfield redevelopment and environmental justice outcomes across the country. Drawing on her years coaching and managing a portfolio of technical assistance clients, Kate set out as a solo entrepreneur focused on supporting clients who are navigating and co-creating culture change rooted in equity and anti-oppression at interpersonal, organizational, network, and systems levels. She is currently serving in her second term as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Portland Trails in her chosen hometown of Portland, Maine, where she has been leading the organization’s multi-year cultural transformation and strategic planning processes. Benny Starr US Water Alliance Hip-Hop Artist & Filmmaker, Arts & Culture Senior Fellow Benny Starr US Water Alliance Hip-Hop Artist & Filmmaker, Arts & Culture Senior Fellow Black music and southern culture intersect with deep roots in hip-hop, gospel, jazz, blues, and rock. They’re woven with rich history, resiliency, and storytelling that elicits a quest for a higher calling in those who connect with them. The same rings true in the music created by South Carolina Lowcountry artist Benny Starr (he/him/his). His most recent solo project, A Water Album, was released on Juneteenth 2019, and in 2020, Native Son, a duo comprised of Benny Starr and singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Rodrick Cliche, was formed. In partnership with The Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund and The Black Farmers Appeal: Cancel Pigford Debt Campaign, Native Son screened “Restoration: A Concert Film” on Juneteenth 2020. The US Water Alliance welcomed Benny Starr as their inaugural One Water Artist-in-Residence in October 2020. Through his 18-month residency with the Alliance, Benny worked with staff and the Alliance network to infuse arts and cultural strategies into thinking, problem-solving, and programming. Benny currently serves as a Senior Fellow of Arts & Culture with the US Water Alliance, integrating artistic approaches and cultural strategies to help advance and accelerate our ability to achieve a sustainable water future for all. Minna Toloui Upright Consulting Services Independent Consultant Minna Toloui Upright Consulting Services Independent Consultant Minna Toloui (she/they) is an independent consultant with Upright Consulting Services, which specializes in working with governments, philanthropies, nonprofits, and business to advance racial equity, economic inclusion, and deep sustainability. Minna comes to the work with a background in city-community relationship building and facilitation, climate justice, and environmental literacy in the nonprofit and public sectors. Her work focuses on the interstitial spaces between racial equity, health, housing, energy, and beyond. She is based in her born-and-raised home of the Bay Area, CA. Minna is driven by an ancestral lineage of justice work and love for our people, planet, and collective future. Area Attractions In the Historic Third Ward, you'll find locally owned restaurants, spas, theaters, galleries, and boutiques all in a historic warehouse setting. The neighborhood is home to the award-winning Third Ward Riverwalk and the nationally acclaimed Milwaukee Public Market. Located just south of downtown Milwaukee. Milwaukee Art Museum Discover Milwaukee’s premier attraction for art and culture at Milwaukee Art Museum located on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. Between the nearly 25,000 works of art, dramatic Calatrava architecture and scenic gardens, there is always something new to discover. Website: http://mam.org Milwaukee Public Museum The Milwaukee Public Museum offers adventure for visitors with diverse interests. You can explore the Ice Age to look for a Saber-Toothed cat among the glaciers, see King Tut on his chariot in the Crossroads of Civilization exhibit, or interact with live butterflies as they flutter in our butterfly garden. Go on a photo safari in Africa, snap a selfie with Granny on the Streets of Old Milwaukee, and even find the hidden button to make our rattlesnake rattle! Stop by the Dome Theater where you can get closer to the action than ever before when you see a planetarium show, giant screen or 3D film featuring new Digistar 6 technology and better-than-HD quality images. Bradford Beach Bradford Beach is a public beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The beach which was constructed in the 1920s is part of Lake Park; a mile-long park on a bluff above Lake Michigan. Lake Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April, 22, 1993. Website: http://bradfordbeachmke.com/main.html Click here for Dining & other area information - https://www.visitmilwaukee.org/official-visitors-guide/ Related Resources Featured Resource CREWS 2022 Convening Welcome Packet CREWS Initiative Landing Page The updated map includes all 2021 and 2022 active partners Convening Agenda This Google doc agenda will be the most up-to-date agenda CREWS Keynote Speakers and Panelists Technical Assistance Providers Learning to Lead with Equity Jalonne L. White-Newsome and Julie A. Slay CREWS Participant Directory Organizational bios One Water Summit Event Page Water, Arts, and Culture Accelerator US Water Alliance Investing in America’s Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems for Equity and Sustainability Environmental Policy Innovation Center Impaired Waters and TMDLs Program in your EPA Region, State or Tribal Land Environmental Protection Agency