Educational Programs


Engage, Develop, Inspire

Impact100 Greater Milwaukee's Vision is to engage, develop and inspire women to collectively effect positive change in the Greater Milwaukee community. Beyond the Headlines launched in 2018 to provide insights on community challenges and potential solutions through open discussions with experts and change agents. In 2021, we added our Global Day of Impact event which is a world-wide celebration of the impact made by all Impact 100 chapters around the globe along with an educational component that looks at our local issues faced by the nonprofit sector. We believe these insights help our members maximize the transformative impact of our $100K grants to nonprofits. Links to recordings on the Impact100 You Tube channel, PowerPoint presentations, and panelists' biographies & resources distributed at the events are available below.

Listen & Learn

Featuring Impact100 and our Grantees!

Advocates of Ozaukee County

Literacy Services 



Global Day of Impact: Housing First – A Paradigm Shift to Create Housing Stability, Supportive Services, and Reduce Homelessness

November 2023

The Housing First philosophy provides unconditional, permanent housing to those most in need.  Evidence has demonstrated that the most vulnerable can only solve one life-changing problem at a time so when the housing problem is solved, suddenly that individual can then begin to focus on the next important life issue.  This is a shift from the old housing ready model. Our panelists represent Impact100 grant recipients Benedict Center and Pathfinders along with their systems partners IMPACT Inc. (also a past grantee) and the Milwaukee County Housing Division.  They shared their perspectives on how the nonprofit sector and government agencies are collaborating to end housing insecurity and provide supportive services so people can be successful in their homes and creating positive futures going forward.



Beyond the Headlines:  The Lens of Advocacy on Domestic Violence

March 2023

Domestic violence has been called the "shadow pandemic." During COVID, domestic violence increased significantly. Human and sex trafficking are also on the rise and are intricately intertwined in the domestic abuse epidemic. The intersection of domestic violence/intimate partner violence and human trafficking/sex trafficking will also be discussed.  Each of the panelists will speak from their lens on this topic. Two of them are advocates:  Barb Fischer, executive director of Advocates of Ozaukee (2022 Impact100 grant recipient) and Dr. Debbie Lassiter, executive director of the Convergence Resource Center in Milwaukee;  a clinician:  Dr. Dominique Pritchett of the Beloved Wellness Center in Kenosha; and law enforcement:  Ozaukee County Sheriff Christy Knowles.



Global Day of Impact:  Challenges Facing Public Health in the Greater Milwaukee Community

November 2022

Public Health representatives from urban and suburban Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, and Ozaukee Counties will share perspectives and discuss challenges facing public health in their communities, county demographics,  top priorities to improve public health, and how the nonprofit sector collaborates and engages with Public Health Departments.



Beyond the Headlines:  The Opioid Crisis – How Did We Get Here?  What Can We Do?

May 2022

Our panel will share an overview of the factors leading to the increase in opioid use, the differences in how addiction affects and is addressed across different socio-economic populations, and how the state of Wisconsin is trying to combat this epidemic.  Our panel includes Terri Ellzey, a clinical substance abuse counselor and advocate for social justice change;  Dr. Jennifer Smith, clinical supervisor for NAMI Southeast Wisconsin (2020 Impact100 grant recipient); Danielle Long, Drug Initiatives Advisor to the Attorney General at the Wisconsin Department of Justice; and Beth Ritter, a mother who will share her personal story of her son’s battle with addiction.



A Conversation with Dr. Derek Mosley: Unconscious Bias - Knowing What You Don't Know

February 2022

Chief Judge of the Milwaukee Municipal Court, Dr. Derek Mosley, provided an introduction of the topic of Unconscious Bias—Knowing What You Don’t Know.  Unconscious bias is a learned stereotype that is automatic, unintentional, deeply ingrained, universal, and able to influence behavior. Dr. Mosley discussed the history of unconscious bias in America and how it permeates in many areas of our daily lives including television programming and advertising to children’s literate and more.  Unconscious bias seeps into decisions that affect recruitment, retention, hiring, access to healthcare, banking, housing, education, the justice system, providing services, interpersonal interactions, and outcomes in ways that can disadvantage both individuals and groups of people. We all have some form of unconscious bias, and the key is to recognize that we have it and employ techniques to mitigate it. 





Global Day of Impact:  Reimagining What is Possible!  This is Your Time Impact100!

November 2021

Keynote speaker, Susan Dreyfus, shared her extensive insights gained from her decades working in the nonprofit sector and discussed how women in philanthropic organizations such as Impact100 can positively impact the social sector. Susan discussed the six accelerants needed to move Impact100 forward towards our core values of grant funding: sustainability, transformation, and impact.  She also discussed the importance of being proximate to the process of solving social issues.  Susan is a Strategy Consultant in Health and Human Services and the former CEO of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. 



Beyond the Headlines: Foster Care - A Continuum of Care

February 2021

Impact100 Greater Milwaukee's educational series on key issues facing our communities returns with an overview, insights and discussion with prominent experts on the Foster Care Continuum.



Beyond the Headlines: The Critical Issue of Sex and Human Trafficking 

February 2020

Impact100 Greater Milwaukee's educational series on key issues facing our communities returns with an overview, insights and discussion with prominent experts on the challenges surrounding the crime of sex trafficking.



Beyond the Headlines: Education 101: How has it changed and what needs to change

February 2019

Alan Borsuk, reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Senior Fellow Marquette University presented a historical perspective as well as the current issues facing our schools not just within Milwaukee but statewide. He moderated a dynamic panel of experts in the education field including Dr. Deb Kerr, Superintendent, Brown Deer Pubic Schools & President American Association of School Administrators, Laura Gutierrez, Incoming Executive Director United Community Center & Former Secretary of State of Wisconsin and Maggy Olson, Founding Principal, Milwaukee College Prep School.



Beyond the Headlines: Mental Health. A crisis of understanding, a crisis of care

October 2019 

Given the significance of mental health, our program brought together a panel of experts from the mental health field to educate members on the growing concerns and issues with mental health as the silent crisis  Dr. Jon Lehrmann, Chair and Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin provided an overview  of the behavioral health landscape, the high incidence and stigma associated with mental health as well as the challenges to access and support.  Terry McGuire, creator and host of the podcast, Giving Voice to Depression, moderated panel discussion including Martina Gollin-Graves, MSW, President/CEO, Mental Health America Wisconsin; Tanya Fredrich, PhD, Director of Student Service, Elmbrook School District;; and Sarah Reed, PhD, Program and Evaluation Manager, Rogers Behavioral Health. 



Beyond the Headlines: Homelessness to Sustainable Housing in Greater Milwaukee Community

October 2018

The Beyond the Headlines series kicked off in 2018 with an in-depth look into Milwaukee‘s housing crisis. This presentation dug into the challenges of homelessness and obtaining sustainable housing. Michael Gosman, Executive Director, ACTS Housing provided an insightful history and depiction of the housing continuum. A lively and candidate discussion followed, moderated by Mike Gosman, with a panel of experts including Lynnea Katz-Petted, Revitalize Milwaukee, Danielle Bergner, J. Jeffers & Co., Maria Melendes, The Guest House and Dorothy York, ACTS Housing.