Organization also welcomes five new board members. 

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — (Sept. 30, 2021) — Professional Dimensions members elected Laura Lutter Cole, National Account Executive of VISIT Milwaukee, as board president of the organization effective September 1, 2021.

“Laura is a dynamic leader who acts as an ambassador for women, for equity and for Milwaukee in everything she does. Her leadership of PD at this time continues the PD tradition of electing women who are fearless in their pursuit of better,” said Lauren Feaster, CEO of Professional Dimensions.

 Five new board members were also elected at Professional Dimensions’ last annual meeting. 

Yvonne Brodsky, Diversity & Inclusion Program Manager with Facebook, assumes the role of Treasurer. Betsy Johnson, Vice President of New Business at Tri-Marq Communications, Inc, assumes the role of Vice President of Nominations. Michele Marsh, Attorney at Marsh Legal Services, LLC, joins the board as the Vice President of Racial Equity. 

Directors and Directors-at-Large Updates

Professional Dimensions also welcomes two members to serve as directors-at-large: Dominique Samari, Partner at P3 Development Group LLC and Julia Smith, Assistant Director of Learning  & Development at Northwestern Mutual. Both members will serve until their term ends in 2023. 

Lauryn Deck, Co-Founder of MindBusiness LLC Coaching & Consulting, served as Vice President of Nominations in 2020-21 and is the President-elect for the current year.  “The 2021-2022 Professional Dimensions board was charged with three priorities:  (1) Advance inclusivity and belonging, (2) Introduce as many first-time PD board leaders as possible, and (3) Align with our CEO’s pursuit to have a PD Woman represented at every regional decision-making table,” said Deck. “In doing so our board is represented by 42% women of color, 24% new PD Board leaders, and the board as a whole represents the diversity of career, generation and ethnicity that is a hallmark of PD.”

Continuing Board Officers and Directors-at-Large include: 

Officers

• President - Laura Lutter Cole (2022), National Account Executive, VISIT Milwaukee

• President-Elect - Lauryn Deck, Co-Founder, MindBusiness LLC Coaching & Consulting 

• Immediate Past President - Jamie Pratt, Partner, Spano Pratt Executive Search

Vice Presidents

• VP Administration - Jennifer Walther, Shareholder Attorney, Mawicke & Goisman, S.C.

• VP Communications - Tricia Geraghty, Chief Marketing Officer, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

• VP Membership - Katie Podmokly, Strategic Change Manager, Robert W Baird and Co., Inc

• VP Programs - Katie Dillow, Chief Financial Officer/VP of Finance & Administration, Alverno College

Directors

• Charitable Fund Board Chair - Amalia Schoone, Principal Consultant, In Progress Consulting, LLC.

• Recruitment Chair - Shaneé Jenkins, Vice President, Social Responsibility & Strategic Partnerships, YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee

Directors-at-Large

• Jennifer Allen, Community and Inclusion Advisor, MGIC

• Deidre Garrett, Director, HR Services & Total Rewards, MRA - The Management Association

• Liz Johnson, Associate Attorney, Godfrey & Kahn S.C.

• Johannah Karstedt St. John, Sr. Director Diversity & Inclusion, Northwestern Mutual

• Carol Newell, Advisor, FarWell Project Advisors

• Peggy Williams Smith, President & CEO, VISIT Milwaukee

View the complete 2020-21 Professional Dimensions Board of Directors here.

Professional Dimensions Charitable Fund Board Elected

Membership also approved the 2021-22 Professional Dimensions Charitable Fund (PDCF) board. The board exists to oversee activities of the 501(c)3 charitable organization that was founded by PD in 1986 in order to advance the economic self-sufficiency of women and girls. PD’s signature event, the Imprint Award, benefits PDCF and its annual partner project each year.

New members elected to serve as Directors-at-Large include: 

• Ashley Jordan, Writer & Speaker, Self-Employed

• Tammy Belton-Davis, Founder & Principal, Athena Communications LLC

• Erica Gumieny, Client Relationships Manager, Direct Path 

• Kerri Balliet, Transformational Coach, Red Barron Coaching

Continuing Charitable Fund Board Officers and Directors-at-Large include: 

Officers

• Chair - Amalia Schoone, Principal Consultant, In Progress Consulting, LLC

• Vice Chair - Angie Phillips, VP Human Resources, Metal-Era

• Treasurer - Devon Norwood, Senior Vice President | Asset Management, Baird 

• Secretary - Tiffany Wynn, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Carroll University

• Imprint Award Chair - Katie Sanders, Chief Planning Officer, Milwaukee Public Museum

• Imprint Award Vice Chair - Simmi Urbanek, Director of Marketing, Greenfire Management Services, LLC

• Legacy Champion - Anne Summers, Philanthropic and Nonprofit Leader

Directors-at-Large

• Laura Piotrowski, President, Cavendish Consulting and Vernal LLC

• Katie Joachim, PR Team Lead, Bader Rutter

• Janel Hines, Senior Director of Grant Programs, Greater Milwaukee Foundation

About Professional Dimensions Milwaukee

Founded in 1978, Professional Dimensions is a network of more than 400 inclusive women leaders who use their power to help each other and advance the community. Professional Dimensions is the leading women’s professional association in the Milwaukee area whose mission is to unite women leaders in the relentless pursuit of better. We create opportunities for our members to network, collaborate, learn and lead, inspiring women to reach for more in all aspects of their lives. Our organization is intentionally inclusive across career experiences and personal identities, maximizing our ability to innovate and elevate those around us. Professional Dimensions challenges leaders to blaze trails in their companies and communities. Our driving ambition is to expand what is possible for women and the world they influence. 

About Professional Dimensions Charitable Fund

The Professional Dimensions Charitable Fund was formed as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1985 to serve as the charitable, tax-exempt arm of the organization. A separate Charitable Fund board of directors, which reports to the Professional Dimensions board, also was established. From 1986 to 1991, the Charitable Fund awarded college scholarships to economically disadvantaged women and small grants to a variety of nonprofit organizations in Milwaukee. In 1992, the fund shifted its focus to concentrate on supporting local organizations that foster the self-sufficiency of women and girls. The biennial selection of a Charitable Fund project was developed as a way to strengthen a high-performing or high-potential initiative by infusing both volunteer time and financial support over a two-year period. At the same time, it gives members an opportunity to work together toward helping individuals and organizations in Milwaukee. 

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