Emcee

Andrea Turlick
Faculty Compensation Specialist, Medical College of Wisconsin
Andrea Turlick currently works for the Medical College of Wisconsin as a faculty compensation specialist. Prior to her current position, she had an opportunity to participate in the Ramirez Fellowship offered by MSOE and MCW while she was pursuing her MBA in Analytics from MSOE. Andrea interned in the Transformation Office at MCW, working on various process improvement projects throughout the healthcare systems of MCW and Froedtert Hospital. Outside of her time at MCW, she works for the Milwaukee Bucks as a team attendant. Having been with the team for the past 10 seasons, she has been able to witness first-hand the increase in number of positions held by females in a male-dominated industry and has had an opportunity to network with many empowering females. Andrea is a two-time alumna of MSOE where she earned a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and MBA in Analytics.  

Keynote Session

Francesca Mayca Wegner
President & Chief Possibilities Officer, HPGM
Francesca Mayca Wegner is a movement leader who dreams big, sees the possibilities, and recognizes that it takes resources, access, and dedication to affect sustainable change. She is also a proud daughter of a Peruvian immigrant mother, older sister, wife, and animal lover. Francesca joined HPGM as the newest executive director in April 2021 after serving as senior director of development and communications for Sojourner Family Peace Center. Prior to Sojourner, she held various roles in Marquette University’s advancement department after starting her career in sales with the Milwaukee Bucks. Francesca brings extensive experience building and sustaining strategic relationships with various stakeholders on behalf of nonprofit, higher education, and corporate organizations. According to a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, 76% of Latinos repress parts of their identity in the workplace. Francesca fiercely advocates for these conditions to change. Throughout her career she has championed the intentional creation of spaces where others can bring their whole selves to their work and feel valued. 

As an extension of her work at HPGM as an advocate, connector, and convenor, Francesca serves on the MATC President’s Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Aurora West Allis Medical Center Steering Council. She was recognized in 2021 by Madison365 as one of Wisconsin’s 36 Most Influential Latino Leaders, as a 2022 40 Under 40 Winner by the Milwaukee Business Journal, and as a Power Broker & Executive to Watch by the Milwaukee Business Journal. BizTimes also named her a Notable BIPOC Executive in 2023.  

Francesca is passionate about investing in the Greater Milwaukee community with organizations focused on increasing economic opportunities and representation for Latinos, equitable access to education, and mentoring. She currently serves on the boards of directors for the Hispanic Collaborative, My Way Out, the HERA (Higher Education Regional Alliance), and as a mentor in the Nativity Jesuit Academy mentoring program. A proud two-time Golden Eagle, she earned both her B.S. in Business Administration and MBA degrees from Marquette University.      

Empowerment Panel

Raquel Filmanowicz
Founder & Managing Partner, VC 414
Raquel Filmanowicz serves as founder and managing partner of VC 414. A newly formed venture capital firm established in 2023 based in Milwaukee. VC 414 invests in early stage, high potential startup companies led by women and under-capitalized founders. Prior to VC 414, she served in two key roles at BMO Harris Bank. From 2020-2023 she was Director of Economic Equity Advisory Group for BMO. In this role she worked to create an effective internal and external network for successful commercial banking client acquisition opportunities. She also managed its social impact fund aimed at making venture and private equity investments in emerging fund managers across the U.S. Prior to BMO she served as Chief Operations Officer for the City of Milwaukee Health Department for ten years. She serves on a number of nonprofit boards including Children’s WI, United Community Center and the Pabst Mansion.  She is married, has three children and lives in the north shore of Milwaukee.

Janay Hull
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Class of 2023
Janay Hull is currently a second-year MBA candidate specializing in real estate at UW-Madison. Prior to pursuing her MBA, Janay worked as a realtor and part-time for the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders. Being very driven, outgoing, and goal- and future-oriented she decided to pursue an MBA and pivot into real estate development instead of just working transactionally with clients, wanting to build projects and watch them come to fruition. At UW-Madison she served as co-president of the Diversity in Business Club. She is passionate about actively improving diversity in the workplace and having genuine conversations with people to do so. Additionally, she serves as the co-coordinator for the Real Estate Club Career Fair. She is also on the AREIT team, which manages a fund of $1M invested exclusively in the REIT markets. Post-graduation, Janay is looking to work for a multi-family developer as a development associate, specializing in apartment buildings and mixed-use spaces.  

Sara Iverson Smith
Senior Director of Real Estate, Facilities and Construction, Blain’s Farm & Fleet
Sara Iverson Smith is a real estate, facilities, and construction executive with over 25 years of hands-on management of nationwide projects in a variety of environments including health care, industrial, commercial, retail and fitness. She is a trusted advisor to executive teams on executing strategic goals for design and construction, focusing on interim and long-term strategy goals for expansion, remodels, relocations, and community relationships. She has demonstrated success in building teams, and is consistently recognized on project savings, elevated design of interiors and meeting project scopes on time and on budget. Sara has been with Blain’s Farm and Fleet for nearly four years, leading pre-development planning, market research, business plans for prospective locations including research and analysis of economy, real estate market fundamentals and industry trends. Property evaluation, feasibility analysis, negotiation of acquisitions, and presenting at city meetings for zoning, planning and variances. Directs architectural, engineering, construction, and facilities teams to ensure all projects designed and delivered on time and on budget. Sara is on the board of SPECS, a national retail organization run by Chain Store Age and locally the Children’s Museum of Rock County board. She has been a member of WCREW for three years and on the programs committee for two.  

Elizabeth Taylor
Director of STEM, MSOE
Elizabeth Taylor is the director of STEM at MSOE, where she directs institutional strategy for K-12 STEM programming and outreach and oversees the operations of the We Energies STEM Center at MSOE. She advocates for the alignment of programming efforts with the needs of the Milwaukee community and ensures program options are available to students of all backgrounds. Under her leadership, STEM outreach at the university has grown from serving roughly 1,000 students annually to nearly 6,000. Her leadership was instrumental in the founding of and fundraising for the STEM Center, which opened its doors in 2020. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from UW-Milwaukee.  

Angela Walters
Real Estate Broker, Walters Realty Group, EXP Realty
Angela Walters is a licensed real estate broker with Walters Realty Group at EXP Realty and currently serves as the chairwoman for the Board of Directors of the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors (GMAR). She has almost 20 years of experience as a Realtor®, holds an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) designation, and is an experienced real estate investor, property manager, and developer. Angela holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Computer Systems from MSOE. She proudly serves on the boards of directors for Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership and the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB). Additionally, she is the representative for the Village of Brown Deer on the Milwaukee County Land Sales Council, a graduate of the ACRE (Associates In Commercial Real Estate) Program, and a former member and chairperson of Take Root Milwaukee.         

Fireside Chat

Carolyn Esswein, FAICP, CNU-A
Associate Professor, UWM School of Architecture & Urban Planning Owner, Ce Planning Studio LLC
Carolyn Esswein is a designer, planner and educator whose work creates inclusive and resilient neighborhoods. Combining her educational role with 25 years of community planning consulting, she integrates urban design and engagement skills to transform a variety of project scales. Her work has led to new parks and plazas, vibrant retail and business districts, and economic development initiatives creating new housing and homeownership opportunities. Through Community Design Solutions at UWM, Carolyn has worked on more than 400 community projects from green schoolyards and parks to new housing and building rehab projects. Her charette process of engaging students, local architects, community stakeholders, developers, funders, and city staff, has been integral to representing a variety of voices in corridor redevelopment throughout Milwaukee. Carolyn has a Bachelor of Science degree from UW-Madison and a Master of Architecture & Master of Urban Planning degrees from UW-Milwaukee.  

Taruna Gupta
Planner and Senior Associate, HGA
Taruna Gupta is a project designer and project manager, successfully managing projects of various scales for more than 14 years. She has experience working on a wide range of projects including educational, healthcare, corporate, community, multi-family, and senior living. Taruna is actively involved in local design professional organizations such as Women in Design Milwaukee and is the current vice president and board member of Wisconsin Chapter of National Organization of Minority Architects (Wisco NOMA). She is passionate about equity for women and DEI efforts in the design profession. She is also the co-founder and president of a non-profit organization called Defining Humanity, using her design expertise to help build spaces for education and shelter in underserved communities around the world. In her spare time Taruna likes to travel and explore art and architecture of the world.  

Raynetta “Ray” Hill
Executive Director, Historic King Drive BID #8
Raynetta “Ray” Hill’s career is marked by her collaborative leadership style and ability to advocate for economic and social impact. Prior to joining the Historic King Drive BID #8 as its executive director, Ray led Wisconsin’s fundraising, property portfolio and wraparound services for CommonBond Communities. She oversaw a $14.1 million redevelopment project of 90-units on Milwaukee’s north side and increased Wisconsin’s institutional philanthropic giving in 12 months. Ray also served as operations manager for a private real estate firm, National Management. Ray is not new to the BID nor Bronzeville district; she served as the BID’s associate director from 2016–2018 where she focused on revitalization efforts within the commercial corridor while building high level engagement with resident groups, businesses and stakeholders. Ray is a 2016 Associates in Commercial Real Estate Graduate, African American Leadership Program Cohort 10 alumni, Wisconsin Woman’s Policy Institute 2018-2019 fellow and is a graduate of Concordia University with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice. Ray serves on numerous boards and committees related to community service and economic impact. In 2019 she was appointed by Governor Evers to serve on the Wisconsin Housing Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and elected Vice Chair in 2021. She is one of the 2021 Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 under 40 awardees and was awarded the 2021 Young Pioneer by the African American Chamber of Commerce.  

Terri Howard
National Director of Equity, HGA
Terri Howard is the inaugural director of equity at HGA. In this strategic role, she serves as a thought leader to drive equity initiatives, develop internal programming and resources, build external partnerships with diverse voices, and consult on equity in design nationally. Terri has extensive experience implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plans for nonprofit organizations, government entities, and Fortune 500 companies, including Dane County in Wisconsin, the City of New York, Hyatt Corporation, University of Wisconsin System, and Harris Health Systems in Harris County, Texas. She has spoken at national conferences and professional association events, including Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). She is a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and the AIA Minnesota Community of Practice for Culture Change (CPCC). Terri is a Doctoral candidate in Leadership from Capella University. She has a Master of Public Service Leadership from Capella, a Bachelor of Human Services Administration/Education from Chatham University, and a Certificate in Workplace Diversity and Inclusion from Capella.