Roy B. Evans, Venice Williams named winners of the 2019 Frank P. Zeidler Public Service Award | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Common Council
September 23, 2019
Attorney Roy B. Evans, a community activist with more than 40 years of education and civic-minded service and experience, and Venice Williams, a community change agent and visionary leader in Milwaukee, have been named the 2019 recipients of the Frank P. Zeidler Public Service Award.
Mr. Evans and Ms. Williams will be presented with the Zeidler award during a special ceremony on Tuesday, September 24 at 8:30 a.m. in the third floor Vel R. Phillips Ante Chamber (prior to the start of the regular meeting of the Common Council) at City Hall, 200 E. Wells St. Media coverage is invited.
Attorney Roy B. Evans, a Milwaukee native and graduate of North Division High School, earned his undergraduate degree at Dominican College where he majored in secondary education. While an undergrad, Mr. Evans was actively involved in multiple student associations such as the Minority Student Alliance where he served as president as well as serving on the Student Senate. Upon graduation, Mr. Evans received the Board of Governors Extra Curricular Achievement Award and went on to further his education where he earned a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee in the Administrative Leaders Program. During his time at UW-Milwaukee, he worked as a full-time counselor and academic advisor to African-American students in the College of Letters and Science. Always on the path of educational excellence, he later attended the University of Wisconsin—Madison Law School where he earned his JD degree.
Mr. Evans was eventually elected President of the Wisconsin Law Alumni Board and for his community involvement was awarded the Legal Education Opportunity Alumni of the Year Award and was recognized for his commitment to community engagement with the Milwaukee Commission on Community Relations Human Service Award for producing television programs that promoted community awareness.
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!
Frank P. Zeidler Public Service Award/ADD ONE
Mr. Evans has been recognized by the Milwaukee Community Journal as one of the top 100 most influential African Americans in Milwaukee, and he has been recognized with a Milwaukee Times Black Achiever Award for his many legal contributions to the community.
Mr. Evans’ passion for teaching has allowed him teach in more than 50 Milwaukee Public Schools, while continuing to maintain his successful business law practice. Aside from his law practice, Mr. Evans served as chairman on the City of Milwaukee Administrative Appeals Review Board as a Fire and Police Commission Citizen Complaint Hearing Examiner and as a member of the Mayor’s Tax Incremental Finance Advisory Committee. He is currently chair of the City of Milwaukee Board of Review and a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Alternate Dispute Resolutions Board.
Most importantly, Mr. Evans has served as a role model for youth in Milwaukee. He often visits grade schools to speak to young children about the obstacles he encountered while growing up in Milwaukee and hopes to inspire children who go through similar struggles.
Venice Williams is the founder of Alice’s Garden, an urban farm that teaches cultivation to Milwaukee families. Ms. Williams not only provides the space, but she also provides a multitude of other services in the garden, such as  yoga classes, community potlucks, and even plays movies in the garden for the community. Many of the events Ms. Williams hosts are generally free; what she asks is that everyone come with open arms and respect for one another.
Ms. Williams is also the visionary behind the Mind Body & Soul Center, where she hosts a myriad of events around topics that create awareness in the community. Typically, topics can range from police brutality, women’s rights, social justice and other key social issues. Ms. Williams often allows other community organizations to use the space for their own events, and she has also created the Outpost Makers Market, where she gives small micro-businesses an outlet to market their products and grow their overall customer base.
Ms. Williams is dedicated to helping improve the quality of life in Milwaukee and has received numerous awards and acknowledgements throughout the city, including one of the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI) in 2011 and the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee in 2014.
Tuesday’s ceremony will be televised live on the City Channel (Channel 25 on Spectrum Cable and on AT&T U-Verse Channel 99) in the City of Milwaukee. It can also be viewed via streaming video on the City website at milwaukee.gov/Channel25.
Please go to www.city.Milwaukee.gov/zeidlerawards to learn more about the Frank P. Zeidler Public Service Award. To inquire about nominating someone for the award please contact Joanna Polanco at 414-286-2366 or jpolan@milwaukee.gov.