Post from Community: New director selected to lead Jewish Community Relations Council | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Jewish Federation
April 21, 2021
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The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation welcomes community advocate Kai Gardner Mishlove as its new director. She began her new role on April 15, 2021.
Gardner Mishlove brings to the JCRC a long professional history with leadership roles advocating for various marginalized and vulnerable communities, such as program coordinator of refugee health and social services at Advocate Aurora, family engagement director for Edot Midwest Regional Jewish Diversity and Racial Justice Collaborative, parent guide for deaf and hard of hearing families for State of Wisconsin and co-facilitator with Nurturing Diversity Partners.
As an active Jewish community volunteer, she has served on the boards of Hillel Milwaukee, JCRC Milwaukee, the Friendship Circle WI, National Council of Jewish Women-Milwaukee, SEA Literacy Project, Hands and Voices and various disability rights groups.
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Gardner Mishlove has extensive community collaboration experience volunteering and developing projects with refugee, immigrant and differently abled populations. Her collaborations include the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society convened Wisconsin Grassroots Immigration Leaders, the “Salaam, Selam, Shalom Welcome Baby Showers” program, Refugee Arts, a Wellness and Zumba collaboration, a Team Rainbow initiative to connect  refugee children resettled in Milwaukee to attend JCC Rainbow Day Camp, intergroup community initiatives with Milwaukee Jewish Day School, “Tables Across Borders,” a global pop up dining experience highlighting the cuisines of Milwaukee area refugee community chefs, and “Unity Brunch,” a networking event linking local communities and activists across missions and cultures.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston University, with graduate studies in public health from the University of Illinois. She is a graduate of the Selah Jews of Color Leadership Program of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, and of the Jewish Women of Color Resilience Circle.
Gardner Mishlove is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. In 2017, she was awarded the Building Bridges award by National Council of Jewish Women Milwaukee, and she was recognized as one of 12 Milwaukee “Sheros” in 2020 by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
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About the Jewish Community Relations Council: Founded in 1938, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the public affairs arm of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, advocates for the rights and values of Jews individually and collectively, here and abroad. The Council implements a coordinated program of education, action, and advocacy for the Jewish community.
About the Milwaukee Jewish Federation: For more than 100 years, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation has been dedicated to building a strong Jewish community. We distributed $19 million last year to Jewish and non-Jewish organizations locally and around the world, and manage philanthropy through our $200 million Jewish Community Foundation