Amani United has added more resident leaders to its board who will work together to improve the quality of life of their neighbors.
The resident-led group in Milwaukee’s Amani neighborhood held an election for board officers in November. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Kori Ashley swore in the elected members in January, and DiAndre Jackson, the alderperson for District 7, also attended.
The board includes President Elizabeth Brown; Vice President Kimberly Watts-Howell; Secretary and Housing & Economic Development Chair Christal West; Education and Family Well-Being Chair Helen Reynolds; and Neighborhood Safety/Ambassadors Council Chair Brother Rice Bey.
Brown, who has served as the group’s president since 2023 and is the chair of the Friends of Moody Park, encouraged community members to run for the board positions.
“I feel good,” she said. “I don’t have to do everything by myself.”
What is the board working on?
Amani United partners with Dominican Center, a neighborhood organization, and works to revitalize the neighborhood through resident leadership and initiatives related to education, safety, health and economic development.
“We don’t just say that it’s just the board because each person is connected to several other dynamic people,” West said.
The board officers lead committee meetings, talk to Amani residents about their needs and provide resources.
Board officers will serve for two years and committee chairs serve for four years.
Dominican Center hires interim executive director
Dominican Center is encountering its own leadership changes.
Maricha Harris, who served as the organization’s executive director since 2021, left Dominican Center in late January after being appointed to be the deputy director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.
In her new role, Harris will assist in administering elections for the City of Milwaukee, including the upcoming primary on Feb. 18.
“I’m really happy she’s on board,” said Paulina Gutierrez, the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission who interviewed and appointed Harris. “She’s hit the ground running, and I think we’re going to have a really great election year as a result.”
To aid the leadership transition, Dominican Center hired Shawna Muren to serve as the agency’s interim executive director for about three months, starting in February.
Muren works as a nonprofit consultant and takes short-term contracts as an interim executive director or CEO to stabilize local nonprofits in transition.
She recently contracted with COA Youth & Family Centers, which has a location in Amani, and has previous experience working with Dominican Center.
The organization has launched a formal job search for executive director.
“We specifically are looking for a strategic leader; we’re looking at fundraising and continuing the good work that we’re doing,” Muren said at Amani United’s February meeting.
For more information
Click here to learn about the executive director position
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
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