Amy Rowell, executive director of COA Youth & Family Centers, asked for transparency, accountability and meaningful communication from the Social Development Commission at Thursday’s virtual board meeting.
“For over a year now, we have sought answers. We have asked for updates. We have requested timelines,” she said. “Instead, we have been met with hostility, limited information, inconsistent communication and a troubling lack of transparency.”
Rowell has previously attended SDC board meetings and said in July that SDC owed her organization more than $153,800 in reimbursements related to the Workforce Innovation Grant.
The agenda for Thursday’s virtual meeting included public comment, but it requested comments to be submitted in advance through the contact form on SDC’s website.
Rowell said this issue of nonpayment and a lack of transparency about it extends beyond COA because nonprofit organizations operate on thin margins. Having no clear reimbursement timeline can jeopardize their financial stability, operations and services.
“The nonprofit sector should not be forced to speculate about the status of funds that have already been earned through work completed in good faith,” she said.
Rowell asked for the agency to explain the delays and establish a clear plan for resolving obligations owed to community partners.
Jorge Franco, interim CEO and board chair of SDC, said during the meeting he had previously talked with Rowell and is happy to do so again.
“She will be getting a communication that every other creditor will be getting,” he said.
He said SDC is insolvent and does not have funding and resources to make any payments at this point.
“It is the intention on my part to repay every dollar SDC owes,” Franco said. “Whether that becomes a pathway or feasible is a whole another series of complications and things that have to be navigated.”
SDC provided a number of social services before abruptly closing two years ago. Since then, the anti-poverty agency’s board has struggled to find a path forward for the agency amid a loss of funding, lawsuits and debts.
Rowell and others could not initially join the meeting link posted on the public agenda and had to wait to receive an updated link or passcode.
Controversy over board membership
The board previously met virtually on Tuesday, where members argued about whether Dessie Levy should be allowed to participate after she announced herself as a commissioner.
Franco notified Levy in May that she was removed from the board for exceeding the board’s policy for unexcused absences. He said this action was not at his discretion, but in accordance with SDC’s bylaws.
Levy and a few commissioners disagreed with her removal, in part because they say Franco has not provided an official record to verify her absences.
SDC has not published meeting minutes in 2026.
Franco did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. He has previously said that meeting minutes are recorded, but SDC’s limited staff does not have time to process them.
Levy was not present at Thursday’s meeting, but said in an interview that she felt disrespected by Franco cutting off her comments and ejecting her from the Tuesday meeting.
“His leadership style is to say that ‘this is the law,’ and it’s not the law,” she said.
Levy was appointed to serve on the SDC board by the Greater Milwaukee Committee last year and said she will continue to follow its lead.
“This is an unfortunate situation for everyone involved,” said Cristy Garcia-Thomas, interim president of Greater Milwaukee Committee, in a statement. “We are continuing to review materials and remain hopeful that a resolution can be reached that serves the best interests of all parties.”
Levy and four other commissioners filed requests from Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke and Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel Scott Brown regarding questions over SDC’s governance compliance.
The anti-poverty agency has been embroiled in an escalating pattern of disagreements among the board.
TriShulla lawsuit returns to court
The hearing in a lawsuit brought forth against SDC by TriShulla LLC, an information technology firm, returned to court on Thursday and was again pushed back.
TriShulla claimed in court documents that SDC owes about $472,000 in outstanding payments for various services it was contracted to provide, including creating a software platform and mobile app.
“My concern is that this matter has been in court a number of times,” said Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Timothy Witkowiak during the hearing on Thursday.
William Morgan, an attorney with Murphy Desmond S.C. representing TriShulla, said that the parties are close to a resolution and there is only one point that they are not in agreement on.
Morgan said Franco plans to present a recommendation at the SDC board’s July meeting and the case should be able to move forward if the board approves it.
The next court hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 3.
The next SDC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 16.
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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