Board of Advisors
Trusted leaders shaping our vision and strategy
GLUE’s Board of Advisors is a great cross-section of nationally respected scholars, strategists, faith leaders, business and nonprofit executives, and movement-builders. Their insights and experiences help guide GLUE’s work, ensuring it remains grounded in research, aligned with community, and focused on long-term regional equity.
Walter J. Lanier
President and CEO, GLUE
Walter J. Lanier is a dedicated community leader, pastor, and advocate with a mission to uplift urban communities and empower individuals to create meaningful change. With a career spanning over two decades, Walter combines his expertise in leadership, policy, and faith to tackle the most pressing issues facing Milwaukee and beyond
Dorothea Macon
Community Engagement Specialist, GLUE
Dorothea Macon brings over two decades of experience in education and community leadership to her role as Community Engagement Specialist at Great Lakes Urban Empowerment (GLUE). A skilled connector and communicator, she leads engagement efforts that amplify local voices and build bridges between residents, institutions, and initiatives like My Brother’s Keeper and Black Men Organizing.
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Dr. Daryl Micheal Scott
Professor & Chair, Department of History, Geography, and Museum Studies, Morgan State University
Expertise: African American institutional development, policy history
Formerly at Howard University, James Rawley Prize-winning author
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Shawn Dove
Managing Partner, New Profit
Expertise: Narrative change, Black male achievement, healing justice
Former CEO of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement; key leader in President Obama’s MBK initiative
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Dr. Carmen Porco
Retired CEO, Housing Ministries of Wisconsin
Expertise: Faith-rooted anti-poverty strategy, resident-led housing transformation
Namesake of Oxford’s Carmen Porco Chair in Sustainable Business
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Dr. Henry Louis Taylor Jr.
Professor, Urban and Regional Planning; Founding Director, Center for Urban Studies, University at Buffalo
Expertise: Race, structural dislocation, neighborhood planning
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Dr. Marc V. Levine
Professor Emeritus, UW-Milwaukee; Founding Director, Center for Economic Development
Expertise: Racial disparities, Rust Belt deindustrialization, hyper segregation
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Min. Greg Lewis
Executive Director, Souls to the Polls Wisconsin
Expertise: Civic engagement, environmental justice, grassroots organizing
Founder of Pastors United Community Advocacy; Milwaukee pastor
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Spencer Overton
Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law, George Washington University
Expertise: Democracy, voting rights, racial equity in public policy
Former President of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
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David Elsworth Haines II
Senior Strategist, Forward Catalyst
Expertise: ESG, energy policy, federal funding, sustainability strategy
Former SVP at Clean Energy Buyers Alliance; Chief Strategy Officer at Baker Ripley; senior roles at the U.S. Department of Interior, Shell, and the British Consulate; Harvard MPP/MBA; Morehouse BA
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Dr. Lester Spence
Professor of Political Science and Africana Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Expertise: Race, neoliberalism, urban politics, cultural analysis
Award-winning scholar of Black political life and systemic power
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Brenda Wesley
Mental Health Advocate, Milwaukee
Expertise: Mental health education, stigma reduction, family advocacy
Background: Longtime leader in Milwaukee’s mental health and criminal justice reform efforts; former Director of Education and Outreach at NAMI Greater Milwaukee
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Brad Pruitt
President, America’s Black Holocaust Museum
Expertise: Cultural preservation, racial justice, nonprofit leadership
Background: Award-winning filmmaker, strategic advisor, and executive with a deep commitment to memory, storytelling, and systemic change