This is the fourth of a five-part series. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here and Part 4 is here.
Anna Mercer
Anna Mercer is director of constituent services for Governor Tony Evers, a role she took on in the summer of 2023 after five years in the office of US Representative Gwen Moore as constituent liaison and outreach specialist, and as district executive assistant and scheduler. She began her career in government as a legislative aide for Milwaukee County, where she managed the offices of three County Board Supervisors. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and affairs at Marquette and a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Northwestern.
Michael Miller
Michael Miller is business development specialist for the City of Madison, where he provides one-on-one assistance to businesses and entrepreneurs seeking information and services through the City’s Office of Business Resources. He oversees a number of programs including the Commercial Ownership Assistance Program, the Public Market’s Market Ready Program, and has worked to forge a partnership between LISC Milwaukee and the City of Madison to sponsor future multicultural Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE). Prior to becoming a business development specialist in 2016, he served nearly seven years as the city’s grants administrator. Before joining the city he was an entrepreneur himself, owning and operating Kipp’s Down Home Cookin’ for nearly 13 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from UW-Whitewater where he was an all-American football player.
Anthony Miller, Jr.
Anthony Miller, Jr. is the director of community engagement and equity for the Oshkosh Area School District. In this role, Miller collaborates with students, families, staff, and community partners to develop strategies that promote an inclusive culture, equitable opportunities, and celebration of the unique contributions across the OASD community. He joined the school district in 2023 after almost 10 years at Fox Valley Technical College, where he managed the Scholars for Success program and served as an African American recruitment and retention specialist. He is a 2013 graduate of UW-Oshkosh with a degree in communications and earned a master’s degree in educational leadership two years later.
Darrol Gibson
Darrol Gibson II is an experienced political operative who most recently worked as Wisconsin coalitions director for the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris. As a consultant, he has recently worked as campaign manager for Rep. David Bowen’s run for lieutenant governor, ran the Nicolet Forward Referendum campaign and administers the Sherman Park Housing Advancement Cooperative. He has previously served as Wisconsin state director for Run for Something and has worked on a variety of other campaigns from the county board to the presidency. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Marquette.
Dr. Torsheika Maddox
Dr. Torsheika Maddox is senior operations officer and chief of staff for the UW-Madison Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement (DDEEA). She has worked for the university for over 18 years in a number of roles supporting contributions towards efforts to improve access, empower inclusive community, and enhance diversity, belonging, and equity for the university and greater Madison community. These roles have included leadership in research, direct student services for underserved student communities, education, data analysis and program evaluations, and leading organizational excellence. Dr. Maddox is also a proud member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and an active member of the Madison Pentecostal Assembly where she also serves as Trustee. Recently, Dr. Maddox was also a key leader in supporting an ad hoc work group on the Black Experience with UW Madison. After earning a degree in sociology from Rutgers in 2006, she earned master’s degrees in sociology and population health and a doctoral degree in sociology, all from UW-Madison.
Julian Walters
Julian Walters is founder and CEO of Eminent Development Corporation, the lead developer on two major residential projects currently underway in Madison. Before becoming a Developer, Walters was a Realtor and manager of the Homebuyers 2.0 Program through the Urban League of Greater Madison, a program that successfully invested $5 million into Dane County, selling newly renovated homes to Black families. Following the role with the Urban League, he took a role with Commonwealth Development Corporation, a nationally recognized leader in the affordable housing space that specializes in utilizing federal tax credits to build multi-unit apartments. He was a member of the InBusiness 40 under 40 class for 2024 and the Forward 48 Cohort 2024. He is also founder and organizer of the annual Ju-Ju’s Block Party community event on Madison’s south side. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Alamaba A&M, a master of public administration degree from North Carolina Central and an MBA from Morgan State.
Rahsaan J. Dunn
Rahsaan J. Dunn is the manager of student development and engagement at Fox Valley Technical College, a role he took on two years ago after 12 years at Waukesha County Technical College, first as an academic advisor and then as assistant director of student life. He began his career in higher education as a minority recruitment coordinator and pre-college programs assistant director at UW-Platteville, where he earned both a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in education. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in education at Alverno College.
Sgt. Tommy Foy
Tommy Foy is Sergeant with the Sun Prairie Police Department (SNPD), where he has served as a school resource officer and a district liaison officer. He initiated SNPD’s inaugural Youth Academy, which provides middle and high school students exposure to law enforcement training. Prior to SNPD, Sgt. Foy worked with the Dane County’s Sheriff’s Department for seven years and served eight years in the United States Navy supervising flight operations on the USS Wasp and USS Enterprise. Sgt. Foy also coaches youth basketball and football in the Sun Prairie area. He is the executive director of the Youth Basketball Association and Co-Founder of Saving Our Youth Lives, an organization aimed at engaging at-risk youth through basketball. Sgt. Foy holds a bachelor’s in general studies from Columbia College of Missouri and will be concluding an M.S. in Criminal Justice from UW-Platteville in the summer of 2025.
Who did we miss? Email [email protected] to let us know who should be on the list next year!
