Froedtert Health has joined the MKE Tech Hub Coalition, a Milwaukee-based non-profit focused on retaining and attracting technology talent to southeastern Wisconsin.
The Wauwatosa-based health care system joined the coalition with a silver level membership, which means Froedtert Health committed $100,000 for a minimum of 2 years.
“As a local health system, we recognize the importance of tech jobs on the future of our organization, the local economy, and the broader goal to transform health care that we all benefit from,” said Mike Anderes, Froedtert & MCW health network chief digital officer and president of Inception Health.
Their membership includes positions on the coalition’s advisory team and multiple subcommittees, including the K-12, startup, talent reskill and attraction and retention committees.
Froedtert Health is the largest member to join the coalition since it attracted WE Energies with a gold membership in January 2020. The coalition now has two silver members – once there are three silver member commitments, these organizations can elect one of their peers to serve on the coalition’s board of directors, said Kathy Henrich, MKE Tech Hub Coalition CEO.
“Talent drives innovation,” Henrich said in statement. “Froedtert Health joins other model employers who are willing to invest in developing the tech talent of the region. Each employer’s impact is multiplied by their collective engagement.”
Developing and implementing new technologies is a regular practice for Froedtert Health & Medical College of Wisconsin. In 2015, the health care system launched Inception Health, Froedtert’s innovation arm, which generates homegrown innovations while also vetting external innovations to solve complex health care problems.
The Froedtert & MCW health network has already worked with Northwestern Mutual and the coalition to support the Milwaukee area tech and innovation ecosystem. The health care system recently partnered with Northwestern Mutual and the coalition to host Reverse Pitch MKE, an event that asked entrepreneurs and startups to pitch solutions for attracting diverse talent to the region and for addressing the impact of social isolation on health.
The MKE Tech Hub Coalition is a partnership between six leading companies in southeastern Wisconsin including Accenture, Advocate Aurora Health, Johnson Controls, Kohl’s, Northwestern Mutual and Rockwell Automation. The organization’s mission is to grow, attract and retain tech talent in the region with the goal of doubling the local tech workforce by 2025.
The coalition now has 75 members since launching in 2019.
