Milwaukee Alderman Willie Wade recently resigned from the Common Council to become a staff member at the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board.
MAWIB is a publicly-funded nonprofit that provides employment and training programs for adults and teens in Milwaukee County.
Wade said he was drawn to the organization while watching building projects emerge as an alderman, such as the Northwestern Mutual Tower & Commons, 833 East Michigan, The Couture and the Milwaukee Bucks arena.
“What I saw were a lot of opportunities for people to not only build those structures but to have jobs within those structures,” Wade said. “What I also knew by being the alderman of one of the poorest districts is that the community at large didn’t have the skillset to get those jobs and do those jobs…I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to make this transition and bring this city up to par.”
Wade’s position with the workforce investment board will be vice president, which is one of several new staff positions created in the past 18 months by president and chief executive officer Earl Buford.
Buford would not say what Wade’s salary will be in his new role. Wade’s gross pay as an alderman was $79,909 in 2014.
Wade announced on Dec. 1 he would not seek re-election. He represented the Seventh District for 13 years.
