This interview is part of the cover feature from the BizTimes Milwaukee 30th anniversary issue, published March 17, 2025. For more information and to see interviews from other southeastern Wisconsin leaders, visit biztimes.com/30-people.
Rich Barnhouse
President and CEO
Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee
Age: 49
As the higher education sector continues to grapple with shifts in demographics and the needs of students and employers alike, Rich Barnhouse, Ph.D., is keeping Waukesha County Technical College on the cutting edge. Since taking the helm in 2021, Barnhouse has led WCTC to respond to growing demand for AI talent, launching an AI data specialist program and opening an applied AI lab in fall 2024.
What would you like to see change in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin over the next 30 years?
“Definitely transportation. I don’t know if it needs to be a high-speed rail structure, but it needs to be an effective rail system going between the suburbs – particularly between Waukesha, Milwaukee, Madison. Solving the housing problem is challenging. However, getting employees from A to B in a timely fashion might be something that can be accomplished. What do we need to make that happen? Political will, certainly. And a realistic appreciation for a long-term economic impact if it doesn’t happen. It will have a big impact on businesses and the workforce, and the ability to develop the workforce, which has a major impact on the local, regional and state economy. Transportation is an economic issue and, therefore, an issue directly related to community prosperity. If you want things to thrive, people have got to be able to move.”
What do you hope to accomplish in your career over the next 30 years?
“Retirement! But, in the next 10 to 15 years, I hope to reorient higher education in the state and lead on that – not just for WCTC but for the whole state – in how we organize higher education, how we deliver higher education and how we make it truly impactful. Not for the past century or the past 10 years where we were comfortable, but for the unknown in the 2030s, 2040s and 2050s. It’s going to take higher education leaders who are really focused on thinking about what is going to be needed and how we deliver it in 20 years, 30 years – and starting to build it today in a financially responsible and sustainable manner.”
What would be your pitch to the next generation to encourage them to make Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin home for the next 30 years?
“I think the next generation has the opportunity to make Milwaukee a fantastic place to live and bring it to the forefront of the Midwest. Many things are moving in Milwaukee’s direction right now. If the next generation invests in it wisely, it can be this really unbelievably vibrant and cool city for the future. I want them to consider that things get built and economies grow, and cities become robust if people spend money in them – think dining, going to a concert or using public transit. If the next generation makes use of the resources and participates in the life of the city, they’ll have the ability to make it into what they want – not what we were doing 30 years ago. If they invest in things that make the city exceptionally livable and desirable, it’s going to be a phenomenal place well into the future.”
