Notable Minority Executives: John W. Daniels Jr.

Chair emeritus, Quarles & Brady

John W. Daniels Jr. is the chair emeritus of national law firm Quarles & Brady LLP, which has approximately 475 attorneys in 10 offices across the country. He was the firm’s chairman from 2008 to 2013, and has been chair emeritus since 2013.

As an attorney, Daniels has specialized in real estate law, representing property owners, investors and governments in numerous complex real estate development projects. He previously served as the national president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Daniels is also chairman of the board for Advocate Aurora Health, the health care system with over $12 billion in annual revenue that was created by the merger of Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care and Downers Grove, Illinois-based Advocate Health. He also serves as president of Black Directors Health Equity Agenda, a national group of directors of major health systems.

Daniels is also the chairman of the Fellowship Open Inc., an annual fundraising golf tournament held at Silver Spring Golf Club in Menomonee Falls that encourages community organizations to foster academic achievement in Milwaukee’s urban youth.

In addition, Daniels is the chairman of Milwaukee-based V&J Holding Companies, which he co-founded with his sister Valerie Daniels-Carter (who is CEO of the company). They launched V&J in 1982 with a single Burger King restaurant in Milwaukee and it now is a multi-brand operation.

Daniels also served as the chairman of the board of the Greater Milwaukee Committee from 2011-15 and chairman of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation from 2010-12.

Sign up for the BizTimes email newsletter

Stay up-to-date on the people, companies and issues that impact business in Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin

Andrew Weiland
Andrew is the editor of BizTimes Milwaukee. He joined BizTimes in 2003, serving as managing editor and real estate reporter for 11 years. A University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, he is a lifelong resident of the state. He lives in Muskego with his wife, Seng, their son, Zach, and their dog, Hokey. He is an avid sports fan and is a member of the Muskego Athletic Association board of directors.