Just months after celebrating the five-year anniversary of its Sherman Phoenix Marketplace, the Sherman Phoenix Foundation that operates the small business incubator in Milwaukee is welcoming six new members to its board of directors.
The new board members, who will attend their first meeting in February, are: Dina Abercrombie, Northwestern Mutual senior director of diversity, equity, and inclusion; Damira Grady, vice president of college culture and climate at Madison Area Technical College; Korbey White, health program manager for the State of Wisconsin; Donald D. Dantzler Jr., Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in educational leadership and policy; Sherri Jordan, MBA, ACC,CCA, founder and principal consultant of Envision the Ladder, LLC.; and Noleta Franz, Northwestern Mutual, assistant director, Legal Process.
The foundation also announced that it has named Stacia Thompson, who was hired as the foundation’s executive director in January 2022, as its president and chief executive officer.
“I am grateful to the leadership of the inaugural Sherman Phoenix Foundation board of directors and look forward to serving in the role of CEO,” Thompson said. “Thank you to the outgoing board of directors and board chair for leading the effort to get the foundation this far, and I’m excited to continue working with our current and new board of directors who will continue to lead us into the future.”
Four members of the inaugural board were honored at the December board meeting for completing their terms of service. Those outgoing board members are Angela Adams, CEO and founder, SAGE Business Advisors; Kenge Adams, CEO and founder, Connect Business Consulting; Ron Adams, regional vice president, Northwestern Mutual; and Anthony Cobb, vice president HR, Gap, Inc.
“We formed The Sherman Phoenix Foundation in November 2020 and in three years we have established a blueprint for long-term economic viability and community impact,” said Adams, the outgoing Sherman Phoenix Foundation board chair. “I am proud to have served with such a dynamic group of leaders whose collective efforts will impact Milwaukee and the nation well beyond their terms of service.”
Inaugural board members who will remain on the board include: Danielle Bly, vice president of supplier diversity, WEC Energy Group; Ramel Bly, safety specialist, city of Milwaukee Department of Public Works; Leana Nakielski, community and social impact investment director, American Family Insurance, and JoAnne Sabir, co-developer of the Sherman Phoenix and co-owner of Shindig, Sauce & Spice, and Freedom Endeavors.
While it welcomes its new board members the foundation is also marking a milestone, with the purchase of the Sherman Phoenix Marketplace building. It is currently in the midst of a $2 million capital campaign aimed at updating the building and creating more space for Black entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses.
“Establishing The Sherman Phoenix Foundation has been led by a core group of executives who gave credence to the possibilities and brought the power of their talents and influence to bear,” said Sabir. “They transitioned possibility into reality, crystalizing our identity as a model entrepreneurial hub and recruiting and supporting Dr. Stacia Thompson to lead the organization.”
