The Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation has named Willie Jude, II, as its new executive director.
Jude has more than 17 years of experience in higher education and holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management from The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy from Indiana University. Before joining the MPS Foundation, he served as the vice chancellor for advancement at UW-Parkside in Kenosha. Before joining UW-Parkside, he spent three years at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he served as vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.
In 2022, he was named one of “Wisconsin’s most influential black leaders” by Madison365.
Jude replaces the foundation’s previous director, Tiffany Tardy, who recently left to become the executive director of PEARLS for Teen Girls. Prior to Tardy’s roughly nine-month term, the foundation was led by Wendell Willis, who served as executive director of the foundation from 2018 to 2022.
As executive director, Jude will lead the foundation’s fundraising efforts, operations, and public engagement, while overseeing enrichment plans for all MPS students and staff.
Jude’s track record of fueling advancement, community philanthropy, and educational equity and a passion for helping Milwaukee students succeed made him the standout choice for this new role, the foundation said.
“Willie Jude II connects with kids, alumni, educators, parents, businesses, and community partners in a way that is simply remarkable,” said John Kersey, MPS Foundation board president. “He will build bridges in this city where they’ve never been built before, and we will all benefit from that.”
An independent 501(c)3 nonprofit, the MPS Foundation helps to offer and sustain enrichment projects, programs, and initiatives that the limited MPS annual budget cannot provide. Each school year, the MPS Foundation connects thousands of MPS students with college scholarships, immersive field trips, basic school supplies, trauma care, art programming, and STEM initiatives.
In October, five new outdoor play spaces were unveiled to benefit all area children and in November, the Foundation will be launching a new learning model with Junior Achievement. Other recent foundation highlights include, providing more than $150,000 to 32 students across 13 high schools, 81% of whom are first-generation students and 87% students of color; and providing $160,000 to launch Junior Achievement’s 3DE training for 450 students.
As a Milwaukee native and an MPS alum, helping to advance the work of the MPS Foundation is personal for Jude.
“It seems my entire career has led to this moment, coming from a family of educators and community leaders to a career dedicated to ensuring equitable access to an education,” Jude wrote. “I am grateful for the chance to make a positive impact on the same schools that played a significant role in shaping who I am today.”
