We are excited to welcome Dom Portis, career pathways manager, and Caitlin Kerschner, governmental affairs specialist, to the MMAC team! Portis started at MMAC earlier this month and Kerschner will begin in her role later this summer.
Both employees bring diverse skills and experience, helping the organization further serve its member businesses and the greater Milwaukee community.
Dom Portis
Portis is a lifelong Milwaukee native and proud product of Milwaukee Public Schools. He graduated from Rufus King High School before studying community education and engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Before joining MMAC, Portis spent the last eight years at United Way working on their Community Schools team, an education initiative designed to transform historically underserved school communities. He oversaw all high school efforts in addition to initiative-level strategies, including youth voice and advocacy and college and career readiness.
Portis is joining us as MMAC’s Career Pathways Manager. He will be responsible for managing our K–12 pipeline programs that assist students in navigating and exploring career pathways and connecting them to valuable learning and skill-building opportunities. You can look for Portis to lead staple MMAC offerings, including the Be the Spark career readiness program and the Bucyrus Secondary Education Industry Readiness initiative. Portis will engage and convene key K–12 and post-secondary stakeholders, along with industry professionals to craft intentional synergy that builds skilled pipelines leading to viable and sustainable career opportunities.
A big picture thinker, Portis is most excited about how his efforts in this new role with MMAC ultimately contribute to improving the larger ecosystem of the Greater Milwaukee Metropolitan.
Caitlin Kerschner
Kerschner received her bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration from Winona State University. She graduated with a master’s degree in public policy from American University this spring. Her past internships include working at The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, Rise, INC. and The Hub Project.
Kerschner will serve as the governmental affairs specialist on the governmental affairs team at MMAC. Her responsibilities will include monitoring county and city legislative and political activities, serving as the daily point of contact in the Milwaukee County Courthouse and Milwaukee City Hall on behalf of MMAC and tracking the MPS board’s activities.
Kerschner is most excited to research and track local and state policies, specifically those related to K-12 education and infrastructure, as well as building relationships with officials, partners and stakeholders on behalf of MMAC.
