AALAM Announces $500,000 Anchor Investment to Develop Milwaukee’s Future Leaders at Annual Community Meeting
MILWAUKEE — (October 5, 2026) — Angela S. Adams, President and CEO of the African American Leadership Alliance Milwaukee (AALAM), a nonprofit, cross-sector network dedicated to developing, supporting, and positioning Milwaukee’s talent pool, today announced a $500,000 anchor investment from the Brico Fund to support the organization’s next phase of growth. Building on nearly two decades of leadership development, AALAM will expand from preparing individual leaders through its flagship African American Leadership Program to serving as a regional leadership platform that develops, connects, and advances talent while strengthening the leadership pipeline employers and institutions need to compete and thrive. The investment marks the first significant philanthropic commitment supporting AALAM’s new strategic plan and provides critical momentum as the organization deepens its role as a platform for leadership development, advancement, and engagement across the Milwaukee region. By accelerating future commitments into immediate investment, the Brico Fund has enabled AALAM to strengthen capacity now rather than over time, allowing the organization to begin advancing key strategic priorities and opportunities for growth.
The investment will help extend AALAM’s reach and impact, enabling the organization to cultivate deeper connections, broaden its influence, and reinforce the talent and civic ecosystem that fuels Milwaukee’s future. AALAM’s strategic plan is grounded in a simple premise: Milwaukee’s future depends on its ability to develop, retain, and advance talent. As employers and institutions face growing leadership and succession challenges, AALAM is investing in new ways to nurture talent, mobilize its network, and create greater avenues for influence, advancement, and community contribution throughout a professional’s career.
“This investment allows us to build on what has made AALAM successful while expanding our capacity to support leadership growth across the region,” said Angela S. Adams, President and CEO of AALAM. “Our new strategic plan reflects what we heard from employer partners and community leaders: Milwaukee needs stronger leadership pathways, stronger connections across sectors, and greater alignment around developing and advancing talent. We believe AALAM can play an important role in helping to build that future.”
Since 2008, AALAM has helped cultivate leaders who are making meaningful contributions across Milwaukee’s business, nonprofit, civic, and public sectors.
“AALAM has established a strong track record of developing leaders who are making meaningful contributions across Milwaukee,” said Lynde Uihlein, founder of Brico Fund. “As the organization looks ahead, we see an opportunity to build upon that foundation and strengthen its capacity to convene, connect, and lead in new ways. Accelerating this investment reflects our confidence in AALAM’s leadership, its strategic direction, and its potential for long-term community impact.”
“Our strategic plan is not about changing who we are,” Adams said. “Developing leaders remains the cornerstone of our work. The opportunity before us is to build on that foundation by creating stronger pathways for leadership growth, advancement, and engagement. This investment gives us the capacity to expand how we develop leaders, activate our alumni network, and strengthen the leadership infrastructure Milwaukee needs for the future.”
AALAM will share additional details about its strategic priorities during its Annual Community Meeting on October 8, where alumni, partners, funders, and community leaders will gather to celebrate leadership and explore how stronger leadership ecosystems can contribute to Milwaukee’s future competitiveness and growth.
About AALAM
The African American Leadership Alliance Milwaukee (AALAM) is a nonprofit, cross-sector network dedicated to developing, connecting, and advancing leadership talent critical to Milwaukee’s future. Building on a proven foundation of leadership development, AALAM is expanding opportunities for leaders to grow, advance, and contribute across the business, nonprofit, civic, and public sectors. Learn more at https://www.aalamilwaukee.org.
About Brico Fund
Brico Fund is a grantmaking organization founded in 1990 in Milwaukee by donor Lynde B. Uihlein. Over the years, Brico has expanded its efforts, providing grants to projects benefiting women, the environment and the communities of Southeastern Wisconsin.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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