Jason Rae

Jason Rae

Where do you work and what makes your role awesome? 

I’ve got the privilege of working at a small public affairs firm in Milwaukee called Nation Consulting. I started here as an intern and have worked my way up over the past eight years. What I love most about my role is I get to interact and work with so many different clients — from nonprofits, to corporations, to political candidates and more. Each day is something different and I love learning how to tackle a new problem. My favorite part at Nation Consulting is helping to create and grow organizations. One of the clients I work with is the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce that I helped found 4 years ago. I serve as Executive Director of the LGBT Chamber and have helped build something out of nothing. We have more than 467 businesses as members and growing every day. I love that where I work I can do create and run organizations that are making a difference.

How long have you lived in your city & what brought you here?

I’ve lived in Milwaukee since August of 2005. I moved to town from Rice Lake, Wisconsin (about 5 hours to the northwest) to attend Marquette University and ended up never leaving. My husband, Phillip, and I own a home down in Bay View and just are in love with this City and all it has to offer.

What local restaurant is at the top of your list?

Milwaukee has a ton of amazing restaurants but the one I find myself at most often is Cafe Centraal for the fish fry on Fridays. Its not far from our house and we can always get a great table.

What is your biggest hope for your city?

My biggest hope is that we continue to see strong, young leaders rise up and make their voice heard and get involved in the political process. We’re already seeing that now with great elected officials like Alderman Cavalier Johnson and Representative Evan Goyke. I hope to see a lot more of that of that. We need vibrant leaders with vision stepping up and running for office.

What is your city’s favorite tradition?

I’m a huge fireworks fan! So I love that nearly every festival has them. But the best is during the 4th of July with the Big Bang on the 3rd and the local shows on the 4th. I can’t get enough of them during the summer!

What does an ideal weekend in your city look like?

If I could plan an ideal weekend, it would start with going out for a Friday Night Fish Fry and an Old Fashioned. Saturday would include going to see a play somewhere, maybe dinner and drinks with friends. Sunday would involve going to Church at the Bay View United Methodist Church, and then just lounging with my husband and dog. I travel a lot so I enjoy the quiet weekends without too much on the agenda.

What’s your favorite hidden gem or secret fact about your city?

My favorite spot that I’ve only been to a few times is the observation level at the top of the US Bank Building. For a few years, I’ve done the Fight for Air Climb in the building where you climb all 47 flights from the bottom to the top. And the view from the top is just amazing! I wish it were open on a regular basis for folks to get to see all the glory that is Milwaukee.