LGBT Chamber launches new Business Leadership Academy

MILWAUKEE – This week, the award-winning Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce announced the launch of its new Business Leadership Academy. The Business Leadership Academy is a year-long program focused on developing and fostering the next generation of LGBTQ and allied leaders in the workplace.

“Today’s business environment for both small businesses and corporations requires leadership skills like effective communication, creativity, collaboration and the ability to motivate,” said Jason Rae, President & CEO of the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “We want to help our members make sure they have the knowledge and tools to grow in their roles.”

The 2019 Business Leadership Academy will meet monthly from February to December on the second Tuesday of each month from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. These workshops will be held in the Milwaukee area. Topics that will be addressed during the program include: Effective Communication, Managing People, Business Financials, Productive Conflict and more.

Interested individuals are encouraged to apply for the program today. Applications are available online at https://wislgbtchamber.com/application/. Applications are due by January 8, 2019. The cost for each participant in the program is $1,500.

“Together, we can break the rainbow ceiling and help get more LGBTQ people into senior leadership positions at businesses and companies in the state,” added Rae.

This past summer, the LGBT Chamber released a study showing that organizations and businesses with one or more LGBT people in senior leadership positions report higher overall firm performance than organizations with no LGBT leadership. The study was commissioned by the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce and conducted by researchers at Marquette University.

“The study showed what we have been saying for years — having LGBT people in leadership positions, whether it as a CEO, a business owner, a part of senior management or on the Board of Directors, is good for a business’s bottom line,” said Jason Rae, President & CEO of the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “We’re launching the Business Leadership Academy to ensure we have great LGBT leaders who can be in these business leadership roles.”

More information on the new Business Leadership Academy can be found online at https://wislgbtchamber.com/businessleadershipacademy/.

The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce is an organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and LGBT-allied businesses, corporations and professionals throughout the state of Wisconsin. It offers networking opportunities, business development efforts within the LGBT community, and educational programming to its members. The organization has more than 575 members from around the state. In 2015, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce received the National Chamber of the Year Award from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). More information can be found online at: www.wislgbtchamber.com.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.