TEMPO Elects New Board of Directors as Organization Celebrates 50 Years of Empowering Women Leaders

MILWAUKEE (May 13, 2025) — As TEMPO celebrates its momentous 50th anniversary of furthering the impact of women leaders in our community, members have elected Ana Simpson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, as board chair of the organization effective May 1, 2025.

In this landmark year, TEMPO members also elected three new board members at the organization’s annual meeting last month. They include Dina Abercrombie, Northwestern Mutual Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education, Kareeda Chones-Aguam, Sr. Vice President of Partner Strategy and Management with the Milwaukee Bucks and Sarah Maio, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Wisconsin Center, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Miller High Life Theatre. Each was elected to serve for up to three, three-year terms.

“Ana has been an instrumental member of TEMPO, demonstrating exceptional leadership as chair elect before taking on this new role. Her appointment during our golden anniversary year is particularly meaningful as we celebrate five decades of advancing women leaders across all industries,” said Jen Dirks, President and CEO of TEMPO. “Ana embodies our mission of furthering the impact of women leaders, a mission that has guided our organization for 50 remarkable years.”

Board Leadership Positions, Re-elections

Heather Turner Loth, Practice Leader – Project Development and Principal Shareholder at Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA), assumes the role of past chair. Tracie Parent with Kahler Slater will join the executive committee as treasurer, while serving as director of finance. Aliya Pitts, a Nonprofit Consultant, takes on the role of Emerging Women Leaders Chair, and Angela Pittman-Taylor, Director of Corporate Communications with Baird, will serve as Communications Chair. Kelly Turnquist, Chief Membership Officer of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast joins as Membership Chair.

Four board members were re-elected to three-year terms: DeVona Wright-Cottrell, Victoria Haas, Linda Hogan, and Erickajoy Daniels.

“We also acknowledge our outgoing board member, Lori Richards, and thank her for her leadership and service to TEMPO during this historic period in our organization’s journey,” added Dirks.

TEMPO Foundation Board Elected During Anniversary Year

Members also approved a 2025-26 TEMPO Foundation board to oversee activities of the 501(c)3 charitable arm of the organization. TEMPO members elected Brook Mayborne, Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer with the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee as board chair of the TEMPO Foundation effective May 1, 2025.

TEMPO members also elected Sadhna Morato-Lindvall with Froedtert Health as Chair Elect; Michelle Burmeister, Program Director for Siebert Lutheran Foundation as Foundation Grants Chair; and Alicia Kiser, Vice President of Human Resources at M3 Insurance, to join the Foundation Board as director-at-large. Dirks serves as an ex officio member of the Foundation board.

In addition, Felisa Parris, Ann Miletti, Brenda Campbell, and Kimberly Thekan were re-elected for another term on the Foundation board.

“As we celebrate 50 years of women in leadership, the TEMPO Foundation continues to be a driving force in supporting women’s leadership development through scholarships and grants,” said Dirks. “With this exceptional group of leaders at the helm, we look forward to expanding our impact and creating even more opportunities for women to thrive in their careers for the next half century.”

“Throughout our 50-year history, the TEMPO Foundation has awarded more than $525,000 in educational scholarships and $100,000 in grants to both emerging and experienced women leaders in our community,” said Dirks. “In this milestone year, I look forward to working with the Foundation board to continue to expand the impact of TEMPO’s charitable efforts and build on our legacy of championing women’s leadership.”

About TEMPO Milwaukee:

TEMPO is a group of more than 500 executive women and nearly 300 emerging women leaders who have spoken up, risen above and defied conventions to succeed. Its mission is to further the impact of women leaders in our community. TEMPO serves its diverse membership of executive, senior, C-level leaders through educational programming and professional development, networking opportunities, relationship building, and mentoring, with the goal of empowering women to achieve and sustain leadership roles. TEMPO’s emerging women leaders group represents the future generation of our organization. For more information on TEMPO and our 50th anniversary celebrations, visit www.tempomilwaukee.org. Thank you for your continued support.

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.