BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our work at Milwaukee Water Commons is governed by a dynamic Board of Directors.
They bring a diverse set of perspectives and skills to the table and help us move towards our mission of catalyzing Milwaukee as a true water city.
DINORAH MÁRQUEZ ABADIANO
Chairperson
Dinorah Marquez Abadiano, born in Mexico, moved to
El Paso, Texas at age 10 where she began her music studies. She did her undergraduate studies in American Studies and International Relations at Northwestern University and the University of Florence, Italy. Upon graduation she worked as Assistant Press Secretary for Chicago’s Mayor Harold Washington.
Dinorah returned to music full time and performed with various orchestras in Mexico, where she also established a violin program to support the continuation of dance music traditions in Xico, Veracruz. She received a Master’s Degree in Viola performance and String Pedagogy from UW Milwaukee. She went on to establish and direct the national award-winning Latino Arts Strings Program at the United Community Center.
In recognition for her work uplifting Latinx youth through music, she has been invited to the White House for the “Coming Up Taller Award,” and for a presidential event under the Obama administration. She was named “Milwaukee Artist and Milwaukee Music Teacher of the Year,” received the “National Afterschool Innovator” Award and Wisconsin’s “Martin Luther King Heritage Award.”
TINA JOHNSON
Secretary
Jonette (Tina) Johnson works in community-based research at the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Cancer Center. Tina currently serves as the lead coordinator for the Men Moving Forward research study under the direction of Dr. Melinda Stolley. Men Moving Forward, is a lifestyle study for African American prostate cancer survivors to help improve quality of life and cancer prevention through diet, stress management and exercise.
Tina has worked on several noteworthy studies since starting out in 2009 at the Zablocki VAMC as a research assistant. Her past studies include SPRINT; nationwide long-term systolic blood pressure intervention trial; Million Veteran Program; nationwide research program to develop genetic and health information database of one million veterans and POWER II; community-based blood pressure study at 53 SE Wisconsin veteran service organizations teaching peer-to-peer blood pressure monitoring and education.
As a coordinator for a community-based study, Tina has been able to use skills developed as a community organizer with key connections within grassroots organizations to successfully recruit in the Milwaukee community.
ALEX HAGLER
Vice Chairperson
Alexander Hagler is an entrepreneur, urban gardener and wellness advocate based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An experienced and avid gardener, Alex co-owns and operates A&M Provisions, makers of handcrafted fermented hot pepper sauce and seasoning blends made with their homegrown specialty hot peppers.
DENIENE POWELL
Treasurer
Deneine Powell is the director of Eco America’s Path to Positive Communities - a national climate advocacy program. A thought leader in nonprofit leadership, climate advocacy, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI); and with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and private sector, Deneine has expertise in leadership development, community outreach, food security, brownfield redevelopment, and youth job training. She serves as the Vice president of the board of directors for Groundwork USA.
Deneine received her MS in Organizational Leadership from Marian University and her BA from the University of Minnesota. And when she's not working, you can find her in her garden in Menomonee Falls, WI, with her husband, son, and daughter, and their dog Harper.
JEREMY SOLIN
Board Member
Jeremy Solin is the Wisconsin ThinkWater Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. ThinkWater (www.thinkwater.us) is a national movement of educators, students, managers, stewards, scientists, and citizens who think and care deeply about water. ThinkWater has developed extensive resources for youth water education and is now developing and implementing resources and programs for adult and community education. Previous to ThinkWater, Jeremy developed and supported K-12 environmental and sustainability education programs in the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education at UW-Stevens Point.
Jeremy is also a 5th generation Maple Syrup producer and the Co-Owner of Tapped Maple Syrup. He sees that Wisconsin could play a greater role in the maple syrup industry. Through the University of Wisconsin-Extension, and under Solin’s guidance, a diverse group of project collaborators have come together to develop tailored programming to meet the needs of maple syrup producers and help them overcome any barriers to getting started in the industry.