Learn Listen Love 2022

Portia Young 

Director of Corporate Public Relations

Keynote Speaker

Portia Young is the Director of Corporate Public Relations for Sargento Foods Inc.--a family-owned, $1.6 billion company based in Plymouth, Wis. In this role, Young has helped build the company’s external presence and reputation through developing a media relations strategy, executive visibility and compelling storytelling.  

Young is also the Emmy award-winning host of the broadcast news magazine program on Milwaukee PBS titled “10ThirtySix.”  The show focuses on important issues across Southeast Wisconsin and features in-depth reporting. 

Prior to her role in public relations and corporate communications, Young worked in broadcast news for more than 14 years as an anchor and reporter at three different ABC affiliates. Her longest tenure was at WISN TV in Milwaukee, Wis. where she was the morning anchor. During that time, she received several writing awards including two Emmy nominations.  

Young gives back to her community and serves on the board of directors for several organizations including the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Foundation, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, The Cathedral Center and Seton Catholic Schools. 

As the daughter of two educators, Young believes in lifelong learning. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications also from Northwestern. 

Young is married and lives with her husband and two daughters on Milwaukee’s Northshore. 

David J. Pate, Jr.

Associate Professor and Chair at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Panelist 

David J. Pate, Jr. is an Associate Professor and Chair at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, Department of Social Work and an Affiliated Associate Professor of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  

Professor Pate’s research projects involve examining the life course events of Black males thorough the use of qualitative research methods. In addition, he studies the child support enforcement system, infant mortality, and the well-being of African American adult males and females.  

He is a member of the Scholars Network on Masculinity and the Wellbeing of African American Males, a member of the Father Research and Practice Network Advisory Board (Temple University), a member of the Institute for Research on Poverty, National Research Center on Poverty and Economic Mobility Advisory Committee and a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR).  

He has appeared in The New York Times, Milwaukee Sentinel, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, WUWM (Milwaukee NPR affiliate), Wisconsin Public Radio, WNYC (New York NPR affiliate), and The Jim Lehrer Report (PBS Newshour).  

Professor Pate received a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Detroit, a Masters of Arts in Social Work from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration and then earned a Ph.D. in Social Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Brooks Griffin

Milwaukee Bucks

Panelist

Brooks Griffin is the Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator with the 2021 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks. In his role, Brooks coordinates a team dedicated to addressing racial injustice and social inequities in the state of Wisconsin, especially as they impact Black and Brown communities. 

Before joining The Milwaukee Bucks during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brooks worked 15 years for a diverse range of youth & family serving nonprofits, after-school centers and government agencies. Brooks specializes in youth health & wellbeing and has successfully served a variety of local and national partners, including The African American Breastfeeding Network, COA Youth & Family Centers, Wisconsin’s Office of Children’s Mental Health, Milwaukee’s Coalition For Children’s Mental Health, and The National Foundation to End Child Abuse & Neglect to name a few. 

Brooks helps youth, families and youth-serving professionals to achieve whatever they put their mind to by healing from their past, to grow into their purpose, in order to lead our world with love. After being admitted to a mental health complex as a teen student-athlete to achieve his dream of winning a NBA championship, Brooks now inspires other leaders on how to achieve success in the face of stress & burnout. 

Brooks uses his experiences, learned lessons, and evidence-informed approaches to rejuvenate his audiences to experience their full significance, potential and purpose. As the President of The INSPIRED Network, Brooks delivers empowering keynote, workshops and training on youth success, overcoming adversity and mental health awareness. He has delivered hundreds of presentations and has inspired over 10,000 young leaders in Wisconsin and across the world. 

While engaging with our young leaders and inspiring students, families and youth-serving professionals, he enjoys spending his time traveling with his two beautiful daughters, Harmonee & Brylee. That's right! He’s a #GirlDad!

Supreme Moore Omokunde

State Representative

Panelist

State Representative Supreme Moore Omokunde was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in November 2020 after serving on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors from 2015-2020. Born and raised in Milwaukee, State Representative Moore Omokunde learned the values of community and social empowerment through his parents, Rev. Dr. Tolokun Omokunde and Congresswoman Gwen Moore. From an early age, he has dedicated himself to the advancement of social justice and spent many years working for the betterment of his community before becoming a county supervisor and state representative.

Emilie Amundson

Wisconsin Department of Children and Families

Speaker

Governor Tony Evers appointed Emilie Amundson as the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) effective January 7, 2019. Secretary Amundson has over a decade of experience in state government with an intimate knowledge of children and youth programs and their interconnectedness to the health and vitality of our state.  

Amundson, a Wisconsin native, began her career as an English educator and school founding member in New York City, taught high school English in Middleton, and has done adjunct work with practicing teachers through the Bilingual Education Program at Edgewood College.  

Prior to DCF, Amundson served as the Chief of Staff for now Governor Evers at the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). During her time at DPI, Amundson advanced multiple statewide and cross-agency efforts in partnership with DCF, including early learning, early and family literacy, after school programming, intervention and prevention, homelessness, and youth justice.  

Amundson received her undergraduate degree from UW-Madison, her Master of Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education and has completed coursework toward a Ph.D. in Literacy Studies at UW-Madison. Amundson is the proud spouse of a teacher and the proud mom of two elementary school-aged children.

Mayra Diaz

Parent Leader and Group Facilitator

Mayra Diaz is a proud mother of a 14-year old daughter. She immigrated to the United States in 2000. In Mexico, Ms. Diaz earned a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, and currently, she is a pharmacy technician at St. Luke’s hospital. Ms. Diaz is a woman of Christian faith who found The Parenting Network when searching for programs that could support her while raising her young daughter. Since then, Ms. Diaz has participated in several programs with The Parenting Network, including Triple P, Strengthening Families 10-14, and Parent Cafés. She is a fierce advocate for parent support and serves as a Parent Leader and Group Facilitator with The Parenting Network.