Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service: Announces new board member

The Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service is excited to announce that Dr. Maysee Herr has joined the Board of Advisors.

Dr. Maysee Herr is Chief Executive Officer of HWCC (Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides technical and financial assistance to entrepreneurs and business startups in historically underinvested and underbanked communities. Prior to joining HWCC, Dr. Herr was an associate professor of education at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Dr. Herr co-founded Hmong Phoojywg (Friend) Enrichment Program in Central Wisconsin in 2012 as a way to provide youth the opportunity to learn how to speak Hmong and to understand Hmong culture and history. She has been a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant for numerous organizations in the nonprofit and for-profit world for many years. Dr. Herr was one of the founding members of Toward One Wausau, a grassroots committee of community members and local stakeholders whose mission was to bring about unity and understanding through community dialogues. She is currently a co-chair of the Toward One Wisconsin Conference happening 2023. 

While living in Wausau, she was very active in the community, serving as board members of the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin as well as Marathon County Child Development Agency, among others. She is currently a board member for Employ Milwaukee and on the advisory committee for Forward 48, an organization originally founded in Milwaukee that was created to develop and increase civic-minded and diverse leadership.

“WIPPS is an organization that I have had the pleasure of knowing over the years through some of the good work we’ve done together in the community. It is this experience with WIPPS that gives me the confidence I can play a valuable role on its board. I’m proud to serve WIPPS in this capacity, “ says Dr. Herr.   

Dr. Herr was most recently recognized as Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) MarketPlace 2022 CEO of the Year and 2023 TITAN’s Top 100 CEOs in Wisconsin. In the last two years, she has been selected as a BizTimes Media Notable Minority Executive, one of 48 Most Influential Asian Americans in Wisconsin by Madison365, and nominated as a Non-Profit Leader of the Year by Madison 365. 

“On behalf of all of the staff and board members, I’d like to welcome and thank Dr. Maysee Herr,” said Eric Giordano, WIPPS executive director. “Not only for joining the WIPPS board, but for her tireless efforts to make Wisconsin a better and more equitable place for all.”

ABOUT WIPPS

Founded in 2007, the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS) is a unit of the University of Wisconsin System. Our mission is to address local, state, and national issues by linking public scholarship, civic outreach, and student service to enhance community life throughout Wisconsin.