Office of African American Affairs
Affordable land and leasing costs, abundant fresh water, an educated workforce, low business costs and easy access to financing, technical assistance and efficient transportation have helped local businesses succeed and grow.
Find information about things to do and happenings in the City of Milwaukee.
Office of Equity & Inclusion
Bernadette Karanja is Chief Equity Officer of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. In this role, she oversees the city’s racial equity and inclusion efforts, the Office of Workforce Development, the city’s small business development program, and serves as a liaison to the Equal Rights Commission. Ms. Karanja is a Kenyan-American who immigrated to the United States 22 years ago. Prior to immigrating to the US she was a business owner, and as a result of this experience she has a unique understanding of the challenges of managing a business. Ms. Karanja has over two decades of workforce development experience, 17 of which have been in senior management roles and seven of which have been in small business inclusion work. Ms. Karanja is a hands-on leader, adept at driving for results, motivating people and capable of moving from higher-level planning to tactical collaboration. Examples of her leadership efforts include integrating regional workforce development models into Fatherhood, Healthy Relationship, Re-entry, and Head Start models including Mayor Barrett’s Compete Milwaukee Program, and DirectConnectMKE, Milwaukee Common Council’s first workforce development social media platform.
Dontreal Teague serves as the Business Inclusion Program Coordinator with the Office of Equity and Inclusion. Dontreal is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a degree in Urban Geography & Planning. With a half decade of experience working with Small Businesses, he is ready to assist with your business needs.
Kate Pawasarat serves as the Community Analytics Analyst in the Office of Equity and Inclusion, working in collaboration with city leaders, staff, and partners to advance racial equity in city government and throughout Milwaukee. With a background in applied research, community development, and environmental justice, she seeks to inform decision-making through innovative approaches in data analytics, data visualization, and mapping.
Rebecca Rabatin has been the City of Milwaukee’s ADA Coordinator since July 2016. Before her current position she worked seven years as Department of Public Works Building and Bridges’ Construction Project Coordinator and prior to that four years with the Department of Neighborhood Services Code Enforcement. Ms. Rabatin came to the City after numerous years spent project managing for a civil contractor and several consulting firms.
Ms. Rabatin gained firsthand knowledge of the challenges persons with disabilities face on a consistent basis from her past experience as a caregiver and former board member of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Huntington Disease Society of America.