Milwaukee National Family Engagement Fellowship

Jorge Mayorga is a Family & Community Engagement Associate with Milwaukee Public Schools. In his current role, he supports school leaders, parent coordinators, and school staff to partner with families in efforts for closing the achievement gap. Some of his major accomplishments include directing a Head Start Center, database manager, and advocacy work on behalf of immigrant families. He was born in El Salvador and raised in New York. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and in his leisure, time enjoys playing classical guitar, working on home remodeling projects, and listening to podcasts. What excites him about working in education is creating equitable opportunities for families of all backgrounds.

Connect with Jorge via LinkedIn.

Kellie J. Sigh is the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Customer Service with Milwaukee Public Schools.  Her team is responsible for family and community engagement, partnerships, alumni & student engagement, volunteer services, and customer service.  Sigh’s vision for the department includes helping to create a sense of belonging for MPS families, alumni, students, and volunteers.  She is in her 8th year with MPS and brings over 20 years of corporate and public service experience to the district.

Sigh has a Bachelor’s Degree, conferred with honors, from Alverno College in Professional Communication.  She also holds an M.B.A. in Corporate Communication/Public Relations from Concordia University-Wisconsin where she also serves as an adjunct professor.  Sigh’s side gigs include facilitation and training,  voice-over work, public speaking and client relations training.  In her spare time she enjoys trying new restaurants, spending time with close friends and attending plays with her husband and two adult children.

Her top strengths are: Developer, Belief, Responsibility, Adaptability, and Maximizer.

Connect with Kellie via LinkedIn.

LaNelle has been in the youth development profession for more than 20 years. He’s lent his expertise to organizations such as the YMCA, Milwaukee County Youth Detention Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and several other youth-serving organizations. He is a graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI with a Bachelor’s in Pre-Law and Criminology and Master’s in Public Administration. LaNelle most recently was the Director of Black and Latino Male Achievement Department for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). His role is to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to improve the academic and life outcomes of Black and Latino male students throughout the school district. LaNelle is now the Executive Director of MENTOR Greater Milwaukee, where the mission is to increase Mentoring relationships by building the capacity of existing mentoring organizations matching a caring adult with children in need through safe, effective mentoring programs throughout Greater Milwaukee.

LaNelle believes in meeting families and youth where they are and provides resources that help them build self-confidence, reinforce dignity and respect, and create pathways to success. Prior to his role at MPS, LaNelle spent 13 years working with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee serving in roles as Executive Branch Director, Area Director, and most recently Senior Director of Programs, where he oversaw a multitude of administrative and programming for families and youth, including family and youth events and family/youth recruitment/engagement strategies and direct services programming for youth.

Connect with LaNelle via LinkedIn.

Leon Groce is the proud principal of the Audubon Technology and Communications Center. He is a proud alumnus of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) by way of Riverside University High School. He considers himself a living testimony that MPS can prepare its scholars for post-secondary achievement. As the building principal of Audubon, Leon serves as a leader who provides students with an enriching learning experience. He is committed to presenting every student with the services of highly qualified teachers, culturally relevant practices, engaging learning activities, and rigorous curriculum. Leon was the inaugural principal in a summer program entitled “Be the Change”, designed around increasing the literacy skills of black males. The program was specific to urban youth whose parents were looking for mentorship and there was a weekly outing involving the families in community building activities. Leon is currently in a partnership with a local arts program whose focus is on improving family time through the arts. His goal is to extend to families an open invitation to participate without reservation, in a practice that promotes accountability, goal setting, reflection, recognition, appreciation, and love… Family Engagement!

Connect with Leon via LinkedIn.

Shannon is the Director of Innovative Strategies for Boys and Men of Color for United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. A purpose-driven service leader, Shannon leads work that helps to shift the culture of health, education, financial stability, and mentoring systems through strategic and empathetic development.

In his role, he works to expand United Way’s partnership with community-based organizations, advocating to collectively counteract the most critical issues that plague boys and men of color, specifically in the Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County low-income communities. Shannon’s range of expertise on local and national issues is rooted in his ability in creating a mutually beneficial cohesion between public and private sectors, all the while progressing his vision for boys and men of color.

Shannon holds a master’s degree in Business Management from Cardinal Stritch University, and a bachelor’s degree in Management of Information Systems with a minor in Business from Upper Iowa University. Reed serves as a board member for the Black Male Achievement Advisory Council, Continuum of Care Homelessness Executive Board, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Black Male Advisory Board.

Connect with Shannon via LinkedIn.