It takes the average Latina, 12 extra months to earn what the average White, non-Hispanic man earns. That is because Latinas are only paid .55 cents to the dollar of […]

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On today’s show, host Ali Muldrow speaks with the new Co-CEO and Chief People Officer for the Overture Center, Victor Patterson. They discuss the role of the arts in shaping Madison’s culture, how Patterson developed his philosophy of leadership, and the jazz music and gospel plays that shaped him.

Patterson describes how his upbringing in Chicagoland set him on a path to community building. Supported by his loving extended family and inspired by music and sports, Patterson says that he now makes decisions in order to build a strong legacy.

Moving to Madison after decades working in corporate America, Patterson says that he stopped looking for bigger and bigger roles and instead chose Madison for the community. He says he’s ready to make a splash in this smaller pond and focus on creating seats at the table in Madison’s arts scene.

Inclusivity and diversity are authentic realities for Patterson who wants the Overture Center to be the “social heartbeat” for communities of color in Madison and see the venue become a regional player in the arts. They also discuss how leaders build strong teams, remain open to feedback, and refuse to see harm in failure.

Victor Patterson previously held senior human resources leadership roles with Lowe’s, H.B. Fuller and The Home Depot, where he led workforce planning, succession strategy, leadership development and organizational effectiveness efforts across regional and global teams. At Overture, Patterson oversees the People & Culture function, influencing business strategy and driving inclusion, access and belonging initiatives as well as overall organizational culture.

Featured image of Ali Muldrow and Victor Patterson courtesy of Sara Gabler/WORT.

The post New Co-CEO hopes Overture becomes Madison’s “Social Heartbeat” appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week a Supreme Court decision has, in the dissenting words of Justice Ketanj Brown Jackson, contributed to “pre-election chaos” ahead of the Midterms. The decision upholds a March executive order that sought to limit mail-in voting and stoke fears about immigrants. However, Wisconsin election officials are moving ahead with their regular plan for administering the election. To make sense of the decision in historical context and how it could impact voters, host Bert Zipperer is joined by two local experts, TR Edwards and Kristin Hansen.

Edwards describes the context of the recent SCOTUS decision, going as far back as the 1965 Voting Rights Act that enshrined the ideal of a pluralistic democracy. In the last ~20 years, Edwards says that we’ve seen an increasing lack of confidence in elections and a backsliding of the Voting Rights Act, culminating in the Louisiana v. Callais case.

Hansen says that voting early, voting by mail, and using drop boxes are more popular than ever. But conservatives are hard at work finding novel ways to disenfranchise voters, like using technology to gerrymander districts. In Wisconsin, elections are run at the municipal level, ensuring that they are secure and transparent. The rise of election denialism and outright conspiracies is nevertheless alarming, and at some point sowing chaos can turn into a form of voter suppression.

They also discuss the issue of Wisconsin’s Congressional maps and anti-competitive gerrymandering, the need for limits to direct campaign contributions, and more.

You can still order an absentee ballot in Wisconsin at myvote.wi.gov. Nothing has changed about Wisconsin election administration at this time and the state has joined 25 other states in challenging this week’s SCOTUS ruling.

TR Edwards is Staff Counsel at Law Forward, Wisconsin’s only nonprofit, nonpartisan impact litigation firm focused on protecting democracy. A Milwaukee native and graduate of Marquette University Law School, TR began his career as a union organizer before becoming an attorney. He is also the proud father of three current college students. A former collegiate athlete, TR remains passionate about sports and competition, a competitive spirit he brings to his advocacy in and out of the courtroom.

Kristin Hansen is a professional voting rights advocate and a member of the board for Common Cause Wisconsin. She lives in Waukesha.

Featured image of a voter dropping a mail-in ballot into a drop box via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

The post Wisconsin Leads in Election Security as SCOTUS Backslides appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.