American Family Insurance is Intentionally Giving Back to the City of Milwaukee
American Family Insurance is making their stamp in Milwaukee, and it’s creating a positive ripple effect for local businesses and community members. Back in December of 2019, AmFam announced their plans to move their work in Pewaukee to a downtown office in Milwaukee. Along with moving 200 to 250 employees to their new building, approximately 150 new jobs will be created.
As American Family Insurance’s Chief Operating Officer, Telisa Yancy is using her background and experiences to make sure the company is making the best impact it can and that people from all backgrounds see the company as a brand that supports the community with products, services and opportunities. Although Yancy doesn’t directly have her hands in the many things going on in Milwaukee, she is both happy and proud to know the team is doing all that they are for the city.
Yancy is from the Southside of Chicago and visits Milwaukee from time to time, and said it always feels like home. She loves coming to town and seeing people that look like her. According to Yancy, AmFam is consciously making decisions so that other Black and Brown people can have their voices heard and and see themselves as part of their community of customers and employees.
“We all have the right to upscale our dreams,” Yancy said.
According to AmFam’s Community Investment and Corporate Philanthropy Expert Judd Schemmel, AmFam believes Milwaukee is a great a place to do business, but they also understand that they have to show up in the community.
They believe so much in the city that AmFam has partnered with Summerfest and the Brewers making AmFam the presenting sponsor of Summerfest and the owners of the naming rights to the Brewers’ ballpark.
“It’s important to support the quality of life in a community,” Schemmel said.
He added that AmFam understands there’s a lot to tap into in the City and how they want to make sure they are honing and recruiting those talents. To do this, AmFam has added prominent community leaders to their team like Ranell Washington.
Telisa Yancy, Ranell Washington and Judd Schemmel. (Pictures provided by American Family Insurance)
Before accepting the position as AmFam’s Partnership Development Advisor, Washington was the VP of business banking at Town Banking. Washington needed some time to think over if he wanted to take the position with AmFam because of where he was heading with his previous employer, but he realized that he could make a bigger impact with AmFam.
“American Family Insurance is invested into helping the community. It’s not new,” said Washington.
Washington, JoAnne Sabir and Leana Nakielski are all working as a team for AmFam to make sure that the right people are being helped. He said it’s the passion that they all have for Milwaukee that pushes their work.
Together these three are bringing STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) straight to the community. Recently, AmFam donated $50,000 to support Sherman Phoenix’s STEAM & Dream program: a program to support K-12 students and young adults interested in STEAM.
The program was supposed to be held in-person but is now virtual. To make this happen, AmFam partnered with local businesses, such as Jet Constellations, founded by Nadiyah Johnson. Free laptops are also being given out to students, so they’re able to participate in the program.
If your child is looking to participate and needs access to a computer or you want to mentor a student in the STEAM & Dream program, email info@jetconstellations.com or call 414-758-6599. For information on AmFam, click here.