Brand Milwaukee III: Milwaukee Transplants

Culture x Design presents Brand Milwaukee III: Milwaukee Transplants, the next conversation in the Creative Futures series exploring how Milwaukee’s image, identity, and reputation shape the city’s future.

This panel brings together five creative and civic-minded voices — moderator Kim Shine, alongside Elmer Moore, Aaron Price, CK Ledesma, and Gevonchai Hudnall — each of whom came to Milwaukee from elsewhere and has developed a unique relationship with the city. Through their personal stories, the conversation will examine what draws people to Milwaukee, what convinces them to build a life or career here, and what conditions sometimes cause talented people to leave.

At the heart of the discussion is one of Milwaukee’s most important long-term challenges: how do we move from brain drain to brain gain? Milwaukee is a city with deep cultural assets, creative energy, strong neighborhoods, and growing opportunities, but it also struggles with perception, visibility, access, and retention. For newcomers, transplants, and returning residents, the way Milwaukee is branded — both internally and externally — can influence whether the city feels open, exciting, connected, and full of possibility, or limited, fragmented, and difficult to navigate.

Brand Milwaukee III will explore how Milwaukee’s story is told, who gets included in that story, and how the city can better position itself as a place where creative professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, and community leaders want to stay, grow, and invest. The conversation will look honestly at the tension between Milwaukee’s promise and its challenges, asking how the city can improve its image without ignoring the real barriers that shape people’s experiences.

By centering the perspectives of people who chose Milwaukee, this discussion invites attendees to think more deeply about what makes a city magnetic, what makes people feel rooted, and what Milwaukee must do to become a stronger destination for talent, creativity, and innovation.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Culture x Design