Milwaukee DNC host committee reveals contracting criteria, diversity team leaders
Jim Milner (left) was named chief diversity and intentional inclusion adviser of the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee and Lafayette Crump (right) was named vice president of diversity, vendor accountability and growth.
The Democratic National Convention host committee announced its Milwaukee diversity and inclusion leaders and criteria for selecting contractors and vendors including environmental efforts and worker policies — specifically a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave.
The committee told the Milwaukee Business Journal that its process is designed to ensure that the July 2020 Milwaukee convention’s more than $200 million economic impact “is shared with significant community and minority support, to levels never seen before.”
To that end, the host committee said it retained two well-known Milwaukee consultants on its senior staff for diversity and intentional inclusion: Lafayette Crump, as vice president of diversity, vendor accountability and growth; and Jim Milner as chief diversity and intentional inclusion advisor.
“We will focus on engaging all minority communities, as well as veteran, LGBTQ, and disability communities serving in a leading role, not as an afterthought,” said host committee president Liz Gilbert. “We will also hold our vendor partners accountable to our strong, working family values, and we will express that organized labor is a gateway to a stronger middle class.”
The committee said its requests for proposals will be conducted on a rolling basis as needed. The objective is to create capacity-building projects that align small business growth and market sustainability, the committee said.
The committee will pre-qualify vendors and suppliers in the coming weeks and said it will widely promote an engagement effort via digital avenues and communities.
Among the evaluation criteria for vendors are technical expertise, community engagement, environmental efforts including carbon neutrality and recycling. The host committee said it will place an emphasis on collaboration, alliances, and partnerships.
Crump joins the committee on loan from Prism Technical Management & Marketing Services LLC of Milwaukee, where he serves as chief operating officer. His firm has worked on supplier and workforce diversity targets for Milwaukee projects such as Fiserv Forum, the Northwestern Mutual Tower & Commons and the Milwaukee Streetcar.
Milner is the owner and managing director of Sector Management Consulting Group with more than 35 years of providing business and professional services and strategies, coaching and advising in the Milwaukee community and beyond. He has worked with a range of Milwaukee businesses and organizations, including We Energies, Milwaukee Public Schools, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Manpower- Group, Associated Bank, the city of Milwaukee and the Social Development Commission.
