Adamali De La Cruz is the Education and Griot Coordinator at America’s Black Holocaust Museum. She is a graduate of Marquette University's History department with a focus on medieval studies. She joined ABHM as a Griot/Center for Urban Research and Teaching Outreach (CURTO) Intern in 2022 and formally joined the ABHM Ed. Dept in 2023. As the Education and Griot Coordinator, Adamali has developed the Junior Griot Program for high school students, coordinates with volunteers, has assisted in formalizing the college internship program at ABHM, and writing of virtual exhibits and other public history projects that ABHM contributes to. In 2024, Adamali was also selected as a member of Made by Us’ Youth 250 Bureau as one of the 100 young adults being trained and activated to serve as a hotline of young advisors for historic institutions.

Mia Phifer is the Senior Education, Collections, & Outreach Coordinator at America’s Black Holocaust Museum. She is a trained Public Historian who earned her M.A. in History at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, along with certificates in Museum Studies and Nonprofit Management. Her expertise is in historical research & writing, collections management, curriculum development, advocacy, and educational programming. At ABHM, Mia designs and implements ABHM’s educational programs, manages the museum’s collections and archives, and initiates and sustains ongoing partnerships and collaborations locally and nationally.

Mary recently retired from her second career as a Communication Instructor at WCTC. While at WCTC she has developed curriculum in the areas of emotional intelligence, managing change and working with difficult people. Prior to WCTC Mary worked at Rockwell Automation as Manager for Employee Advocacy. Mary has a passion to cultivate collaborative relationships.
Mary now is active with American Association of University Women (AAUW) and League of Women’s Voters (LWV) Speaker’s Bureau.
Complementing Mary’s passion for advocacy, she is also a member of the Wisconsin Diamond Dancers, a group of high energy women over fifty dancing in local area parades to some our timeless favorites like Dancing Queen and RESPECT.

Melanie Leyva is a community-centered leader and public health advocate dedicated to advancing health equity, immigrant rights, and civic engagement. She is a recent Marquette University alum (Class of 2025) and previously interned on Capitol Hill as a congressional intern, where she gained experience in public policy and legislative processes. Melanie currently serves as the Statewide College Organizer for Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) at Voces de la Frontera, where she supports student organizing and leadership development across campuses. She is also a former 414 Fellows Student Director with AmeriCorps and has worked with Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers as a Social Determinants of Health Intern. Her work is grounded in empowering communities, amplifying underrepresented voices, and building pathways for collective action.

Cierra Reed and Zashary Torres are the President and Secretary respectively for the Greater Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals. Cierra works professionally as Finance Manager for a Global Insurance company and Zashary as Fund and Outreach Coordinator for the North West Side Community Development Corporation. Cierra and Zashary lead outreach, communications, and advocacy initiatives as executive members of the GMULYP. 

Benjamin Rangel is from Racine, Wisconsin and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015 and from Marquette University with his Masters in International Affairs in 2019. While at UW-Madison he studied in Washington DC and worked for the refugee resettlement organization, the International Rescue Committee. Following his graduation from UW-Madison, Ben began working at Pulaski High School for College Possible, a non-profit that helps low-income students to and through college. After College Possible, he worked as the AmeriCorps Member Development Coordinator at City Year Milwaukee. He currently is on the history faculty at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. In 2017, he and co-creator Kyle Hagge created Bridge the City, a podcast whose mission is to bridge together people, resources, and ideas that inspire Milwaukee to action.