By Ana Martinez-Ortiz
Hinton will begin her new position of Executive Director of UNCOM in February.
In early January with the spirit of resolutions and change in the air, United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee, known as UNCOM announced their new executive director, Michelle Hinton.
According to their website, UNCOM began in 1995. The driving force behind the union of several neighborhood centers included finding ways to address local issues and utilizing the resources at hand.
The website explains, that upon discovering how similar issues affected multiple areas, the neighborhoods decided to band together and create a solution that could help multiple people across Milwaukee.
UNCOM is comprised of eight agencies: City on a Hill, COA Youth & Family Centers, Journey House, Milwaukee Christian Center, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, Northcott Neighborhood House, Neu-Life Community Development and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center.
In 2003, they were formally recognized as a charitable organization and thus were able to hire a team of employees. Today, UNCOM boasts to employing 930 people who work and operate across their eight agencies.
Among those employees, stands a new leader: Hinton.
As executive director, Hinton will be an advocate and promoter of UNCOM’s mission and vision which their website states is “to strengthen city neighborhoods by combining and enhancing the assets of our partner agencies to improve the quality of life for urban families.”
In addition to the aforementioned partners, UNCOM also works with Running Rebels and the Zilber Family Foundation, specifically as an “operating partner” with the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative.
While promoting the mission, Hinton will also oversee UNCOM’s administration, operations, programs and services. Their programs are divided into six categories: Early Childhood, Education & Employment, Family Programming, Health & Nutrition, Neighborhood Development and Youth Safe Places.
Before joining the UNCOM family, Hinton worked as a regional corporate relations director for the American Cancer Society. She’d been in the position for seven years.
Her background, which spans nearly twenty years of experience includes a long list of nonprofits, philanthropic work and community work. She received her BA from Alverno College and her MBA from Cardinal Stritch University and has been an active member of the civic community.
For example, she worked as the Program Director for the YMCA, located in Metropolitan Milwaukee and her civic work lists places such as Professional Dimensions Charitable Fund, Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Wisconsin Minority Health Council and the African American Women’s Fund Advisory Board. Additionally, she for Aurora Health Care in management positions.
Needless to say, Hinton’s experience both professionally and civically has prepared her for her new role as Executive Director.
UNCOM, which also includes a volunteer number of 3,200 persons, is looking forward to striving under this new leadership. Hinton will officially begin working under her new title in February until then more information regarding UNCOM can be found at https://www.uncom-milw.org/login.asp.