John W. Daniels, Jr.
John W. Daniels Jr., chairman of Quarles and Brady LLP and one of the most preeminent real estate attorneys in the country, is the new chair of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation Board of Directors.
“John’s unique leadership style is a great asset to the Foundation,” said Douglas M. Jansson, president of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. “His commitment to the community, in his professional and personal lives, exemplifies the important work the Foundation is engaged in to improve the community.”
Daniels is well recognized in the legal and business communities, but is also well known for his volunteer work in the greater Milwaukee area. He was named the 2009 Lawyer of the Year by the Milwaukee Bar Association, received the 2008 Leadership Award from the National Bar Association and was identified nationally as one of the “100 Managing Partners You Need to Know” by Lawdragon.com.
Daniels, a graduate of Harvard Law School, was formerly the national president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Chambers USA® and Wisconsin Super Lawyers ®. He was also listed in The Business Journal of Milwaukee 2009 Power Book. He is the only African American chairman of an AmLaw 200 law firm. Daniels, along with Attorney General Eric Holder and other leading lawyers, was named one of the 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America. In 2009, he was named to the national Hall of Fame by the National Black Law Students Association.
Daniels is also actively engaged in many community organizations. He is vice chairman of the Greater Milwaukee Committee and serves on the man of the Greater Milwaukee Committee and serves on the boards of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Ralph Evinrude Foundation, Zilber Neighborhood Initiative, Aurora Health Care and Marshall & Ilsley Corporation. He previously served on the boards of the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Milwaukee.
Daniels and his wife Irma received the John and Irma Daniels Humanitarian Award for St. Francis Children’s Center and he was appointed as fellow at both the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation.
Daniels is the founder of The Fellowship Open, the largest golf tournament in Wisconsin, which promotes diversity and youth organizations in Milwaukee. Since its inception in 2001, the Fellowship Open has contributed more than $500,000 to more than 50 youth organizations.
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is a family of more than 1,000 individual charitable funds, each created by donors to serve the local charitable causes of their by donors to serve the local charitable causes of their choice. Grants from these funds serve people throughout Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties and beyond. Started in 1915, the Foundation is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the world.