Six Milwaukee-Area Leaders Gather to Discuss Work and Leadership

Carole Nicksin convened the six women who received 2026 Betty Awards for a roundtable at Villa Terrace. Nicksin serves as editor-in-chief and as publisher, a role Betty Quadracci once held.

The awards mark the eighth year the magazine has recognized women whose work carries forward Quadracci's legacy. Quadracci ran the publication for nearly 30 years. She worked as a teacher, a mother, a philanthropist and an entrepreneur, and she helped her husband Harry found Quad. She had polio as a child.

The 2026 recipients are Carmen Pitre, CEO of Sojourner Family Peace Center; Peggy Troy, former president and CEO of Children's Wisconsin; Chantell Jewell, superintendent of Milwaukee County House of Corrections; Kristin Thiel, executive director at Mequon Nature Preserve; Susan Kerns, CEO of Milwaukee Film; and Anne Zizzo, founder and CEO of Zizzo Group.

Troy told the group she grew up in a healthcare family. She said a professor taught her to consider children beyond their physical needs. "Kids can't always speak up for themselves, so it's important that you become that advocate and make sure that you're looking out for their best interest," Troy said.

Jewell said she works to address family distress within the corrections system. "Reintegration is public safety because when we're preparing people to return home successfully, we're building stronger families and stronger communities," Jewell said. Pitre said people should have access to safety and security before they need the public safety system.

Thiel described the nature preserve as free and open, with trails built to ADA standards. She said the preserve began supplying coats, hats, mittens and boots after children from Fletcher Elementary arrived cold. Kerns said she started as CEO of Milwaukee Film in February 2025 and is drawing on her teaching background in the role.

On leadership, Troy pointed to humility. Thiel said she does not micromanage. Zizzo said she makes decisions through her moral compass. "Fail fast. Don't keep doing the same thing and hoping for a different result," Troy said.

Asked what single problem they would address, Jewell named fragmentation in services. "If we have one family with multiple needs, how do we treat that entire family and wrap our arms around them so they can get consistent, intentional care?" Jewell said.