Welcome to a series introducing the women who were nominated by professionals and will be honored at "The Rad Women Celebration: Being Rad for Social Change." The event is hosted by the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee and will take place on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Italian Conference Center. The idea was inspired by the bestselling book "Rad American Women A to Z," by Kate Schatz, who is the keynote speaker at the event. More information at womensfundmke.org.
Janel Hines is a rad Milwaukee woman who serves as the director of grant programs and strategic initiatives for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
Hines graduated from Rufus King High School and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she received her Bachelor of Art and Law degrees.
Hines is a member of Professional Dimensions. She is also a 2016 Professionals Learning About Community, Equity & Smart Growth (PLACES) Fellow with the Funder’s Network. The PLACES Fellowship challenges assumptions and exposes Fellows to new ways of thinking about the role of philanthropy in empowering historically underserved and low-income communities.
"Women aren’t waiting for change. We are making change in the workforce; visionaries strategically leading the way. It’s time the world recognized it," says Hines.
OnMilwaukee: What is your personal mission with the work that you do?
Janel Hines: My mission in the work that I do is to create opportunities to make people and places better. I was raised in a family that reinforced the importance of helping others and using your gifts to better the community. Law school was a natural choice. I became a criminal defense attorney to help balance the scales of justice. My work in misdemeanor and juvenile court helped me see how families cycle through the system.
Individuals and families needed services and resources to break the cycle. This took me into the nonprofit arena. Through social services, I saw the need for better policies. An opportunity to work for the state gave me the chance to work on policies impacting families; child welfare, TANF and early care and education. At the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, it’s working toward a more equitable region. Philanthropy for me is an active effort to promote human welfare.
What does success mean to you?
Success means that my family is healthy, happy and thriving. That the work I am doing is making a difference. It’s a journey that is measured by small and large victories. The paths change as do the goals but the determination to achieve them is never ending.
Who have you learned from the most?
There isn’t one person that I have learned from the most. I have been blessed to have many teachers. From them I’ve learned what not to do and things that I aspire to do. Not that I have always been a patient student but I’ve always had the desire to learn. There are three things that I’ve learned and use every day. I learned them from my mom, my mother-in-law and a former supervisor. They are that the power is in the words not the voice; give the present your best and all things according to His will.
Someone recently told me that being an attorney has given me a love of words. But they are something I’ve paid attention to my entire life. I’ve learned that their strength isn’t in the volume or the number. They alone are seeds. We reap from them so what we sow is important.
We work toward the future but what we have is today. Give it your best. You can’t save it for "better" be it a job, day, or person. You have now. You are a gift to it whether you feel like it or not and whether others see it or not.
I believe it’s about God. My life, my purpose is His will not mine.
What would you like to see change for women in the workforce?
Women aren’t waiting for change. We are making change in the workforce; visionaries strategically leading the way. It’s time the world recognized it.
What does a "perfect" day off from work include for you?
The perfect day includes a large amount of family time. It’s a day I spend with my favorite people with no outside commitments or demands.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
