Meet fourth group of Milwaukee Business Journal’s 2023 40 Under 40 winners

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(MILWAUKEE, Wis.) – January 20, 2023

The Milwaukee Business Journal has announced the fourth and final round of our 2023 40 Under 40 honorees, a list that includes young business and community leaders from throughout southeastern Wisconsin who are making a difference in the Milwaukee area. 

Check out the slideshow below to see photos of our fourth group of 10 winners, which includes Wisconsin Humane Society CEO Alison Kleibor; Nadya Perez-Reyes, assistant secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families; Kel Svoboda, managing director of Compass Inc. and David Bowles, president of CMRignite. 

Each year, Business Journal reporters and editors select 40 leaders under the age of 40 — from a pool of hundreds of nominations — who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement while also becoming leaders in their communities. This 40 Under 40 class represents the future of community leadership in southeastern Wisconsin.  

In all, we received almost 300 nominations for this year’s program, nearly a record for the popular awards program. There were a lot of tough choices in putting together this year’s class as the nomination pool was so strong. There are clearly a lot of young professionals in southeastern Wisconsin doing great things both at work and in the community. 

We are divulging the winners the same way we have done for the past four years. Beyond today, we are going to announce the four 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame inductees at 10 a.m. on Monday with the entire list running in our Jan. 27 weekly edition and on our website. 

Our radio partner WTMJ-AM (620) will be highlighting one of our winners each day as part of our partnership with the station. Click here to hear a story on Milwaukee Tool executive Micah Crawford.  Our television partner TMJ4 is also featuring our winners this week. Click here for an interview with 40 Under 40 winners Morgan Phelps and Ben Juech. 

This is the 29th year the Milwaukee Business Journal has honored Milwaukee’s up-and-coming leaders. Previous winners include SURG Restaurant Group’s Omar Shaikh; Milwaukee attorney/businessman Cory Nettles; Milwaukee entrepreneur Andy Nunemaker; Sophia Minnaert, a host and reporter for the Milwaukee Brewers on Bally Sports Wisconsin; Milwaukee chef Adam Pawlak, owner of Egg & Flour; Milwaukee County chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson; Milwaukee Bucks guard and real estate developer Pat Connaughton; and Brandon Drusch of Marcus Hotels & Resorts. 

The winners will be honored in a special section March 17 and during a March 20 awards event at the Miller High Life Theatre in downtown Milwaukee. Please watch our website for more details. 

Here is our fourth group of 10 winners for 2023: 

• David Bowles, CMRignite 

• Tomás Clasen, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren sc 

• David Eckhardt, Husch Blackwell LLP 

• Heidi Gould, Jewish Community Pantry  

• Alison Fotsch Kleibor, Wisconsin Humane Society 

• Rodney Lynk Jr., Milwaukee Excellence Charter School 

• Patrick McGarry, Wixon Inc. 

• Mikel McGee, 414loral 

• Nadya Perez-Reyes, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families 

• Kel Svoboda, Compass Inc. 

About CMRignite

Founded in 1995, CMRignite is a full-service, strategic communications agency that specializes in developing cause and behavior change marketing for Fortune 500 companies, major nonprofits and government agencies. The agency's mission is to develop innovative, cross-cultural marketing campaigns that lead to real, positive change. With a team of 60 employees, 70% of whom are BIPOC, CMRignite's client roster includes the City of Milwaukee Health Department, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the CDC, SAMHSA, NIH and several others. Recently named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the country, the agency is Wisconsin's leading multicultural marketing agency. In addition, the company is a certified Minority Business Enterprise and Woman-Owned Business. For more information, please visit cmrignite.com or call (414) 247-9898.