Dear Neighbors,
Thank you for electing me to serve as your Milwaukee County Supervisor for a fourth term. Since I was first elected in April 2016, I have made it my mission to amplify the voices and concerns of my constituents. As your representative, I value and enjoy meeting personally with neighbors, community groups, local organizations, and businesses who are working to build a better community. You are the reason I'm here.
I am honored that my County Board colleagues unanimously re-elected me as their Chairwoman for the 2022-24 term. Milwaukee County continues to face many challenges. We're managing a revenue crisis that has forced us to cut about $30 million from the County Budget each year. We've declared racism a public health crisis and launched a strategic plan to achieve racial equity and become the healthiest county in Wisconsin. We're still confronting a second health care crisis with the COVID-19. These challenges call for intentional leadership and ongoing public engagement. Please don't hesitate to contact me with your thoughts or concerns about these and other issues.
In addition to my responsibilities as Chairwoman, I continue to serve on the boards of the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin Counties Association, Clean Wisconsin, and the UW-Extension Board of Visitors. I also serve on the Board of Directors for Local Progress, a national network that supports, connects, and unites progressive local elected officials and allied organizations.
As Chairwoman, I will continue to advocate for progressive legislation and work with you to make our community a better place to live, work, and play. If you have ideas for new policies or how to collaborate with the community to advance our shared values, please let me know!
Staying connected with you is important to me. Please share any news of noteworthy events in your neighborhood or community, or events and projects that involve an organization to which you belong.
I look forward to hearing from you!
How to Contact Me
Email me
Call my office at (414) 278-4261
About Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson
Marcelia Nicholson is an award-winning activist, and the first Black woman and Latina elected as Chairwoman of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Prior to her election as Board Chair, she served as 1st Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Economic & Community Development and Intergovernmental Relations committees. She sits on the board of directors of several community and national organizations, including Local Progress, the Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin Counties Association, Clean Wisconsin, Southeastern Wisconsin Planning Commission, and the UW-Extension Board of Visitors.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Chairwoman Nicholson works to make opportunities that were given to her as a young woman growing up in 53206—one of the nation’s poorest and most incarcerated ZIP codes—available to others. Chairwoman Nicholson is a champion for working people, public education, economic development, and community empowerment. Her past work as a union activist, community organizer, and educator informs her policy and community work. She has authored and sponsored several significant pieces of legislation, including a $15 living wage ordinance, an eviction reduction program, a resolution establishing Juneteenth Day as a major holiday, and a declaration of racism as a public health crisis (Milwaukee County was the first county or municipality in the United States to do so). She has also secured funding for County parks, advocated on behalf of women of color seeking entrepreneurship, and fought for criminal justice reform.
Chairwoman Nicholson is a proud product of Milwaukee Public Schools and is an honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to her first election to the Board of Supervisors in 2016, she taught 4th grade at Milwaukee Public Schools. As a member of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA), she worked to organize MTEA members and community groups for better teaching and classroom conditions. She earned recognition for her activism and dedication to Social Justice Unionism with a feature profile and cover story in the Fall 2016 edition of the National Education Association magazine.
Chairwoman Nicholson is also the Director of Civic Engagement and Independent Political Power at the Center for Popular Democracy. In her spare time, Marcelia serves as a national trainer for the Progressive Governance Academy, where she trains progressive elected officials across the country on various skills, including transitioning to public leadership and setting an agenda. She also has a passion for baking and owns her own business baking cookies, cakes, and sweets.
Notable accomplishments and recognitions:
- Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40 (2022
- Milwaukee Business Journal “Power Broker” (2020 and 2021)
- Milwaukee Democratic Party Rising Star Award (2020)
- Panelist, Democratic National Convention, Milwaukee (2020)
- Young Elected Officials Inaugural 35 under 35 (2020)
- Downtown Milwaukee Downtown Playmaker Award (2019)
- Young Elected Officials Inaugural Trailblazer Award (2018)
- Panelist, Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (2018)
- Local Progress National Board Member (2017)
- National Working Families Party Academy Delegate to Madrid, Spain (2017)
- Center for Popular Democracy Elected Representative to World Transformed Festival in Brighton, England (2019)
- Panelist, Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia (2016)
- National Education Association (NEA) 30 Under 30 (2016)
- NEA Magazine Cover Story (Fall 2016)
All press release, newsletter and in the news content dated prior to April 18, 2022, reflects Chairwoman Nicholson representing County Supervisory District 5 prior to decennial Milwaukee County redistricting.
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Press Releases
Jan-13-2023
Longtime labor leader Bruce Colburn is retiring after more than 50 years fighting for workers’ rights at the local, state, and national level. Members of the County Board released the following statement.
Nov-03-2022
On Tuesday, November 1, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors held their annual public hearing on County Executive David Crowley’s 2023 recommended budget. Chairwoman Nicholson and Supervisor Martin released the following statements following the meeting.
Jan-12-2023
County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson has been named a “Milwaukee- area power broker” for 2023 by the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Nov-03-2022
On Saturday, October 29 hundreds of Milwaukee area residents came together for the inaugural Sherman Park Harvest Fest organized by County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson.
Jan-09-2023
The County Board of Supervisors recently allocated $2.5 million to Acts Housing’s Homeownership Acquisition Fund. The fund will acquire 100 homes each year that would otherwise be purchased by investors, preserve them for homeownership, and assist buyers to purchase them.
Nov-01-2022
Yesterday county officials unveiled signage for the recently renamed “Olmsted Way” through Washington Park. The parkway was renamed through a resolution sponsored by County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson.
Nov-11-2022
Last night the Board of Supervisors adopted [15-3] the 2023 Milwaukee County Budget. Adopted budget amendments avoided cuts to paratransit service and made substantial investments in the county park system.
Oct-26-2022
Today the Finance Committee unanimously recommended for adoption a budget amendment from Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson and Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez to offer translation services—including multilingual captioning, meeting notices, and agendas – for County Board and committee meetings.
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In The News
Dec-09-2022
After many hours of public testimony, committee meetings, and floor debate, we recently led our respective bodies in adopting the annual City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County budgets.
Nov-11-2022
After a marathon, 11-hour meeting, Milwaukee County supervisors adopted a $1.37 billion 2023 budget, crafting modest adjustments and reinstating services cut in County Executive David Crowley's earlier proposal.
Nov-30-2022
Good advice is something that really sticks with you, a searing truth cutting through the clutter of everyday life like a ray of sun through the clouds. With that in mind, we asked dozens of local women for their most inspiring insights.
Nov-02-2022
Transit, in one form or another, was the major topic for Milwaukee County residents at the county board’s annual public budget meeting Tuesday night.
Nov-14-2022
The Milwaukee County Board recently adopted a budget for the government in 2023, which included enough funding to open five county-run public pools. But whether all those pools open is another question.
Oct-27-2022
Frederick Law Olmsted was a pioneering landscape architect, and the father of our modern parks system. At the tail end of his career, he designed three parks in Milwaukee: Lake, Washington and Riverside.
Nov-11-2022
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors adopted a 2023 budget Thursday after spending nearly 12 hours reviewing amendments.
Oct-26-2022
Following outcry from the disabilities community, the county's finance committee unanimously recommended to adopt an amendment that would restore funding for the paratransit taxi service in the 2023 county budget.