After 10 years of servicing professionals of color in the Milwaukee community, The Leaders Forum’s governing board announced recently that it will close the doors of the organization after the African American Fund Development Institute (AAFDI) graduation ceremony in October.

Flamont Butler founded the Leaders Forum in 1997 with a vision of promoting leadership through relationships, retention and resource sharing among African American professionals.

The organization’s mission has since been adopted by a number of other local and national organizations and the leadership decided that the duplication of services was hurting, not helping, the organization.

"We have a successful track record of providing a unique support system for existing and relocated African American professionals in Southeast Wisconsin.

"We have nurtured and appreciated our reputation as the ‘Welcome Wagon’ for African American professionals. We are proud to have assisted more than 230 professionals of color relocate to this city and acclimate them to the culture of the Greater Milwaukee area," said Mae Killebrew-Mosley, board chair, The Leaders Forum.

"Our organization has noticed a decline in the number of people who were utilizing our programs and services and we attributed that to the number of nonprofits that provide similar programs."

Some of the Leaders Forum flagship programs such as the African American Fund Development Institute, which provides board readiness training to professional of color and the Connecting for Success Awards Luncheon, have been duplicated by a number of organizations and corporations in the state.

"Affinity groups are currently in existence at many of the Fortune 500 companies across the country, including Milwaukee, and board member training is provided by many nonprofit organizations across the state," said Killebrew-Mosley.

"The Leaders Forum was there for ten years and helped to attract and retain professionals of color and provide them with much needed social programs," Killebrew-Mosley continued. "We wholeheartedly thank Flamont Butler for his vision in launching the Leaders Forum. Because of his foresight, many organizations have started diversity initiatives, including the Milwaukee-7, to attract and retain professionals of color to this region. The board of directors of the Leaders Forum, therefore, felt that after the AAFDI graduation in October, it is time to close our doors."

The final AAFDI graduation will take place on Monday, October 1 at 5 p.m. at Soche' Milwaukee, located at 2213 North Martin Luther King Drive.