Francesca Mayca Wegner has many leadership roles in the Milwaukee community: she’s the head of the organization Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee (HPGM), co-owner of the fashion line Midwest Latinas, and works to build community amongst Latinos in Milwaukee. After moving to the city in 2010, Mayca Wegner attended Marquette University, studying international business and marketing before earning her Masters of Business Administration.
Unlike the traditional Chief Executive Officer title, Mayca Wegner’s unique title of Chief Possibilities Officer reflects her creative skill set and contributions to her team.
“My title is very purposeful… I thought that it was really fitting because I’m always pushing our team to say, ‘Okay, but what could we do? What’s possible? What could exist? Let’s try it,” Mayca Wegner said. “And if we fail, we’ll still learn something. You never know. What if it works out?’
Empowering others is a passion of Mayca Wegner’s, and is a big part of the reason she continues to encourage her community.
“The thing that I’m most proud of in my career overall is that I really feel like my purpose is helping people to step into their power,” Mayca Wegner said. “I have a very strong opinion that we all inherently have power. We all inherently have gifts and talents and skills. Sometimes it just takes the right person to listen, to help ask you the right questions, and then to open doors or connect you with different things that can help you achieve your purpose in life.”
Working in the non-profit field allowed Mayca Wegner to contribute towards opening doors for others.
“I actually used to say that I fell into non-profit work…I didn’t really know this was a career, but the connection that’s been in all of the jobs that I’ve had here in Milwaukee is really ensuring that people have choices,” Mayca Wegner said.
However, the profession was something she had prior experience with. Nevertheless, giving back to her community was a huge focus for choosing HPGM.
“I actually worked at Marquette University raising funds to help advance admissions at the institutions for scholarships, and education gives people choices. I also worked at a domestic violence organization that helped primarily women and children get out of unsafe situations and then again ensuring that people can live in a safe environment gives them choices,” Mayca Wegner said. “Now at HPGM, where our work primarily helps to support Latinos with professional and academic achievement, that also gives people choices. We’re removing barriers to people being able to achieve their highest potential because we know that for a lot of communities there can be a lot of challenges to achieve your dreams.”
Access to opportunities (or lack thereof) determines whether one is able to achieve their dreams. Mayca Wegner hopes to change this idea through her work.
“I have seen firsthand when somebody has a desire, or a dream, or a will to do something, and they have the skills to do something, and all they need is that opportunity,” Mayca Wegner said. “Whether it’s that connection, it’s an introduction to somebody, maybe it’s a scholarship to school. And I’ve seen what a transformation like that can have in people’s lives. I think that’s really the inspiration for me.”
At HPGM, Mayca Wegner leads her team to create an environment that fosters these sorts of opportunities for members of the Hispanic community. HPGM has over 5000 members with an intergenerational community, ranging from college aged students to retired professionals.
“I would say that a big part of what we do at HPGM is really convening people,” Mayca Wegner said. “So we build this ecosystem, like this network, of resources and support… for Latino professionals and allies. We are a network of support and mentoring and we are connectors. So our job is not to do all the things or have all the things, but it’s to make sure that we can get people connected to whatever resources they need.”
These connections are formed through events and communities within the organization. This includes the Alianza Latina de ERG (ALE), a community of members from various work-places, non-profits, and universities for members of Latino employee organizations. Through ALE, members are able to network, share best practices, and collaborate.
This September, the organization meets a near-milestone year of 24 years.
“It’s very full circle for me to have been able to be a part of that all these years, and then now to see the tremendous growth and transformation that we’ve had as an organization since I’ve been the executive director, and now the [organization’s] president and Chief Possibilities Officer,” Mayca Wegner said. “I have pictures of the founders in someone’s living room drafting out potential names for the organization and just dreaming about what this group could be. And now here we are, almost 25 years later, we’ve awarded almost a million dollars in scholarships to Latino students since 2004.”
This progress has been made possible because of the team and community HPGM has formed over time.
“I feel really fortunate and really privileged working [with] a team of amazing people who have a shared vision for what they want for our community, and they’re willing to be a part of that change,” Mayca Wegner said. “I think that’s what’s so special. When you meet people in the HPGM community, they’re absolutely there to invest in themselves, but they’re also there for each other.”
The team at HPGM hosts events year round, including their upcoming Midwest Leadership Summit. On October 22 and 23 HPGM is hosting a two day event including keynote speakers, networking sessions, and concluding with their annual Gala the final night.