Deborah Blanks, CCAP
Chief Executive Officer
(414) 906-2700

In June 1997, Deborah Blanks accepted the leadership role as Executive Director of the Social Development Commission (SDC). SDC is a Community Action Agency with 360 employees, 18 programs serving approximately 100,000 clients annually and an annual budget in excess of $32-million. In 2003, she was named Chief Executive Officer SDC.

Her peers recognize her for successfully reorganizing SDC’s structure and improving the agency’s public image. Today, SDC is viewed as a community leader in the development of partnerships, coalitions, and collaborations.

Ms. Blanks coordinated and led a group of Milwaukee Public Schools administrators and community leaders to author the Student Mobility study; a work that identified the negative impact on the community when residents’ living situations are unstable.

Under her leadership, the Milwaukee Asset Building Coalition (MABC) has become a national model for helping low-income people gain financial assets and the fiscal skills to remain financially self-sufficient. MABC operates free tax preparation sites during the tax season that have returned millions of dollars in tax credits and refunds to clients every year. MABC also offers financial literacy classes.

Ms. Blanks is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from the University of Illinois, Champaign – Urbana, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She also holds a Masters degrees in Educational Psychology and another in Public Administration. She is an accomplished author, having written the text "Weaving Diversity Into The Fabric of America."

Ms. Blanks is President of the Wisconsin Community Action Partnership, a Certified Community Action Professional and a Future Milwaukee alumnus and a member of the National Forum of Black Public Administrators

Mike Hammack 
Director of Human Resources
(414) 906-2700

Mike Hammack currently serves as the Director of the Human Resources Department for the Social Development Commission. Mr. Hammack earned a B.B.A. in general business and a B.S. in English, both from the University of Wisconsin--Oshkosh. He is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). Prior to his employ with SDC, Mr. Hammack held positions of Director of Personnel Administration for Gimbels Midwest and Director of Employee Relations for Marshall Fields Inc. He is a member of the Human Resources Management Association (HRMA). In addition, Mr. Hammack serves on the University of Wisconsin--Oshkosh Regional Advisory Council.

Angela Topetzes Strelka  
Director of Marketing and Fund Development
(414) 906-2700

Angela Topetzes Strelka serves as the SDC Director of Marketing and Fund Development.  She is in charge of SDC’s Fund Development, Planning and Communications activities.

Angela most recently served at the United Community Center and has also worked at Time Warner Cable, the Penfield Children’s Center and the Easter Seal Society.  She is an active volunteer in the community and has been on many non-profit Boards of Directors.  She is the recipient of the “Excellence in Marketing Award” from the American Marketing Association.

Gail Porath
Director of Head Start
(414) 906-2700

Gail Porath is currently the Director of the Head Start Program at the Social Development Commission. She has contributed twenty-six years of experience to the program. Ms. Porath holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and is currently working on a thesis to complete her Masters degree in Management. She is currently the Vice-Chairperson of the Wisconsin Head Start Association, and has worked as a regional Head Start trainer and program reviewer.

Jan Stenlund
Director of Program Services
(414) 906-2700

Janet Stenlund currently serves as the Director of Program Services at the Social Development Commission. Ms. Stenlund has served as the Director of the Older Adult Unit, a Manager of Older Adult Employment Programs, and the Project Director of the Juniors and Elders Together Program (JET) during her tenure with the Social Development Commission. Ms. Stenlund holds a B.A. in social work and an M.S. in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. She has also completed some post-graduate studies.

Patrick Valdez currently serves as Director of Operations for the Social Development Commission. Mr. Valdez earned a B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Mr. Valdez has over eighteen years of experience in the areas of facilities and program operations. With the Social Development Commission, he manages facilities, maintenance, security and IT services. Mr. Valdez is an active volunteer in the Milwaukee community and co-founder of the Racine Hispanic Scholarship Foundation.