Pedro Colón knows the workings of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation from the inside, having been on the Board since 2016 and currently serving as vice chair of its Community Impact Committee. So the Foundation was the logical choice when Colón and his wife, Betty Ulmer, decided to make a legacy gift.
“When you look at other options for giving in the community, you see that the Foundation is the best place,” said Colón, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge in Branch 18. “It has a great history of concern for the community, which is what I care about.”
Through the process of setting up their fund, Colón said he and Betty have learned that giving is not just for the super wealthy.
“When you learn about the process, you understand that you can make a difference at the level at which you are,” he said. “You can make more of a difference than you can imagine.”
Colón grew up on Milwaukee’s south side and graduated from Marquette University. He was the first Latinx elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature, where he served the 8th Assembly District from 1999 to 2010. He also served on the Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District for eight years. He and Ulmer, who is vice president — legal at Brookdale Senior Living in West Allis, met at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
The couple want their fund to focus on education, in particular relating to Hispanic law students.
“We want to support the ongoing efforts to make post high school education more affordable for kids who traditionally cannot afford law school,” Colón said.
He adds, “I was very lucky to attend both Marquette and UW Law School. We are aware of the struggles of Latino kids, and we want to give back.”
Ulmer says, “When we started practicing law, there were very few Latinos. The numbers are increasing, although still small, so this support is important.”
She adds that the fund will provide grants for students’ practical needs: “Food, books, rent, tuition — whatever they need to get through school.”
Both Colón and Ulmer have also given back through decades of volunteer work. He has served on the boards of the United Community Center, Divine Savior Holy Angels High School and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. She is currently on the board of the Milwaukee Christian Center.
Colón said he is proud of being a lawyer because he believes lawyers are critical to our democracy.
“I know everybody has opinions about lawyers, but without lawyers, we wouldn’t be able to equalize the debate, equalize the power,” he said. “Lawyers help us think critically about what a better society might look like.”