Anthony D. Smith
Anthony D. Smith has been involved in the community for many years. Currently employed by Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin as a Senior Community Relations Consultant for Children’s Community Health Plan. Many people were unaware that he is also an ordained minister and pastors a church.
“I serve as Pastor of Newport Missionary Baptist Church, the minister of music and musician. It’s not a large congregation so no one is on the payroll, including myself,” he laughs.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Smith grew up on the city’s far north side—on 16thand Olive Streets—at a time when most Blacks didn’t live any further north than Walnut Street.
“I grew up in a large family—there were four boys and three girls. My dad was the pastor of our church and my mother stayed home and took care of the children and the house. She had been a college professor in Lexington, Mississippi. We grew up in an environment that, at the time, might be considered non-traditional for Black families.
“My parents owned a home on 11thand McKinley, where I-43 is now located. The City wanted to build the interstate, but my dad told them to talk to the other residents first, and then come back to him. That was his strategy to ensure we received a good price for our home. My dad always wanted to own a lannon stone home for the family. He wanted to buy in the Jackson Park area (43rdand Forest Home), but during the 1960s he was not allowed to purchase in that neighborhood (prior to the open housing marches in the mid-60s). Since he couldn’t move south, he moved us north. At the time, we were the only Black family living on 16thand Olive Streets, but dad got the lannon stone home that he wanted,” said Smith.
Smith said that he got his work ethic from his father.
“My father worked for Milwaukee Solvay Coke Plant. Growing up we never thought about what was going to be prepared for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We never wondered if our house would have heat, and we were never concerned about clothing. Blessed is the best way to describe it. We didn’t understand a struggle because dad worked at that plant for 30 years and provided for his family. I was told by family that in the mid-60s during a huge snow storm when the entire city shut down, dad left the house early in the morning and walked to work from 16thand Olive to First and Greenfield. He worked an eight hour shift, and then walked all the way back home. He taught us the importance of a good work ethic and what life is all about,” said Smith.
Most people also don’t know that Smith has a twin brother, Patrick.
Smith and his twin brother attended Philip Elementary School, and when it was time for high school, his mother wanted to enroll them in Shorewood High School. She was met with a challenge trying to enroll both twins in Shorewood High—even though the school was right in their neighborhood—because they ‘had already met’ their quota, so they were only willing to let one of the boys attend the school. Rather than separate them, the two boys ended up attending Parkman Junior High School and later attended and graduated from John Marshall High School.
Smith and his twin didn’t enroll in college right after high school. They both worked in the hospitality industry—starting out as bellmen and years later, after several promotions, left the hotel industry as top executives. Smith enrolled in MATC where he received his associate’s degree and then attended Marquette University for Marketing and Communications.
“The Journal Sentinel recruited me to become their Special Events Marketing Manager, and I ended up staying with the company for 13 years,” said Smith.
By the time Smith left Journal Sentinel he had been promoted to Director of Community Relations and Diversity. He joined Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in 2010, serving in various marketing positions before accepting his current position.
“I received a phone call in 2015 asking me to continue the work that I do, but for a different business line—Children’s Community Health Plan. I eagerly accepted this position because it allows me to assist families and connect them with needed resources,” he said.
Smith is responsible for developing relationships and partnerships for traditional and nontraditional organizations, enrollment, engagement and retention for members, sponsorships and event marketing for Children’s Community Health Plan.
“Our insurance division provides coverage for the Medicaid population and I’m able to provide additional resources and opportunities to families. I’m grateful to be able to connect them with not only needed resources, but also create programming that expose families to other, positive activities. Sometimes, just connecting families with employment that’s closer to their homes so they don’t have to take so many buses to get to their destination or closer to their childcare facility is helpful in improving the quality of life for families.
“At Children’s Hospital we look at families and their lifestyles in a holistic manner—mentally, spiritually and physically. I’m pleased to be affiliated with a company that cares about improving the lives of families. In fact, we provide services that not many hospitals across the country offer,” said Smith.
Smith said that the care Children’s Hospital provides is not just for children, but they seek to help the entire family. He said that when a child is hurt or hurting, the entire family suffers or experiences pain, that’s why he and the staff at Children’s Hospital seek to address the family unit.
“That’s what I value about this organization and that’s why I love the work I do. I feel that with the resources and responsibilities Children’s Hospital provides, I’m able to make a difference in the quality of life and experiences of families,” said Smith.
Smith has been married to his wife, Wendy, for 24 years and they have a son, Sean Anthony, who is a junior at Dominican High School.
“My wife has been employed with Milwaukee Public Schools for more than 30 years and if you saw her, you’d think she just graduated from high school,” said Smith.
Of course, Smith gets brownie points for complimenting his wife in such a loving manner, but he also deserves points for his tenure of service, and for helping children and families better their lives.
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