Photo by Che Brown
Dr. Shauntay Nelson
In the heart of Milwaukee’s inner city, nine-year-old Shauntay Nelson watched her mother take her last breath. She was shipped to St. Louis to live with her grandmother. In a second sudden tragedy, her father died four months after her mother passed. Shauntay’s future looked gloomy. For a few years after her parents had gone, her route meandered and was littered with ruts.
In the journey toward adulthood, she accepted the faith of Jesus and straightened her route. She went onto dedicating her life to serving in order to help uplift community. “Every act of kindness,” she said, “no matter where or how, can create lasting change.”
But let her tell her story as she related it to me at an apothecary and tea cafe in the inner city.
Tell me about your background, your parents, schools, and neighborhoods. I believe you hit some roadblocks in middle school and high school.
After my parents passed away, I moved to St. Louis to live with my grandmother. I was nine years old. Three years later, my sister came to St. Louis and brought me back to Milwaukee. We lived in Greenfield. I was smart, and after I tested to re-enter school, the school system put me in Advanced Placement. At 12 years old, I was already in the ninth grade at Greenfield High School. At a pep rally, a fight broke out between white and Black students. I was not a part of the fight but when explaining the situation to authority figures, someone placed their hand on my shoulder and in the heat of the moment, I swung my hand behind me and accidentally hit the assistant principal. I was expelled. For a short time, I became homeless, but I was determined to get to college. I went to Pulaski High School and worked very hard. I graduated when I was 17.
So what happened to you after high school?
I went to UW-Milwaukee for pre-med to become a neurologist, but I did not have the personality to give bad news to a family who lost a loved one. At 18, I got married and shortly after, switched to the Milwaukee Area Technical Institute to continue my college education. During my marriage, I had two sons but was divorced at 28. Ultimately, I graduated from Cardinal Stritch College, earned my undergrad degree in Business Administration and my master’s degree in public administration. Much later in 2024, I received my doctorate degree in humanities from Trinity International University in Duluth, Georgia.
How did you make a living and when did you get into your work as a community activist?
Early on in my career, I wanted to make sure ordinary citizens had a voice. I became active in the community through Be The Voice. Our focus was to help people become the voice of their vision and find ways to cultivate a more inclusive student culture in schools. For 10 years, I was also working full time as an assistant facilities manager at Jones Lang LaSalle, managing the properties of Unitedhealthcare.
You are the vice president of the Wisconsin Women’s Network. What does the Women’s Network do and what are your responsibilities?
We believe in creating a voice for all women and girls across Wisconsin. We promote the advancement of women and girls in the state. Our goal is to expand our conversations and actions to encompass the concerns, and the challenges faced by Wisconsin women. We train people to engage around public policy on issues that impact women. For example, we do this through programing such as the policy institute and the celebration of Women’s Equality Day.
I think this is currently a good time in history to be a woman, particularly a young woman, so many opportunities in so many fields. I think there are now more women than men in U.S. colleges.
I agree. It is a good time to be a woman.
You are the director of states for All Voting is Local. From the website, I’ve read this: “All Voting is Local Wisconsin works with key partners—including clerks across the state—to ensure our elections are run fairly and smoothly. We also closely work with other state and local groups to support local election officials, advocate for ballot access, and prevent attempts to sabotage our elections.” How do you fit in?
All Voting Is Local is my fulltime job. It is a non-partisan organization that fights against state and local voting policies that silence voters while advocating for pro-voter policies that expand access to the ballot. We do not support or endorse candidates. We are non-partisan. In my role as director of states, I lead strategy in multiple states regarding voting access.
You had at one time also been a lobbyist, right?
I was a lobbyist for Wisconsin Voices where I was the democracy director. I served as the coalition's lobbyist, while leading the “Our Democracy 2020” coalition. I was lobbying for something I cared about. For instance, when I was a lobbyist at Wisconsin Voices. I lobbied to create additional access to the ballot. Specifically, my lobbying helped to expand early voting sites in Milwaukee from three sites to eight in preparation for the 2018 midterm election. I never lobbied for Wisconsin Women's Network.
To quote you, “Over the years, I’ve dedicated myself to serving as a means to uplift our community. Much of this was done quietly, outside the limelight, simply because I believe in the importance of giving back.” What are some of things you’ve done to uplift the community?
At my company, Nelson & Co., we give back to young people who are headed to college. We donate laptops every year. I take some of my client contract earnings and use it to buy those laptops and provide some scholarships. My dream is for Nelson & Co. to be a philanthropic arm where we only support the community. Mainly, I work with women and children. With women, I try to help them reach goals, instill confidence. With children, too many young people have dreams, but little or no support or resources.
Let’s talk a little more about your company, Nelson & Co. What does your company do? Who are your clients?
Nelson & Co. The CO stands for collaboration, CO-Lab, in other words. Laboratory. It takes many of us to go into a laboratory to create something needed for our community. At the beginning, we started by coaching first year elected officials going to the statehouse, helping them work on issues important to them. Then, Nelson & Co. grew into helping create strategies for various organizations. That was paying work. We've combined the skills of advocacy, strategy, and leadership to design programming that empowers leaders to become drivers of solutions. We have worked with a range of organizations and state agencies: JB Entreprises; AART; Marquette University; and WI Workforce Development, to name a few.
Were you training these organizations on how the legislature works and how to navigate the system?
Yes. For instance, I ask a client to tell me what your programs are, what your strategies are, and I will help you to understand how you can flow with the legislators. I am referring to the legislative system. You know, when I was nine years old, for my 10th birthday I asked for a judge’s gavel because I wanted to write laws that make life fair for people. Now here I am involved in public policy.
You have written, “God gives us vision, but we have to put in the work.” How has that vision manifested itself in your own life and the lives of others?
I have a saying on how I live my life. When talking to people, I ask them three questions: One, who are you before life rewired you? Two, where are you going before life rerouted you? Three, what is your vision before life revisioned you? These questions help a person go back and identify who they really are or what they were like as a child before the hardship of life happened.
How does this manifest in your own life?
I sit with God and plan my life in seven-year cycles. I listen for where I am supposed to be in seven years, and I plan the steps. I do this through prayer, worship, and belief.
What would be an example of that plan?
When I was 28, I got divorced and lost almost everything. Looking ahead seven years, I knew I needed to rebuild and position myself financially and emotionally. I created a seven-year strategy and put myself on a financial budget and a time budget. I became very focused and driven and practical. I followed the practical steps, and it led me to success. I consider success the ability to leverage my network for the benefit of others.
You served on the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. What does that Commission do in practical terms?
The Commission administers Wisconsin law regarding campaign finance, lobbying, and ethics. All of our state elected officials and our lobbying laws go through the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. I served as the vice chair of the Ethics Commission.
You recently won the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. What is that award and who awarded it to you?
That was an award from Trinity International University of Ambassadors School of Business in Georgia. I went through a nomination process, and I was honored because of the work I’d done, particularly with youth, and the work in the Milwaukee community.
You once wrote, “To anyone striving to make a difference, let this be your encouragement: your work matters, your heart matters, and your legacy is being built with every act of kindness.” Can you elaborate?
Too many people think that their work is not being seen. I tell people that no matter what your passion is, no matter how hard you work, no matter how much you help other people, it’s important to know that your work matters. For me, the reward is when a person tells me that I helped them. I came into faith when I was still a teenager. Since then, faith has been the basis for everything I’ve done or accomplished. I believe I am here to serve.
The severe trauma you went through as a girl, losing your parents so fast. How has that affected you?
It gave me the ability to be adaptable. I can identify with young people who are hurting but hiding that hurt. I follow this approach: “Feel so you can heal.” For instance, you and I are sitting here at HoneyBee Sage in the inner city. I often set up shop here, have people meet with me. I call it, Tea Time with Shauntay where people can come and share strategy or just talk. I find that sometimes people are hurting and don’t know how to ask for help.
