In Milwaukee, Joe Fitzgerald has worked at a metal forge, as a dishwasher and as a DJ. But it is his work now for the Milwaukee Water Commons, coordinating inclusivity initiatives, among other things, where he’s most at home, he says. As an ecologist, he sees the world in longer time scales and as a highly integrated groups of systems. When it comes to the city of Milwaukee and how it works and doesn’t—he sees how things connect and speaks quite eloquently from that perspective. “I think that we struggle in Milwaukee with a lack of connection,” says Joe, who is focused on improving Milwaukee’s water quality and creating greater access to the environment. This soft-spoken native Milwaukeean may not be a name you know well yet, but his deep interest in community is likely to change that in the coming years. Joe left Milwaukee for a bit to study at Northland College, where he played soccer and double-majored in natural resources and geoscience. He DJs for Sound by Design and loves Motown, classic rock, hip-hop and jazz.