About

I have over 4 decades of experience as a board director - both in the publicly traded and private sectors. My operational and consulting expertise has been in healthcare, education, DEI and national foundation directorships. I have expertise in building new organizations through mergers and acquisitions. Of note is my global experience in diplomacy, global negotiations, and operational work as the US Ambassador to the United Nations in 2012, appointed by President Barack Obama, where I occupied the US seat in the General Assembly.  

Board Profile

I have years of board leadership experience (over 4 decades) - both as a board member and Chair.  Currently, I serve on 2 private corporate boards and 1 publicly traded board (NASDAQ).   I was an integral part of the sale of two private companies that sat under the corporate umbrella of one of my boards. I am actively involved in the start-up of a new philanthropic arm of that corporate board which operates in the educational and financial sector.     I have a passion for excellence in board governance - whether that be on the public or private sector side.  I am a member of NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors), and have research and practical experience in negotiating problems related to board governance.   My board committee expertise has been in the areas of the Personnel and Compensation committee, Governance committee, and Innovation and Strategy committee.                                                                                                                               

Board Experience

Corporate Director – Aspen Group (ASPU, NASDAQ), Compensation committee member

Corporate Director – Ascendium Education Group, Inc.  (Personnel and Compensation committee member)

Corporate Director – Managed Health Services of Wisconsin (NYSE:  Centene)

Director, Siebert Lutheran Foundation  (Board Vice Chair)

Director, Froedtert Health System  (Governance Chair)

Emeritus:

Corporate Director Emeritus – C. G. Schmidt Construction Company

Director Emeritus – Governance Chair:  Council on Foundations National Board

Director Emeritus – Board President – Tempo International

Director Emeritus – Board President – Urban Libraries Council

Director Emeritus – Governance Chair – Greater Milwaukee Foundation

Professional Summary

President and CEO, Executive Strategies Elite Consulting

Ambassador Emeritus and Alternate Representative to the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations

Vice Chancellor Global Inclusion and Engagement – The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (retired)

On September 12, 2012, Dr. Joan M. Prince was nominated by President Barack Obama to the key administrative post of Alternate Representative to the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations, with the honorary rank of Ambassador.

This diplomatic position also maintained an appointment as a Senior Advisor to the State Department and Public Delegate. In these roles, she served as an occupant of the US chair in the General Assembly with responsibility for delivering statements on US policy and engaging other diplomats and advisors in discussions focusing on global issues.

She also served in an advisory capacity to the 2013 United States Delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

In her professional career, Dr. Prince serves as Vice Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, appointed in 2000. She is the chief administrator for the Divisions of Global Inclusion and Engagement and Partnerships and Innovation, with responsibilities as the Chief Inclusion Officer.

In that role, Dr. Prince has the distinction of creating the System’s first Tribal Liaison Officer and serving as an executive sponsor for the Chancellor’s Hispanic Serving Initiative and Chancellor’s LGBTQ Council. She also leads campus-wide project areas such as the STEM Inspire Pipeline, the Inclusive Internationalization Project, Global Partnerships in STEM, Center for International Health, Carnegie Engagement Classification team, Center for Community Solutions, and Equity/Diversity Services. Her discipline focus is as a Clinical Associate Professor in Medical Laboratory Sciences, with a specialty in Hematology.

Prior to this, Dr. Prince held responsibilities as the project manager and implementer for the Health Professions Partnerships Initiative collaborative at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, as well as a Clinical Laboratory supervisor for a five hospital regional health care system in Milwaukee.

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Prince was the first African American recipient of a bachelor’s Degree in Medical Technology and Masters in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, with a specialty in Hematology and Flow Cytometry from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She also holds a doctorate degree in Urban Education, with a specialty in Medical Science Education from UWM.

She has been acknowledged as a 2007 Aspen Institute Fellow, a 2008 member of the International Jewish Council’s Civic Leadership delegation to Israel, a fellow of the Millennium Leadership Institute Class of 2009 for higher education executives, and a 2011-12 Fellow of the American Council on Education.

She is a former member of many civic boards, including her local leadership roles as a board trustee emeritus of The Greater Milwaukee Foundation and emeritus board chair of the Milwaukee Public Library Board. She is also President Emeritus of the global women’s networking organization, Tempo International and board member emeritus of the international foundation membership association – The Council on Foundations – where she served as Governance Chair. She is also a former board chair of the Urban Libraries Council (www.ulc.org).

Prince is also a corporate board director of Managed Health Services, a subsidiary of the Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a current board director of Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation (now Ascendium Group, Inc.), and a director emeritus of C. G. Schmidt Construction Company.

Recognition & Awards

In recognition of her commitment to community service, Prince has received numerous awards from civic and professional organizations such as The Business Journal‘s Woman of Influence award, the Community Leadership award (Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund), and the Friends of the Hispanic Community award.  She has also received recognition from national entities such as The Network Journal.

She has been featured multiple times as one of Milwaukee’s Power Brokers in the Milwaukee Business Journal, as well as one of the 10 Most Powerful Women in Milwaukee in Milwaukee Magazine.

Personal

Professional passions:  Government affairs - Global operations - board governance excellence (NACD) Non-profit passions:  Education - financial literacy - entrepreneurship Interests:  Travel and reading