Thursday, October 1st @ The Pfister Hotel
Registration & Networking Begins 11:00 AM
Doors Open 11:30 AM
Program Ends 1:00 PM
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We are excited to welcome you back to the Pfister Hotel for another year of connection, celebration, and community.
Our largest convening event of the year, the BEL celebrates and promotes southeastern Wisconsin as equal, inclusive and fair for all workers in the business community, with a focus on the LGBTQ+ communities.
This year, we’re excited to present a conversation between two respected LGBTQ+ executives who are shaping inclusive workplaces from the C-suite: Rodney Jones-Tyson, Global Chief Human Resources Officer at Robert W. Baird & Co., and Brandon Hill, President & CEO of Vivent Health. Moderated by Cream City Foundation Vice Chair Laura Mayerle, the discussion will explore navigating career, executive leadership, and community while staying true to who we are as LGBTQ+ people — bringing together perspectives from both the financial services and nonprofit/health care sectors.
Luncheon Menu
Details To Be Announced – guests will enjoy an entree, dessert and coffee available during lunch and throughout our networking hour.
2026 Emcee
Gerron Jordan – WISN 12
Gerron Jordan is a regional Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award–winning journalist and community advocate who’s proud to serve as emcee for this year’s Business Equality Luncheon. Gerron is a news anchor at WISN 12 in Milwaukee, where he anchors 12 News This Morning and 12 News at 11AM on weekdays. He also co-hosts UPFRONT, a weekly political affairs program.
With nearly 15 years of breaking news and storytelling across the South and Midwest, Gerron has built a career centered on elevating underrepresented voices and advancing conversations around equity, accountability, and community impact. Since moving to Milwaukee in 2021, he has embraced the city as home and continues to use his platform to support local organizations and initiatives that promote inclusion and opportunity.
Gerron is a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalists and an honors alum of Howard University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
Gerron currently serves on the Cream City Foundation Board of Directors.
Feature Panelists
Panel Moderator – Laura Mayerle – Cream City Foundation Vice Chair
Laura Mayerle (she/her) serves as Vice Chair of the Cream City Foundation Board of Directors, which she joined in January 2022 to give back to the LGBTQ+ community in Wisconsin. She is the Director of Corporate Training at Natera, where she is also involved in the company’s resource groups and DEI engagement. Prior to Natera, Laura was a Performance Consultant and Coach for U.S. Bank, focusing on employee development and personal growth.
Laura grew up in Minneapolis, MN, and has been a resident of Wauwatosa since 2018. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth and her master’s degree from Capella University. Laura is married to her wife, Katie, and enjoys outdoor activities, creating art, and cooking.
Rodney Jones-Tyson – Global Chief Human Resources Officer, Robert W. Baird & Co.
Rodney currently serves as Baird’s Global Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, Rodney is responsible for focusing on strategic issues, and working with Chairman & CEO Steve Booth and other members of senior management to further organizational effectiveness and associate development. Rodney oversees Human Resources, Corporate Real Estate & Workplace Solutions, Baird Travel and assists with the administration of the Baird Foundation. He is most proud of Baird’s recognition as one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For since 2004.
From 2018-2021, Rodney was Baird’s Chief Risk Officer. In this role, Rodney was responsible for the oversight of Baird’s financial liquidity, institutional and retail capital markets trading and underwriting risk management, cyber security, business continuity, third party risk, internal audit and insurance activities. From 2011-2018, he was the Chief Operating Officer for Baird’s Global Investment Banking group and was a member of the department’s management committee. Rodney began his career at Baird in 1998 as an investment banker where he was responsible for originating and executing merger and acquisition and equity financing transactions. He also spent several years working in Baird’s London office developing our transatlantic M&A practice.
Rodney reports to Baird’s CEO and serves as a member of Baird’s Executive Committee. He is also a member of Baird’s Audit Committee, Finance Committee and Talent HR Committee.
Rodney is a member of the board of trustees of Centerspace (NYSE: CSR), where he is also chair of the Compensation Committee, and is member of the board of directors of Associated Bancorp (NYSE: ASB). In the community, Rodney is the board chair of the Foundation for Homan Square and is a board member of IFF, where he was previously board chair.
Prior to joining Baird, Rodney worked in the consumer finance and commercial lending areas of Citibank, Chase Manhattan Bank and First Chicago NBD Bank.
Rodney received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and holds a BS in Finance from the University of Maryland.
Brandon Hill – President & CEO, Vivent Health
Dr. Brandon Hill serves as President and CEO of Vivent Health, a national leader in HIV prevention and care serving communities across a six-state region. He has more than 15 years of experience in health care and leadership in HIV, LGBTQIA+, and women’s health.
Prior to joining Vivent Health as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Hill served as Executive Director of Education, Research and Advocacy at Howard Brown Health in Chicago, as President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains (serving Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma), and as Executive Director of the University of Chicago’s Ci3 adolescent sexual and reproductive health research center.
Since stepping into the President and CEO role, Dr. Hill has tripled the size of Vivent Health’s advocacy team to oppose anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and protect access to health care. In 2025, he was named president of the International Association for Sex Research.
Dr. Hill holds both a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in gender studies, with a concentration in psychology, from Indiana University.
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