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Laura Gutiérrez’s parents grew up in Mexico with dreams they couldn’t afford to chase – her mother wanted to be an optometrist, her father a mechanical engineer. When they moved to Milwaukee in the 1970s, they worked minimum-wage jobs to give their five children opportunities they never had.
Now CEO of the United Community Center, a social services nonprofit on the South Side, Gutiérrez carries that legacy forward, ensuring Hispanic families can imagine brighter futures through expanded access to education, housing, health care and economic mobility. “Knowing the sacrifices my parents made, how can I not create a path for others to have the same opportunities?”
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Earlier in her career, Gutiérrez served in Milwaukee schools and led the state Department of Safety and Professional Services.
In 2020, she became the UCC’s CEO, a deeply personal role: She grew up just steps from the center, took part in its youth programs and went through many of the challenges that still affect families in the largely Latino South Side. That lived experience, combined with her professional expertise, set the stage for her to make an impact in a marginalized community.
Under Gutiérrez’s leadership of the UCC, its Bruce-Guadalupe school was named the top charter school in Wisconsin, and she led a campaign to raise $6 million to expand it. She spearheaded a $12 million campaign to expand early learning by 50% and doubled Latino college enrollment through UCC’s Pre-College Program. She also ensured every UCC site includes health clinics, handling thousands of visits each year.
While UCC provides a wide range of services on Milwaukee’s South Side – and Gutiérrez has more bold plans to grow its reach – her vision remains rooted in a simple goal: “As our community thrives, people can give back in the same way others once gave to them.”
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