414-251-3550

 information@swimke.org

 3070 N51 Street, Suite 510, Milwaukee, WI, 53210

About Us

Our Mission: To Drive Community-Based Collaboration that helps prevent and respond to trauma and creates a more resilient Milwaukee

Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee

SWIM was formed as a way of increasing strategic partnerships between community service providers addressing generational trauma in Milwaukee through a collaborative, multidisciplinary model. Our Mission is to build a trauma-responsive community that heals trauma and promotes resilience. Till date, SWIM has operated on a volunteer basis consisting of local non-profit leaders, business executives, hospital and university administrators, community stakeholders, and community members. 

Eugene Manzanet, Ph.D

Eugene Manzanet, after serving eight years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve has dedicated his time and energy to serving the Milwaukee area as resource of information for financial education, community, and economic development. As a current resident and homeowner of the near northwest side of Milwaukee, he was born in New York City and raised in the heart of the "South Bronx." He currently is the Executive Director of Scaling Wellness In Milwaukee- SWIM. SWIM is an organization dedicated to increasing strategic partnerships between local service providers of all sizes to address generational trauma in Milwaukee. SWIM's mission is to drive community-based collaboration that helps to prevent and respond to trauma and creates a resilient Milwaukee. SWIM initiatives include increasing strategic partnerships between service providers, providing wellness and capacity-building activities for small trauma-facing community-based organizations, and delivering trauma-responsive workplace training and retreats.

Eugene attended The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he developed his passion for social responsibility as a student majoring in history. He has continued his education locally at Cardinal Stritch University, earning a bachelor's Science Business Administration, a master's degree in Business Administration and Doctorates degree in his studies of Leadership for the advancement of Learning and Service.

Doctoral Research Manzanet's dissertation examines the evolution of a group of thirty social service nonprofits and how they make (or do not make) the necessary strategic adjustments as a business to evolve and, at times, reinvent themselves to stay relevant to the populations they serve. At the center of my study is a Cardinal Stritch University initiative: Mission Fuel. This initiative applies a business accelerator model to assist nonprofit leadership teams with developing and implementing strategies to diversify revenue streams, become more entrepreneurial, and ultimately realize a more stable and self-sustainable future. Mission Fuel supports the skill development of nonprofit leaders to address various complex challenges in an economically sustainable and holistic manner. (Cardinal Stritch University Mission Fuel click here)

Mikal Wesley

Mikal Wesley is a real estate investor, program specialist and change agent in the Milwaukee community. Mikal focuses on improving neighborhoods through investments and cataclysmic real estate developments. Mikal develops strategic partnerships with public and private investors to push his goal of transforming urban landscapes and building communities. Mikal believes revitalized neighborhoods create a better sense of community among residents and greater opportunity for economic empowerment.

Mikal also has experience coordinating programming that included project logistics, instructor support needs, mentor coordination and support, daily communications, and financial monitoring. Mikal has also served as a facilitator and mentor for entrepreneurial training programs in the city of Milwaukee. Mikal serves on the Center Street BID 39 and is active in his community through his fraternal organization and various volunteer opportunities. Mikal has a passion for travel, family, and his community.

Emily Mazulla Ph.D

Emily Mazzulla, Ph.D., is SWIM’s Chief Trauma and Resilience Psychologist. Additionally, Dr. Mazzulla is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology at Marquette University. An expert in the field of trauma and resilience, Dr. Mazzulla spent six years of her career developing and delivering an evidence-based and culturally responsive framework and intervention with New England Survivors of Torture and Trauma at the University of Vermont. Her professional focus is to understand the impact of trauma and chronic stress on psychological outcomes and resilience factors moderating these outcomes specifically in re-settled refugee communities. This last year, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Mazzulla wrote a children’s book entitled “School in the Time of the Coronavirus” to help children and their families build resilience during the pandemic. Dr. Mazzulla’s expertise informs a strong evidence-based foundation for the development of SWIM’s training modules and work with CBOs.