Candidate for Secretary
Makda Fessahaye
Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Milwaukee and Madison
Email: makda.fessahaye@wisconsin.gov
Platform Statement
Since graduating law school in 2014, I have immersed myself in opportunities to serve and lead the greater Wisconsin legal community. In 2015, I joined the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers (WAAL), and have since been instrumental in WAAL’s recent successes and initiatives. In collaboration with the State Bar, both law schools, and other affinity organizations, I recently developed and hosted WAAL’s continuing legal education seminars entitled “Diversifying the Law: Moving Beyond the Diversity & Inclusion Statement,” where panelists offered insight to employers and attorneys on how to improve hiring and retaining diverse attorneys. In the last year, I had the pleasure of serving as the Building Bridges liaison for the State Bar’s Board of Governors. My position with the Board of Governors not only provided me with the chance to represent the voice of the African-American legal community, but also allowed me to further promote young and minority attorneys’ increased involvement with the State Bar. Not one to shy away from new opportunities, I participated in the inaugural G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy, and was subsequently appointed by State Bar President Paul Swanson onto the Leadership Development Committee. Uniquely situated in Milwaukee and Madison, I am confident that my energy and dedication to serving the greater Wisconsin legal community, paired with my fresh perspective will allow for a more inclusive and diverse State Bar of Wisconsin. Thank you for your consideration.
Biography
Makda Fessahaye serves as assistant legal counsel at the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections, where her practice primarily focuses on advising and consulting on public records law, employment law, and privacy law. She regularly represents the Department of Corrections before the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, the Equal Rights Division, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Makda graduated from Northwestern University in 2011 with a Bachelors of Science in Communication Studies, and received her J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 2014.
For the past three years, Makda has served on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers (WAAL). As a volunteer attorney with the Unemployment Appeals Clinic in Madison, she supervises and works with U.W. Law School students to guide them in their representation of clients with unemployment compensation claims. Makda is particularly active with the State Bar of Wisconsin, where she previously served as a Building Bridges Liaison for the State Bar Board of Governors, and now serves as a member of the Leadership Development Committee. She is a member of the inaugural class of the State Bar’s G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy, a member of the Government Lawyers Division, the Young Lawyers Division, and the Labor and Employment Law Section. Makda is also a member of the National Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
Outside of the legal profession, Makda serves on the Diversity Committee of Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, serves on the Scholarship Committee for the Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals, is a recent graduate of the Wisconsin Women in Government Leadership Seminar, and is the co-founder of the Milwaukee based networking organization, Brunch of Professionals. On Sundays, you can find Makda singing at her beloved church as a music minister.
