MHYH strives to ensure that our staff is as diverse as the population we serve. Our people have demonstrated leadership that emphasizes commitment, vision, and results. Collectively, MHYH has over 100 years of experience in identifying needs, developing a vision of service delivery to support local families and foster children, forming strategic community partnerships, evaluating service quality and compliance, and implementing programming.

Irma J. Walker, President and Founder
Irma Walker, along with her husband, Aubrey Walker, were foster care parents for 15 years prior to opening MHYH’s first program in 1993. Mrs. Walker draws upon almost 10 years of experience working with homeless women and children as Chief Operations Officer for the YWCA’s Transitional Housing Program from 1990-1999. Responsibilities included management of facilities, tenant relations, and community outreach. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Community Education, specializing in working with people of special needs and a Master’s in Adult Education. Both degrees were earned at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to the founding of MHYH, Mrs. Walker was Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin Extension. Mrs. Walker holds various honors, which include The Martin Luther King Human Relations Award, Who’s Who in the Mid-West, Milwaukee Times Black Excellence Award, the 1995 TV-6 Jefferson Award, the 2000 UW-Milwaukee Alumni Award, the 2000 Professional Dimensions Sacagawea Award, and the 2002 YWCA Women of Achievement Award.

Constance Palmer-Jones,
Executive Director
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