RIGHT TO THE TOP. Dr. Jeneise Briggs, the EDI Coordinator for the City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County, was recently named among the top 48 most influential Black leaders in the state.

Dr. Jeneise Briggs, the Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion (EDI) coordinator for the City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County was recently named among the state’s top 48 most influential Black leaders, according to Madison365, a nonprofit news website.

The sixth annual Black Power list highlights “the beauty of the diversity across our state,” according to Henry Sanders, president and CEO of Madison365. “I want kids here in Wisconsin to see role models of people who are succeeding, to know what’s possible for Black people to achieve great things here.” 

The publication highlighted Briggs’ "wealth of career experience creating EDI programs and fostering relationships with underrepresented communities in positions.” Specifically, she has served as senior assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion at Marian University in Fond du Lac, as well as the diversity and inclusion specialist and law school outreach coordinator for the State Bar of Wisconsin. 

Briggs holds a doctorate of education in educational leadership, administration, and policy analysis from Edgewood College in Madison, a master’s degree in public administration from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and a bachelor of arts degree in mass communications and public relationship from Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, Jamaica.  

“It’s important for us to expand the way we think about influence, and to highlight more of the people doing what it takes to improve their community,” Sanders wrote on Madison365.

To see the other individuals named among the most influential Black leaders in Wisconsin, click here. 

To read about Dr. Jeneise Briggs and her role with the City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County, read our profile piece about Briggs from this spring, which you can find here.