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Tony M. Pérez, Secretary-Executive Director of Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), is being honored for making high-tech schools a reality for low-income children and youth so that they could become computer-savvy and fairly compete for jobs and opportunities in this country. Mr. Pérez played a major role in creating the Central City Cyberschool, a city-chartered elementary school with a wireless data network system located in the low-income development of Parklawn. With the support of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Pérez also spearheaded the development of four Neighborhood Network Centers, which make computer labs, instruction, and Internet access available to HACM students after school and on weekends. Mr. Pérez helped arrange the Browning Street Partnership among HACM, Milwaukee Public Schools, and the non-profit Silver Spring Neighborhood Center to build the Browning Street School. This school considers the strengths of children and their families and creates individualized plans and provides services which will enable children to become self-sufficient adults. Mr. Pérez has worked to bring a federal Job Corps Center to the city to provide low-income youth between the ages of 16 and 24 years with education, job training, and job placement in a residential setting. In 1990, Mr. Pérez founded the Milwaukee Community Service Corps (MCSC); it was a replica of the 1930’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) but targeted to urban youth. His work at the MCSC was featured in the PBS special “The Merrow Report: Searching for Heroes.” Mr. Pérez currently provides expertise to a number of organizations including the Milwaukee Crime Commission, the National Civilian Community Corps Advisory Board, and Senator Feingold’s Hispanic Advisory Committee
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