Educator of the Year

Buford makes BIG impact

By JoAnn Petaschnick

Earl Buford Executive director of BIG-STEP Inc., Milwaukee

Earl Buford can connect with all kinds of people.

It’s the key to his success as an educator.

As executive director of BIG-STEP Inc., the Building Industry Group-Skilled Trades Employment Program in Milwaukee, he’s connected with many of Milwaukee’s youth by helping to train and prepare them for work in the building trades.

It was this gift for working with diverse groups that first caught the attention of Lyle Balistreri, president of the Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council and BIG-STEP board member. Balistreri’s experience working with Buford in 1997 on a Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District project prompted Balistreri to hire Buford in 1999 to head up BIG-STEP.

Balistreri said he hoped Buford’s abilities would help enlarge the impact of BIG-STEP in the community, and Balistreri wasn’t disappointed.

“At that time, we did not have a director for BIG-STEP,” he said. “We’d had a hard time finding someone who could fit that role. We needed someone who could work with all the building trades as well as the community and the apprenticeship candidates.

“Earl had a good rapport with the union leadership, a good rapport with the apprentices, and he was well-respected among community groups. When we hired him, he quickly proved that he was right for the job. Since Earl has been in charge of BIG-STEP, he has done wonders with it.”

Buford’s responsibilities include overseeing all of the education and pre-training programs for BIG-STEP, which helps people qualify for apprenticeship programs in the building trades by helping upgrade math, science and other academic skills. He also oversees and evaluates community outreach programs to recruit individuals to take part in the programs.

Buford’s background in program management and development for the Milwaukee Recreation Department and as apprenticeship manager for the work-force development component of the Minority Business Development and Training Program prepared him for his work with BIG-STEP. He also serves on the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commis-sion and was a member of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s transition team in 2004.

“BIG-STEP performs a valuable service for minorities and women who might not otherwise get the opportunity to become apprentices in the building trades,” said Mike Fabishak, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee and president of BIG-STEP. “Earl has what it takes to get people to work together. He is very capable and politically savvy.

“When Earl came to BIG-STEP, quite frankly, it was struggling. Under Earl’s stewardship, we have been able to transition into a half-million-dollar program.”

These days, Buford travels around the country educating other groups and helping them establish their own apprenticeship-training programs.

“It has become a model program under Earl’s direction,” Fabishak said.