If you need someone who can get things done, look no further than Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Four people with MATC ties made the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 2026 Power Players in Southeastern Wisconsin list, which was released this week.
Those recognized were MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz; Danielle Bergner, vice president of the MATC Foundation Board of Directors and a MATC alumna; Michael Emem, a Milwaukee developer and MATC alumnus; and Jackie Q. Carter, director of employee relations for the city of Milwaukee and a MATC alumna.
Milwaukee Business Journal staff chose the list, which spotlights region residents who shape development, champion philanthropic activities, and lend their voices and connections when they are needed most.
“These are individuals who are getting things done in Southeast Wisconsin — connecting people, winning deals, defining the conversation and generally moving and shaking,” the periodical said.
This year, the selections were revealed in random order in three groups that came out Monday, February 16 through Wednesday, February 18.
Here’s a look at the people with MATC connections:
MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz
Dr. Cruz is the 11th president of MATC, Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse higher education institutions in the Midwest. He began his tenure in July 2024.
Before coming to MATC, Dr. Cruz served as president of the Kendall Campus of Miami Dade College in Florida. He has 28 years of higher education experience, serving as vice chancellor, vice president, and dean at several community colleges and universities.
Dr. Cruz has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida International University, a Master of Public Administration from Florida State University and a doctorate in higher education from Florida International University.
Danielle Bergner, vice president, MATC Foundation Board of Directors and MATC alumna
An alumna of MATC, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette University Law School, Bergner is a shareholder and chair of the real estate practice group at Hall Render, the country’s largest law firm with an exclusive focus on the healthcare industry.
She has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA, and has been tapped by the Milwaukee Business Journal for its 40 Under 40, Women of Influence and Power Broker lists, as well as a Business Journal National Influencer.
Michael Emem, Emem Group LLC, MATC alumnus
Emem is determined to build a better Milwaukee – one home, one apartment, one office building, one commercial complex at a time.
As president and CEO of Emem Group LLC since 2018, Emem has managed over $100 million in residential and commercial development projects in the Milwaukee region.
Emem earned an associate degree in Architectural Technology from Milwaukee Area Technical College in 2011.
His project portfolio also includes an arts gallery and museum in the Bronzeville neighborhood, a medical office and community clinic in the Williamsburg neighborhood, and the new home of the Milwaukee Public Museum in the Historic Haymarket neighborhood.
Emem has also been building a city neighborhood from scratch on 60 lots located near 21st Street and Walnut Avenue that have been vacant for more than a decade.
Jackie Q. Carter, City of Milwaukee, MATC alumna
Carter grew up in Milwaukee’s Washington Park neighborhood and earned an accounting degree from MATC.
She served for two years as director of Port Milwaukee — the first woman and the first person of color to lead the busy cargo and cruise ship operation on Lake Michigan.
In the fall of 2025, she was named director of the City of Milwaukee’s Department of Employee Relations, overseeing the recruitment, hiring and administration of the city’s 7,000 workers.
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.