Joe Checota was a self-described workaholic when Ellen McNamara Checota, the woman who would later become his wife of six decades, first introduced him to the enriching nature of art, music and theater. Checota, now chairman, chief executive officer and principal owner of Milwaukee-based Landmark Healthcare Facilities LLC, was a politically active young man in
Joe Checota was a self-described workaholic when Ellen McNamara Checota, the woman who would later become his wife of six decades, first introduced him to the enriching nature of art, music and theater.
Checota, now chairman, chief executive officer and principal owner of Milwaukee-based Landmark Healthcare Facilities LLC, was a politically active young man in his early 20s when he met the artistically inclined McNamara at a campaign dinner for Hubert Humphrey. Checota, who was working for Humphrey’s 1960 presidential campaign, had helped plan the dinner, and McNamara’s father, Milwaukee-area labor leader Bertram “Bert” McNamara – an artist himself – was a Humphrey supporter.
“I knew her father, but I didn’t know he had a daughter, and I made it my business to get to know her,” Checota recalls.
As the pair got to know each other, attending college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ellen helped introduce Joe to arts and culture, fostering a love that has only deepened over the course of their 60-year marriage.
“She taught me that diverse cultural landscapes are an important building block in the creation of successful communities – communities like Milwaukee that are a great place to live,” he said.
Last month, at BizTimes Media’s 10th annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards program, the philanthropists received the Lifetime Achievement Award for their support of cultural and educational institutions in Milwaukee.
Supporting the arts
Although they first began their philanthropic support of the arts in the 1980s, when Joe was on the board of the Milwaukee Art Museum – donating $150,000 to help secure the Michael and Julie Hall Collection of American Folk Art – the couple emerged as even more generous benefactors of the arts about seven years ago with a $400,000 donation to the museum.
In 2021, they followed that gift with a $5 million contribution to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s $139 million fundraising campaign to create the Bradley Symphony Center. The funding also helped build the MSO’s endowment, pay off pension liability and bolster its operating fund. In recognition of their gift, the Bradley Symphony Center includes the Ellen & Joe Checota Atrium and Gallery.
Then, earlier this year, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater announced a confidential gift from the Checotas towards its $75 million fundraising effort to rebuild its downtown Milwaukee theater complex. The Checotas’ gift is the second-largest charitable contribution in the 69-year history of the Milwaukee Rep. In recognition of that gift, the new main stage of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater will be named the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater.
Helping families
Accepting the award for the philanthropic power couple, Joe Checota credited his wife for opening his eyes not only to the impact great art can have on communities, but also the importance of helping fellow human beings improve their station in life.
“Ellen taught me that families that achieve financial success have an obligation to share their success with members of their community who require a leg up,” he said.
In 2022, close to 40 years after making a $100,000 donation to Milwaukee Area Technical College, the couple announced they had established a new scholarship program at the school. As part of the effort, the Checotas have agreed to contribute a two-to-one matching gift up to $5 million to create a $7.5 million fund. For each $500,000 donated, the Checotas contribute $1 million.
So far, the Checotas have contributed $4 million, and hundreds of donors have contributed more than $2 million. When fully funded, the $7.5 million scholarship will become the largest charitable gift in the 110-year history of MATC.
In place for about a year now, the scholarship has already helped 150 graduates drastically improve their lives, Joe Checota said.
“MATC has reported to us that the average salary of the recipients of our scholarships was $27,000 when they entered the program … and students who have received employment with the certificate (thanks to the scholarship), their average salary is $53,000,” he said.
For traditional students, the scholarship has provided an opportunity to “start life out on the right foot,” he said, and for older students – some of them with children – it’s been a chance to build a more stable life.
“Many of them have gone from a condition of poverty to a living wage. And it doesn’t just mean life got better for them. It means that they went from a situation where they really were in a great struggle to a place where they can take a deep breath and begin to enjoy life,” Checota said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you’ve helped somebody feel good about themselves.”
Going forward, the Checotas would like to see more corporations, foundations and individuals donate to the fund. The largest matching gifts thus far have come from Julianna Ebert and Frank Daily, Bader Philanthropies, the Zilber Family Foundation and the Ralph Evinrude Foundation.
“The kind of workers in Milwaukee that are coming out of our scholarship program are exactly the workers that are in short supply in Milwaukee,” Checota said. “So, anyone that financially helps the students, if they own a business in Milwaukee, are helping themselves.”
See Joe Checota accept the award at the BizTimes Media Nonprofit Excellence Awards program:
