In honor of Delta Institute’s 25th Anniversary, CEO Bill Schleizer delivered a speech about his experiences throughout his 20-year tenure at the organization. The anniversary celebration was held on May 21, 2024, at the Chicago History Museum. Please enjoy the full text script below.
I have had the absolute honor of being Delta’s CEO for eight years, and almost 20 years as a Deltoid. It’s just remarkable and amazing that I’ve been able to be on this journey with this fantastic organization. At my first board meeting as CEO, I used that journey theme to set out a vision for Delta. It started with “Forward”, the state motto of my home state of Wisconsin. We then went through the phases of Onward, Upward, and ending with Toward – a more sustainable, equitable, and just Midwest with environmental improvement and economic opportunities for all. I’m not going to totally repeat that theme tonight, but we are going to talk about finding ways to move toward that vision.
Picture of Bill as a Programs Associate at Delta
Nature Finds a Way
I’m occasionally asked why I’m so interested and passionate about the work that Delta does, and how I have stayed so energized throughout the years. The answer is pretty simple – the way we work just perfectly aligns with what inspired me to get into this work in the first place. Growing up in Wisconsin, I got to see the intersection of people and nature. My grandfather worked in a paper mill, my dad worked on a potato farm, my uncle worked in the local Del Monte plant, and my mom even had a stint in an Ore-Ida factory. I got to see how we used natural resources, and the impacts that had on the environment and on communities. Whether it was swimming downstream from the paper plants, or knowing which way the wind was blowing by the different, odiferous smells, that intersection of environment and economy and its impact on community is where I thrive.
I often misquote a line from the 1993 cinematic masterpiece, Jurassic Park, that has Jeff Goldblum’s character saying “life winds a way” – I’ve adapted it to “Nature Finds A Way.” The environment is letting us know that we aren’t yet on the right path almost every day. We can’t continue to try and ignore the impacts of legacy and ongoing environmental degradation especially in a changing climate where the impacts are just getting worse. And we can’t keep trying the same things to solve these intractable problems, that is as boring as it is ineffective.
Community Finds a Way
But it’s just not about nature, it’s about people. And while, nature is cool, the people of the Midwest are even more inspiring. That’s all of us, we are all in community. And like nature finding a way, communities also find a way – even in the face of social, economic, and environmental injustice. Every day, we see communities use their expertise and experiences to find new ways to chart their own paths towards resilience and sustainability despite all the barriers and policies that try to stop that from happening. Delta is proud to be a collaborator when we can assist, but also very happy to get out of the way when we aren’t needed.
Delta Finds a Way
And seeing nature and communities finding ways to respond to the impacts faced everyday, inspires Delta to continue to find ways to create change. Much like the communities and landscapes we are in partnership with, Delta has been pretty resilient over 25 years. The word I’ve heard most to describe Delta internally is “scrappy” which reminds always reminds of one of my least favorite cartoon characters of all-time, “Scrappy-Doo.” I feel like while scrappiness is mainly positive, and can inspire creativity, but I prefer to think of Delta as patiently persistent, and pragmatically optimistic – willing to roll up our sleeves, acknowledge hard truths, and show up authentically to find ways to work together regardless of the resources available. And we’re just a little weird, you know, not too much, but enough to look at things from many different perspectives, and have fun together while working on really hard, intractable problems. We even have an unofficial mascot, the Mudkip, a pokemon creature with some attributes of the mudpuppy. The mudkip shows up in a lot of our internal communications channels. We try to balance the importance of the issues and the realities of the problems with the need to support each other as we move toward sustainable solutions, and sometimes it’s not the easiest journey.
I prefer to think of Delta as patiently persistent, and pragmatically optimistic – willing to roll up our sleeves, acknowledge hard truths, and show up authentically to find ways to work together regardless of the resources available
Photos of guests listening to Bill’s speech at the Chicago History Museum
There was one time here at Delta where I had seven grant proposals rejected in a row. After a run like that, you would think that I would be kinda worried about my job, but I really wasn’t because there was a belief that we are on to something, and we just needed to find the right way to get it started. I can personally attest that you learn more from trying and failing than not. I learned a lot from that failure streak, and we were able to find a way to continue moving Delta’s work forward in agriculture, brownfield redevelopment, and the many other areas of climate action our partners address. These issues remain as important today as they did back in 1998 when Brandy & Monica, the Backstreet Boys, Usher, Celine Dion, and Mariah Carey ruled the airwaves.
This Is the Way
Through our work and partnerships, we are seeing that the region is truly moving towards a more sustainable and equitable Midwest, but there’s still a lot of work to do together. Delta is committed to another 25 years of building strong relationships and doing the work to get there. We are inspired by nature finding a way, community finding a way, and Delta finding ways with all of you. To quote the Mandalorian, I feel that “This is the way” to solve complex environmental problems.
As you may know, the Delta in Delta Institute means change, and we believe that we can create change that improves the environment while also dealing with the impacts of climate change, create economic opportunities, and have it be centered in community.
I want to thank you all for coming out to celebrate 25 years with us, and I’d like to close with a simple toast. And yes, this is Malört, Delta’s unofficial spirit of choice. “Here’s to change and to a more sustainable and equitable Midwest.”
