Sean Wilson

Biography

Sean Wilson is the National Director of Organizing and Partnerships at Dream.Org, advancing leadership, strategic partnerships, and economic opportunity. Raised in Milwaukee's 53206 neighborhood, Sean spent 17 years incarcerated before becoming a national leader in organizing and systems change. He has developed leadership programs spanning more than 35 states, empowering justice-impacted communities to influence policy and access opportunity. His work includes engagements with the United Nations and a feature in HBO's "Growing Up Milwaukee." Sean believes those closest to systemic challenges must help shape the future.

Sessions

1. OURstory, NOT HIStory

   Fri, Nov 6, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM CT

   Track Smart Cities

   Who tells a community's story shapes who gets to define its future. As cities evolve through technological innovation, infrastructure investment, and economic development, whose voices are shaping the vision—and whose stories are being left behind? Join J Paul Johnson, Founder of BlackEverything.com, and Michael Hawthorne Jr., Co-Founder of Klean Energy Kulture, with Sean Wilson, National Director of Organizing and Partnerships at Dream.Org, moderating. Together, they'll explore storytelling as essential infrastructure—a tool for preserving community history, elevating lived experience, building collective power, and influencing how cities invest and grow. From cultural preservation and climate storytelling to community organizing and economic opportunity, this conversation examines how residents can move beyond being subjects of change to becoming authors of their communities' futures. Because building smarter cities isn't just about what we build. It's about whose stories, voices, and visions guide the way.