Díaz is currently prohibited by the six-member God Touch MKE Board members from participating in any worship gatherings, sessions and activities that are open to the public in the Southside of Milwaukee.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
November 7, 2022
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Monday, Verónica Díaz, the former events director for God Touch MKE, Inc., a non-denominational place of worship, the ministry is a safe place for those battling addiction, finding jobs for those recently released from prison and providing an adult residential program at the 1500 block of W. Lincoln Ave. in the Southside of Milwaukee. Díaz believes that the all White Board of Directors discriminated against her when she was terminated on November 2, 2022 via an email notice without any due process and says that she has no history of any written or verbal warnings for inappropriate job performance. Díaz was the only bilingual Latina employee at God Touch MKE.
When Díaz received the termination email from Witkowiak, she felt "disheartening and heart breaking" after she had been very passionate in doing her job at God Touch MKE, which she loved to do. Díaz did noticed that when Calderon was not available at God Touch MKE meetings, the Board would meet with other employees in regards to the ministry activities and that she was left out of those meetings with employees.
Díaz told Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) that she received an email on November 2, 2022 sent by James N. Witkowiak, president of the God Touch MKE Board of Directors stating, "this email serves as notice of your termination of employment at God Touch Milwaukee effective immediately...In addiction, we do not want you to volunteer or be involved in God Touch Milwaukee Ministry going forward..."
HNNUSA also contacted CEO Marty Calderon, the evangelical ministry pastor and founder of God Touch MKE who confirmed that Díaz had no history of any kind of disciplinary warnings, no verbal warnings either or had done anything inappropriate concerning job performance to get her dismissed from her position.
Calderon indicated that he was surprised and "had no clue" that the Board had moved during his absence to dismiss Díaz without any previous employment infractions, wrongdoing and that he was not condoning what they did.
Calderon was given a sabbatical leave by the Board in October 2022 and will return to Touch One MKE by the first week of December 2022. Calderon told HNNUSA that he strongly disagreed what the Board did to Díaz and that no one should be denied participation at the ministry.
Nicholas Hackbart, the assistant executive director of God Touch MKE replaced Pastor Calderon while he is on temporary leave.
Díaz had volunteered at God Touch MKE two years prior before getting hired on June 1, 2022.
Díaz is now considering legal advice in her case.
Apparently, the Board of Directors acted without any legal advice and might have failed to consider that they could be solely liable for alleged discrimination and terminating an employee without just cause, which in this case, is the only employee at God Touch MKE that is Latina, a female with bilingual language skills that helped Paster Calderon with Spanish translations for those Spanish speaking ministry followers in the Southside of Milwaukee, even when God Touch MKE is a non-profit ministry.
The God Touch MKE Board of Directors including the Chief Executive Director (CEO) and assistant executive director:
• James Witkowiak, President
Former Milwaukee Alderman and funeral director at Witkowiak Funeral Services
• Thomas Campbell, Vice-president
Senior Vice-president of Real Estate Solutions and Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF)
• Nathaniel Beck, Secretary
Johnson Controls
• Bonnie Lee
Executive Director of 1848 Project
• Richard Wachter
Poblocki Signs
• Michael Jahr
Senior Vice-president at Badger Institute
• Marty Calderon, CEO and Ministry Pastor
• Nicholas Hackbart, Assistant Executive Director
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