Over the past 25 years, Rodney McLean has steadily advanced in his professional career, rising to executive leadership roles with large corporations, including GE, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Johnson Controls.
Although he has travelled millions of miles nationally and internationally for work, he has always made it a priority to give his time to the communities he has called home.
“It was second nature to show up for folks and just be involved — so much so that I feel kind of empty if I’m not doing something,” said McLean, vice president at a Washington, D.C.- based global energy storage company.
His volunteering began as a kid when he helped his church’s deaconess, his mother, with clothing drives and soup kitchen preparations in their hometown of Newburgh, New York. He has served as a mentor, a tutor and nonprofit board member since then.
But a philanthropist? McLean wouldn’t have used that term to describe his work.
That was until he attended the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Black Philanthropy Month event in August 2025, which featured conversations with Black donors, professionals and community leaders. Philanthropy involves time, talent, treasure and ties, and the moment is now for collaboration and collective impact in our community, they implored. McLean took that call to heart and took his involvement to the next level by creating the McLean Cares Fund, a donor advised fund.
Prior to our Black Philanthropy event, what did philanthropy mean to you?
I thought it was something that you do when you are retired, and you have some assets that you might want to figure out how to deploy somewhere as you are thinking about what’s after life. But it was not something I thought I would actively be doing at this point in my life.
What about that gathering really inspired you?
The panel (Cecelia Gore, executive director of the Brewers Community Foundation; Blaine Gibson, financial adviser with RBC Wealth Management; and John Daniels III, executive director of A.L.I.V.E. MKE) and message from Greg Wesley were amazing! Seeing the generations of folks who have been involved and have been partnering with the Foundation over time — I thought, “That’s a way I can find my way to impact the community since I’ve been living here for 10 years.”
How do you see us helping you maximize your giving?
The Foundation is plugged into all things in Milwaukee and is known across the country for how well funded and well run it is. I respect what you guys are doing, and I see the growth here. I just thought this was the place I wanted to be a part of.
What interest areas are you most passionate about?
I want to be there to help single mothers, in tribute to my mother. She’s a lady that pretty much fulfilled all of her dreams by herself. But maybe she had help that I didn’t know about. I want to help single moms with whatever challenges they might have in today’s economy and today’s environment.
What excites you most about being a new donor?
I have some purpose and a goal to achieve. This is something that is right in front of me, and I can continuously fight to make it bigger. Competitive Rodney is coming out now! I know to get my fund started I needed $25,000, but I want it to be about $5 million!