Civic Ecosystem Architect · Milwaukee, WI
I help leaders, organizations, and cities build the leadership pipelines, trust networks, and civic platforms that make communities worth staying in — and staying for.
Founder of
The Real Problem
"The average American makes their closest adult friend at 27. By 30, they stop. By 40, they're lonely, exhausted, and binge-scrolling Zillow listings for anywhere-but-here. That's not a people problem. That's an infrastructure problem."— Ian Abston
Cities invest in buildings, not belonging. Foundations fund programs, not ecosystems. Programs change every five years — today it's housing, before that it was something else. None of it sticks.
Young leaders are siloed by demographics or industry. Entrepreneurs with entrepreneurs. Lawyers with lawyers. Everyone's networking. Nobody's connecting.
There's no connective tissue. No cross-sector table. No place where the startup founder sits next to the artist sits next to the corporate exec and bold ideas meet the mentors who can make them real.
There's no succession plan for civic energy. Leaders build things, climb the social tree, then saw off the branches behind them. The next generation has to rebuild from scratch. That's not a strategy — it's a failure.
What I Do
I work with leaders, boards, economic development organizations, and cities that are serious about talent strategy. Not networking events. Not another report. Civic infrastructure.
I work with organizations and civic leaders on talent strategy, succession planning, and regional alignment — especially during moments of growth, transition, or fragmentation.
Ecosystem Audit: $5–7.5K · Pilot Design: $50–75K · Full Implementation: $100K+
I design and build cohort-based leadership experiences and talent ecosystems that turn familiar faces into trusted collaborators — and trust into civic action at scale.
YP Group: $65K (5-month) · Forward 48 Model: $125K · Hoan Model: $250K
Keynotes, workshops, and board-level conversations on leadership, trust, talent strategy, and building communities people choose to stay in. Grounded in real systems, not theory.
Speaking: $5K + travel · Includes 60-min board session or 90-min happy hour facilitation
The Ecosystem
I didn't build four organizations. I built one interlocking talent pipeline that moves leaders from their first professional network all the way through their civic legacy. Nobody else has built that in Wisconsin.
Avg Age 28
Entry point into Milwaukee civic life. Build friendships. Find your crowd.
One of the Midwest's largest young professional organizations
Avg Age 32
Wisconsin's first statewide civic leadership development experience.
1,000+ alumni · MKE · MSN · GB
No grants. No philanthropy.
Avg Age 42
Invite-only civic executives. No clubhouse. The city is the clubhouse.
160+ members · Co-founded with Jason Ilstrup, DMI
Expanding: MKE · MSN · GB
50+
For the people who built this state and aren't done yet.
Launching 2025 · $1,095 membership
50 founding members goal
"One degree of separation from virtually anyone in Wisconsin. Nobody else has built that."
What Actually Works
None of it required a grant proposal. Just a table, some beer, and a crowd of people who gave a damn.
Led the grassroots initiative that raised $6M+ to illuminate the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge — transforming neglected infrastructure into a civic icon, economic development engine, and STEM education platform connecting high school students to coding through bridge lighting design.
$6M+ Raised · 95% via Hoan NetworkLaunched Wisconsin's first Night Market — a downtown activation that redefined how public space could build community. Drew millions into spaces that had been written off. Then it spread to 17 cities statewide.
17 Cities Statewide · Millions ActivatedCo-hosted statewide convenings and leadership discussions supporting advocacy efforts that resulted in over $1 billion in funding for the University of Wisconsin System.
$1B+ in UW System Funding SupportedFounded the Salvation Army's young professional arm in Milwaukee, building a model that has since been adopted and replicated nationally — proving that civic-meets-philanthropic can scale without losing its soul.
42 Cities · National ReplicationNetwork members helped elevate childcare as a statewide economic priority, contributing to policy improvements included in Wisconsin's most recent state budget. The pipeline doesn't just develop leaders — it deploys them.
Policy Change · State Budget ImpactInstalled large-scale public frames across Wisconsin designed to create gathering spaces and strengthen community identity — placemaking as a civic strategy, not decoration.
Statewide Public Art InstallationAbout Ian
I grew up in Elkhart Lake — small town, country kid — watching my parents serve as Scoutmasters. They woke up every day and deliberately built community for other people's kids. That shaped how I see everything: belonging isn't accidental. It's designed.
When I moved to Milwaukee in 2010, I couldn't find my people fast enough. So I did what builders do — I started building.
What followed was 15 years of institution-building. I didn't build four organizations. I built one system — a four-layer talent pipeline that moves leaders from their first professional network all the way through their civic legacy. One degree of separation from virtually anyone in Wisconsin. Nobody else has built that.
Today I work with leaders and organizations serious about talent strategy, succession planning, and building civic ecosystems that outlast any one founder. Eagle Scout. Proud dad. Based in Wauwatosa.
Credentials
TED Speaker · Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40 · Eagle Scout · Governor's Talent Task Force Contributor
Organizations Founded
NEWaukee · Forward 48 · Hoan Group (co-founded with Jason Ilstrup, DMI) · Legends · Echelon Milwaukee
Focus Areas
Talent strategy · Civic succession planning · Intergenerational network design · Leadership ecosystem architecture · Regional alignment
Based In
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin · Working statewide and nationally
Contact
ian.mke@gmail.com · ianabston.com
Speaking & Facilitation
I don't do fluffy keynotes. I talk about the hard stuff — why cities lose their best talent, why leadership programs fail, and what it actually takes to build communities people want to stay in.
Press & Media
Video · City Exchange
Hoan Group · Vimeo
Video · City Exchange
Hoan Group · Vimeo
Press · Magazine Feature
Madison Magazine · Channel 3000
Video · City Exchange
Hoan Group · Vimeo
Project · Light the Hoan
lightthehoan.com
Platform · Hoan Group
hoangroup.com
Let's Build
People move to cities for jobs. They stay for community. Milwaukee taught me that. If you're a leader, organization, or city thinking beyond the next quarter — and serious about building something that lasts — I'd love to connect.