Dr. Bria serves as CEO of Journey House, a community-based organization on Milwaukee’s near-south side that empowers families to move out of poverty by offering adult education, workforce readiness, youth development, and family engagement programs. Journey House annually serves more than 8,425 low-income, urban youth and families at five locations. Under Dr. Bria’s leadership of over 22 years, the annual operating budget increased from $200K (1996) to $3.2MM (2018) and secured over $22.5MM in capital for catalytic economic development high-impact projects. Dr. Bria successfully negotiated two innovative, ground-breaking development agreements with Milwaukee Public Schools and Milwaukee County, which provide land homes and partnership opportunities for new construction of a $6MM 34,000 square foot Journey House Center for Family Learning and Youth Athletics (2012) and $3MM Journey House Packers Football Stadium (2013), which is the only one in the United States that contains an NFL logo outside of a NFL stadium. The Green Bay Packers donated their former Ray Nitschke Practice Field to provide a safe place for urban low-income youth football. In 2018, Dr. Bria is steering a community development of $2.2MM for new playing fields for the Felix Mantilla Little League, which will include infield synthetic turf for 4 baseball diamonds and natural grass Tee Ball diamond. Dr. Bria currently leads the Journey House Campus Housing Initiative in partnership with the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, Cardinal Capital Development, and others to renovate blighted/nuisance properties into affordable housing for motivated youth who are aging out of foster care. In partnership with Cardinal Capital Development, Dr. Bria is spearheading an initiative for a $8.5MM Clarke Square Apartments for affordable housing for low-income families, which will be the largest housing development in over two decades in the Clarke Square Neighborhood.

Part-time instructor in the community at Journey House for adult basic education levels 1 through 6. Prepare adult learners for the GED or HSED.

School of EducationDepartment of Administrative Leadership and SupervisionUndergraduate and Graduate Seminars/Courses: • Leadership in Youth Serving Organizations (Fall 2017, Fall 2018)• Field Work in Administrative Leadership and Supervision (Spring 2007, Summer 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2011)• Serving Multicultural and Special Needs Learners, Graduate Seminar (Fall 2010)• Adult Literacy and Workforce Development, Graduate Seminar (Spring 2006, Summer 2007, Spring 2010, Spring 2012)• Introduction to Adult Education (Fall 2008)• Leadership and Management of Volunteer Organizations (Spring 2008)• Education Dimensions of Teaching Older Adults, Graduate Seminar (Spring 2007)