Oral History Interview, Teonna Cooksey (2521)

Abstract

In her August 2025 interview with Dadit Gunarwanto Hidayat, Teonna Cooksey, WiscAMP alum and CEO of Mecca Development, describes her journey through the WiscAMP program at UW-Milwaukee. She grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was inspired to go into the field of architectural design when she saw how segregation was built into the city. The opportunities and training that WiscAMP provided led to her to attend graduate school at Columbia University and found her own urban planning and architectural design consulting firm, Mecca Development. She discusses discrimination that she both experienced and noticed in Milwaukee, and how her experiences contributed to her drive to make urban planning more equitable. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the WiscAMP Legacy Oral History Project and the UW-Madison Archives and Records Management oral history collection.