Leah Dobkin | Soul of a Port

Client Testimonials

Ms Leah Dobkin is a writer of exceptional talent. She is truly a keen observer of people at their work and can make individual life activities come alive and interesting. She has the unique ability to listen to people and find common meaning in their stories. The late Studs Terkel would be proud of the way Leah uses her craft to bring out dignity and meaning in personal endeavors.

Eric Reinelt, Director, Port of Milwaukee

When I told Sara Connor, President of the Forest Association of Wisconsin, that I was an editor for a publishing company looking for authors capable of making local history accessible to a general audience, she pointed me in the direction of an article Leah Dobkin wrote on the Port of Milwaukee. Since beginning work with Leah on Soul of a Port, I have been impressed with the passion she has sunk into the book as well as the passion she has harnessed on behalf of the book, two things that do not always go hand in hand. She is the kind of person who can fling her herself into research without putting herself beyond tedious requests from her editor about things like image specifications or cover approval deadlines - a balance that I believe has been a blessing to both The History Press and the Port of Milwaukee.

Ben Gibson, The History Press

Leah Dobkin wrote a really wonderful story about our Port for the Milwaukee Magazine as a free lance writer back in 2009. We received so many positive comments on the content and flare of her story. When we commented to Leah about how we wished more of her story could have made the magazine cuts, she suggested we expand the story into a book. We haven't regretted it for a moment, One year later we have a beautifully done story that captures the lives of the people and the importance of our port. Leah was so proactive in the whole process that it made it very easy for us to continue our daily work while she gathered her information. I highly recommend Leah to any company wishing to capture the everyday working life of your business that will leave the reader with a true feeling of the passion you and your employees already share.

Betty Nowak, Marketing Director, Port of Milwaukee

"Leah Dobkin is a dynamic leader who is masterful at bringing people together to find new paths to communication. She is a gifted writer and meticulous researcher who knows how to motivate others. She has worked as a community activist on important social issues and is an expert on geriatric issues. She charms everyone in her path and is a master networker." --

Dr. Danna Walker, communications professor, American University, author of Women and Media: An Activist's Fight for Equality.

"Leah Dobkin's professional career at the American Association of Retired Persons and the National Council on Aging has underscored Leah's multi-faceted skill set - from marketing, to writing reports, to conducting training and education workshops and programs, to planning conferences, to supervising staff and volunteers, to writing articles for public and professional consumption. In all these areas she excelled, reflecting full mastery of material and strong analytic capacity. A real renaissance woman to be sure! When Leah puts her mind to doing something you can be sure it will be done well and it will be successful."--

Lenard W. Kaye, D.S.W., Professor and Director University of Maine Center on Aging

"For nearly twenty years, I have known Leah Dobkin and admired her tremendous skills, her engaging personality, her attention to detail as well as her perspective on broad issues affecting older persons. Ms. Dobkin is a person of vision, a vision based on a breadth of understanding and a clarity of expression that effectively influences national leaders and people at the grassroots level for positive steps to improve the quality of life of older citizens." --

James T. Sykes, Senior Advisor for Aging Policy, Department of Population Health Sciences, University Of Wisconsin, Madison

"Leah Dobkin gave expert testimony before the Subcommittee on Housing and Consumer Interests of the U.S. House Representatives Select Committee on Aging. Ms. Dobkin was one of the first experts to ever speak before Congress on the issue of intergenerational housing or shared housing. Her research synthesis and compiling account of this innovative approach to increasing the number of older people who could thereby live independent in their own homes influenced Committee findings and subsequent policy."

Brian Lutz, former Staff Director of the House Subcommittee on Retirement Income & Employment

"I had the privilege of working with Leah Dobkin with the University of Wisconsin-Extension and the Wisconsin Alliance for Family Caregiving. She provided technical support in helping us plan a statewide corporate elder care initiative, keynoted at our Family Caregiver Institute, and testified at PBS's Thou Shalt Honor Caregiver Town Hall Meeting. In all these settings, Ms. Dobkin has demonstrated her excellent written, public speaking, training skills, program development, and collaboration skills. She provides vision and leadership enabling organizations to achieve visibility both locally and nationally."--

Mary Brintnall-Peterson, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Extension, Program Specialist in Aging

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Client Testimonials