WRTP | BIG STEP Names David Polk CEO

The Milwaukee-based nonprofit has selected Polk, who previously led apprenticeship oversight at Wisconsin's workforce development department, to lead the organization.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in People

Photograph of a bare trade training workshop with copper pipe sections on a workbench, wrenches on a pegboard, and daylight through tall brick-building windows. — WRTP | BIG STEP has named David D. Polk as chief executive officer, tapping a former Wisconsin apprenticeship standards director to lead the Milwaukee workforce nonprofit. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

WRTP | BIG STEP has named David D. Polk as its chief executive officer. Polk most recently served as director of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards.

Why it matters

The appointment places a leader with state apprenticeship oversight experience at the helm of a Milwaukee-based nonprofit focused on connecting workers to family-sustaining careers. It signals continued emphasis on apprenticeship pathways in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin.

WRTP | BIG STEP, founded in 1975, operates five offices across Milwaukee, Madison, Neenah, Racine and Superior. Polk oversaw record growth in registered apprenticeships statewide beginning in 2022, though the announcement does not specify a comparator for that growth.

The players

David D. Polk

Polk is a longtime apprenticeship and workforce development leader who previously directed Wisconsin's apprenticeship standards bureau and led apprenticeship programming at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

WRTP | BIG STEP

WRTP | BIG STEP is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit founded in 1975 that connects employers, industries and communities to family-sustaining careers through workforce training and apprenticeship pathways.

The details

Polk is a graduate of WRTP | BIG STEP's pre-apprenticeship program and was placed in a registered plumbing apprenticeship with Plumbers Union Local 75 through it. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University and previously served as associate dean of apprenticeship and trade director at Milwaukee Area Technical College. He also has served as board president of the National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors.

• 1975: WRTP | BIG STEP is founded.
• 2022: Record statewide registered apprenticeship growth begins under Polk's state oversight.

People

Polk's move from the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards to WRTP | BIG STEP links state apprenticeship oversight with a private-nonprofit training network. The shift follows the apprenticeship expansion Wisconsin has pursued since 2022.

Milwaukee-area workers exploring apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship training may find new program direction under Polk's leadership. The organization's offices in Madison, Neenah, Racine and Superior also serve residents across the state.

The takeaway

Workforce pathways like apprenticeships can offer a route to skilled careers without a traditional four-year degree. Those interested in such programs can ask local training providers about pre-apprenticeship options.