Highlighting Bank On Greater Milwaukee Leadership

Bank On Greater Milwaukee works with a diverse group of members, partners, and leaders to work to help connect individuals to safe and affordable financial products and services. Here are 3 of the 6 Bank On Chairs who bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to their work with Bank On.

Kristen Ruhl | SecureFutures

Kristen is a nonprofit leader committed to social, economic, and racial justice and is experienced in developing and evaluating programs, offering over 10 years of experience in the areas of community engagement, education, financial literacy, mental health, and healthcare. Kristen currently works as the VP of Programs at SecureFutures and oversees the areas of management, education, financial literacy, volunteerism, older adult services, mental health, direct client services & support, community outreach, grant writing, and partnership building.

SecureFutures equips teens with money management skills, tools, and mentoring so they can achieve financial capability, reach their goals, and strengthen their communities. Through three distinct programs (Money Sense – financial fundamentals, Money Coach – financial mentoring, Money Path – academic and career planning and financial planning web-based tool), SecureFutures partners with high schools and community-based organizations to bring financial education to teens. In the upcoming year, the SecureFutures team will be focusing on a couple of big initiatives. First, we’ll be continuing our expansion of Money Path across the state with the goal of making Money Path available to every teen in Wisconsin. Second, we’ll be expanding our Money Coach program in Milwaukee and offering the program to students in Racine for the first time ever! If you are interested in learning more about how to bring our programs to teens that you work with or how to get involved in our mission (we are always looking for volunteers!), please visit our website or contact Kristen (kristen@securefutures.org, 414-310-5916).


Heather A. MacKinnon | Wisconsin Bankers Association 

Heather is the VP of Legal at the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA). Heather’s goal for 2023 is to continue to help grow the number of financial institutions with certified Bank On accounts and help create greater awareness of such offerings. She’s also looking forward to supporting the BOGM Participation and Reach Out working groups.  

Founded in 1892, WBA is the state’s largest financial industry trade association, representing nearly 200 commercial banks and savings institutions, their branches, and over 20,000 employees. WBA represents banks of all sizes in Wisconsin, and nearly 98 percent of banks in the state are WBA members. WBA and the Wisconsin Bankers Foundation work to help individuals understand the importance of personal finance and to learn of available resources. As part of those efforts, WBA works with the Bank On of Greater Milwaukee Coalition, and across Wisconsin, to create awareness of the opportunities and benefits of a certified Bank On account to both banks and their communities.

Krystina Kohler | United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County 

Krystina Kohler has a master’s degree in Political Economy of Violence, Conflict and Development from the University of London and has been with United Way since 2013. Krystina provides program analysis and support to over 70 United Way Community Fund programs in the areas of basic needs, workforce development, and financial capability. She leads United Way’s Safe & Stable Homes initiative to end family homelessness in Greater Milwaukee by the end of 2023. She also sits on various community workgroups including Milwaukee’s Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry Team, Wisconsin Policy Forum’s Economic Development Committee, and FEMA’s Emergency Food & Shelter Program local boards for Milwaukee and Waukesha.

There are about 1,300 United Ways networked across the United States and together make up the nation’s largest health & human services funder outside of the federal government. United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County serves Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, and Ozaukee Counties, fundraising nearly $60M each campaign season from August through December, investing those dollars into 200+ local programs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *