MADISON – Fund for Wisconsin Scholars announced this week Kelly Ruppel will serve as the fund’s executive director beginning January 2023.
The fund’s current executive director, Mary Gulbrandsen, will retire after 15 years with Fund for Wisconsin Scholars.
“Kelly’s background in finance and accounting, coupled with her lifelong commitment to the success of public education students and increasing learning opportunities for children, makes her a very exciting leader for the future of the foundation,” said John Morgridge, the board president and co-founder of FFWS. “We are honored to welcome Kelly.”
The Fund for Wisconsin Scholars provides need-based grants to Wisconsin public high school students attending University of Wisconsin four-year colleges and universities or one of the Wisconsin Technical College System schools.
Ruppel joins FFWS from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southeastern Wisconsin, where she served as executive director. Prior to that, she was the chief financial officer and chief of staff to the superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District. She also worked at the Civic Consulting Alliance, managing projects between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago City Colleges aiming to improve access to and graduation from the City College system.
Ruppel holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a Wisconsin native and Wisconsin public-school graduate. She lives in Madison with her husband and three young children.
