MILWAUKEE — April 9, 2026 — Junior Achievement of Wisconsin (JA) announced today it has selected Kelly Cieslakas its next President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, effective May 18, 2026.
Cieslak is a dynamic nonprofit executive with over 20 years of experience serving mission-based organizations. Most recently, she served as the President and CEO of Wisconsin Parkinson Association, where she led the statewide organization through a formal strategic planning process and made operational improvements, while increasing fundraising, brand awareness, and reach. Cieslak also brings a wealth of experience in workforce development from her fourteen-year tenure at Goodwill of Southeastern Wisconsin. Cieslak holds an MBA from Alverno College and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina, Asheville.
As president of the state’s Junior Achievement initiatives, Cieslak will lead a dedicated team of professionals delivering end-to-end solutions that accelerate economic opportunity and mobility for young people across Wisconsin. These programs currently reach 120,141 students statewide, thanks to the dedication of 6,118 volunteers.
April Dunn, JA of Wisconsin’s Board Chair added, “Kelly Cieslak’s breadth of leadership experience, coupled with her background in workforce development, position her very well to lead JA of Wisconsin into the future. She is a transformative, relationship-driven leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, impact, and operational excellence and will lead the organization to set and execute a clear vision for our next era of growth.”
Junior Achievement’s mission speaks to Cieslak and she shared, “not every student begins with the same exposure to financial conversations, career pathways, or professional networks. For some, those discussions happen at the dinner table. For others, they never happen at all. JA plays a critical role by intentionally expanding access to experiences, mentors, and practical knowledge that some students would not otherwise encounter.”
Please join us in welcoming Kelly Cieslak to the Junior Achievement of Wisconsin team.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA learning experiences are delivered by corporate and community volunteers and provide relevant, hands-on lessons that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, Junior Achievement is expanding its reach to 18-to-25-year-olds to provide young adults with critical life skills. Since 2021, more than 14,000 Junior Achievement volunteers have taught JA life skills to 340,000 Wisconsin students. For more information, visit Wisconsin.ja.org.
Joseph Luther | Development Coordinator
Junior Achievement of Wisconsin
O: 715.842.1056 C: 715.252.6724 | jluther@jawis.org
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