For more information, contact:

Wendy Baumann

WWBIC President and Chief Visionary Officer

414-395-4530

wendy.baumann@wwbic.com

APPLETON, WIS. - The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) is pleased to announce the hiring of Kimberly Massey as the new Northeast Regional Director covering the Fox Valley and surrounding area in Wisconsin.

"We are thrilled to have Kim lead our Northeast region," said Kamaljit K. Jackson, Ph.D., WWBIC Vice President of Programs and Operations. "Her nonprofit, planning and leadership experience are a perfect fit for this position."

Massey was first hired by WWBIC a year ago as a Small Business Consultant for the Northeast region. Prior to joining WWBIC, she worked as a fundraising professional for nationally recognized organizations for 25 years, and spent ten years working in startups, entrepreneurship and social innovation.

Kim's family co-founded Rawhide, a nonprofit organization located in New London with the late Bart Starr and his wife Cherry Starr. Growing up in this environment provided her with a lifetime of seeing the impact on a community when private organizations, small businesses, large corporations and the government all come together.

In her role with WWBIC, Massey will oversee the overall coordination and expansion of WWBIC's business training and financial wellness programs in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties, in addition to 16 other counties in northeast Wisconsin.

The Northeast WWBIC regional office opened in 2019 at the Associated Bank building on 1191 N Casaloma Drive in Appleton, and has quickly made a positive impact in the community. In 2022, the Northeast office served 760 clients.

About WWBIC

The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) is a leading statewide innovative economic development corporation that is “Putting Dreams to Work” by assisting micro enterprise & small businesses. They are AERIS rated and are one of Wisconsin’s first Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI). WWBIC’s primary focus is on women, people of color, lower-wealth individuals, and veterans and military connected families. They open doors of opportunity by providing direct lending and access to fair and responsible capital, quality business training, one-on-one technical business assistance and coaching to increase financial wellness.

WWBIC has fiercely championed their mission by operating in five Wisconsin regions to offer services statewide, channeling its activities through three primary lines of business: small business lending (ranging from $1,000 to $350,000); technical assistance/coaching; and entrepreneurship and financial wellness training. Since 1987, WWBIC has served 72,709 individuals and loaned $107 million to small business owners. Their technical and capital support has created or retained 18,027 jobs with 9,009 businesses started, strengthened, or expanded. To learn more about WWBIC visit: www.wwbic.com.

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