Nicole Ryf

As president of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, Nicole Ryf leads initiatives that position Kenosha County as a desirable destination for new investment and talent in the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor. Ryf previously served as the executive director of the Waukesha County Center for Growth and chief strategy officer of the Hampton Roads Alliance, a regional economic development organization based in Norfolk, Virgina. Ryf also spent more than five years working for the Texas Governor’s Office. She currently serves on the boards of the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood and Building Our Future and is the chair of the Carthage College Business and Professional Coalition.  

Education: Bachelor’s, UW-Madison; master’s, UW-Milwaukee 

Company success in the past 12 months: “The Kenosha County economy is booming, and we have supported a number of huge investments over the last year through KABA. This includes the largest economic development project in Kenosha County history: Eli Lilly’s $3 billion announcement last year.” 

Your industry’s career obstacle: “Economic development is a niche industry with limited leadership opportunities that often require you to move geographies to advance your career. I was fortunate to learn the ropes in the powerhouse economic development states of Texas and Virginia and am now privileged to lead a premier economic development organization in my home state and region.” 

How your job will evolve:  “Economic development is a fluid industry, and the most successful and impactful organizations are those that can easily adapt to evolving needs within the community. Similar to many of our peers, we are grappling with the severe housing shortage and its impact on talent attraction and retention. Our organization is starting to build capacity on this topic and exploring ways in which we can address the shortage through our Kenosha County Housing Task Force.” 

Read more at the BizTimes.