Nicole Ryf named Kenosha Area Business Alliance President

The Board of Directors of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance is thrilled to announce that Nicole Ryf has joined the organization as its next President. Her first day with KABA will be in early July.

“We are confident that we have found the ideal leader for KABA,” KBA Chair Jens Emerson said. “Nicole is the right person to lead Kenosha County’s development forward and build on the success we have had. She is a bright and energetic professional with Wisconsin roots and extensive experience in business attraction, retention/expansion, and project financing. We are glad to welcome her to our corner of the state.”

Ryf is a nationally recognized economic development professional with more than 15 years of experience in public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Over the course of her career, she has worked in multiple states at the local, county, regional, and state levels, including the Texas Governor’s Office of Economic Development & Tourism. She has assisted CEOs of Fortune 500 companies with their headquarters relocations, traveled the world to meet with business leaders, and led efforts to build the emerging offshore wind industry in Virginia.

Ryf’s combination of experience, skills, vision, and personal qualities make her the perfect leader to bring Kenosha County into an exciting new era of growth. She holds a Master of Science in urban planning from UW-Milwaukee, and a Bachelor of Arts from UW-Madison. Most recently, Nicole served as the Executive Director at the Waukesha County Center for Growth. She replaces Todd Battle, who led the organization since 2004.

“The Kenosha Area Business Alliance is a world-class economic development organization, and I am thrilled to be selected as its new President,” Ryf said. “I look forward to collaborating with the top notch KABA Board, staff, and stakeholders to build upon KABA’s strong legacy of serving the business community and attracting prospective companies to this dynamic county.”

The KABA Board would like to thank the selection committee for their time and efforts through this process and the staff for their diligent work while the selection committee conducted the search for the new President.