LEADERSHIP & STAFF
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Neil Willenson
President & CEO | Chief Encouragement Officer
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee (BBBS) announced May 30 that Neil Willenson has been appointed President & CEO.
Previously, Willenson was the Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Impact for Kacmarcik Enterprises and Kapco, Inc. In this role, he led grantmaking to nearly 1,000 nonprofit organizations since 2010 and coordinated large-scale fundraising events on behalf of the organization.
Willenson is a nationally known non-profit founder, corporate executive, public speaker, and actor. He has vast experience in program design and execution, facility management, fundraising, grantmaking, public relations, marketing, strategic planning, live event production, celebrity talent booking and personnel management. He is an organization creator and builder who approaches all projects with creativity, innovation, collaboration, strategic thinking, and kindness.
IG and FB: @neilwillenson
linkedin.com/in/neilwillenson
Barbara Namowicz
Vice President of Finance
Barbara joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee team in August of 2023. Barbara is a CPA and has decades of experience working with non-profit organizations, both as an auditor and as directors of finance. Her passion for financial information and effective operations has been a consistent thread throughout her career.
Kelly Klus
Vice President of Program Services
Kelly leads and supervises the program management team and establishes strategic direction for Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs to ensure child safety and increase positive youth outcomes, set goals related to program quality and growth, and develop new program initiatives.
Kelly brings almost 20 years of non-profit experience and has been involved in all aspects of Big Brothers Big Sisters programming. She has a passion for our mission and knows firsthand the power of mentoring as a former Big Sister in our Community-based program.
Sara Jean Dostal
Senior Director of People & Culture
Sara majored in history with the plan of working in museums. From a brief stint leading school tours, she moved into a fund development position and discovered a passion for non-profit management. Sara has been involved with local non-profit organizations for more than 18 years, including the last nine with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee. She enjoys working with staff in every department at BBBS and creating life-changing impact in our community.
Amanda Braun
Director of Community Engagement
Amanda has been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee since Spring 2009 assisting with specials events, brand promotion, and fundraising efforts. In 2023, she took on the new role of Director of Community Engagement where she currently oversees marketing, media relations, recruitment, and partnership development for the agency. Amanda is a highly energetic and engaging professional with natural relationship-building and leadership talents. She has a degree in Marketing and years of experience with project management and communications.
Zoe Lord
Director of Education
Zoe oversees our high school mentor 2.0 program and MentorYou, an evidenced based social emotional learning classroom program. She not only believes in the power of mentoring, but recognizes it is a pivotal piece in supporting Milwaukee youth. Additionally, her passion and experience in education allows her to recognize that youth voices need to be heard, validated, and supported to ensure they can positively participate within the community