Executive Director / Age 35
Girls on the Run of Northeast Wisconsin
Hope Schaefer says her biggest break was landing the role she has now, leading Girls on the Run of Northeast Wisconsin. “This role has given me the confidence, skills and the voice that I never knew I had,” she says. “It’s been a dream to work for this organization and to grow our mission ‘to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident.’”
Schaefer’s first foray into the working world was as a high school student employed in her father’s dental office. After that, “there was no doubt in my mind that I was not meant to be a dentist,” but her parents are still her key role models as business owners and avid volunteers, she says.
“[They] really helped shape me as a person, giving me different experiences and understanding how each person can make a difference in their community,” says Schaefer, who hopes in the future to inspire her 18-month-old twin girls to share their time with causes they care about.
In Northeast Wisconsin, Schaefer says being “true champions for the youth in our communities, especially those with marginalized identities,” is of top concern, as they are the next generation of leaders. “How are we investing in them and supporting them?”
People may not know that Schaefer is an accomplished cellist, having started playing the instrument in early elementary school.
