Senior Director of Targeted Support Services / Age 39
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley
Under Kayla McNamara’s leadership, the pivotal Scholars on Target to Achieve Results (STAR) team at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley helped build culturally responsive support inside seven high schools and middle schools in the Appleton Area School District, reaching more than 800 Black students in the community in five years. In 2022, 96% of STAR participants graduated on time.
Black students are disproportionately affected by suspension and expulsion and are less likely to graduate from high school, she says. “There is more that all of us can do to create change, and I am committed to help others understand how they can play a role individually or collectively to change lives for the better,” says McNamara, who calls for more action to fight racial disparities that plague the state. “When one person suffers, we all suffer.”
Through her work, McNamara also builds partnerships in the community — including with the Appleton Police Department, which led to the creation of Summer of Service. The innovative partnership connects 130 students to community service opportunities while working alongside law enforcement officers.
McNamara has received the Boys & Girls Club’s highest honor, the Service to Youth Award, but says it took a while for her to see herself as a leader. “Ultimately, my big break was someone pulling me aside and suggesting I had potential,” she says. “Above all else I am here to provide big breaks to young leaders coming up in this community. That’s my mission.”
