Penfield Children's Center
Kara Coleman, MBA, CPA has a diverse work experience in finance and administration. Kara is currently the CFO/VP of Administration at Penfield Children's Center, where they provide budgetary advice and prepares budget presentations for various committees. Kara also oversees the annual audit process and manages facilities operations, purchasing, transportation, information systems, and finance. Prior to this role, they served as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration & MBA Director at Mount Mary University from 2019 to 2023. Kara was also an Accounting Instructor at MATC from 2018 to 2020 and a Financial Controller at ACLU of Wisconsin in 2018. Previously, they worked as a Senior Financial Analyst at Cardinal Stritch University from 2015 to 2018, and as an Accountant at Mount Mary University from 2014 to 2015.
Kara Coleman, MBA, CPA, began their education by obtaining a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Nonprofit Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they studied from 2008 to 2012. Following their undergraduate studies, they pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a specialization in Accounting at the Strome College of Business, completing their studies in 2014. Currently, Kara is furthering their education and is expected to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Urban Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where they commenced their studies in 2020 and is scheduled to graduate in 2024.
Penfield Children's Center
A leader in child development, Penfield Children's Center creates a positive start in life for infants and children, many of whom have developmental delays or disabilities, by providing early education, health services and family programming. To carry out its mission, Penfield delivers research-based programs at the critical time of early brain development when physical, cognitive, language, social, and self-help skills are formed. Penfield Children’s Center is named in honor of Dr. Wilder Penfield (1891-1976), a world-renowned neurosurgeon who strongly advocated early intervention for children with developmental delays and disabilities. His quote, “never underestimate the capacity of the very young, and never, never let them down,” has been the foundation of Penfield’s mission since 1967. His knowledge and wisdom underlie our philosophy of care for infants and young children even today. Today, serving more than 1,700 children annually, Penfield offers high quality integrated services and a safe and stimulating environment for children, families and community partners to maximize early development and learning. Follow Penfield Children's Center on social media at penfieldchildren.org/social.