July 5, 2016
Written by Sara Blackburn, United Way Intern
Krystina Kohler is the financial stability Portfolio Coordinator at United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. Born, raised, and currently residing in Bay View, she is very familiar with the culture in our city. When speaking to Krystina about United Way you can tell it’s more than just a job for her, but rather an opportunity to improve our community. She describes her position as being her “dream job.”
Before becoming the financial stability Portfolio Coordinator, Krystina worked in the Resource Development department of United Way helping raise money for the organization. She knew she wanted to manage the financial stability portfolio and worked as hard as possible to make that dream a reality. Today, she serves our four-county region in the focus areas of food security, older adult support and independence, immigration and refugee services, adult learning, and financial literacy. A major area of interest for Krystina is in food security and she continually strives to learn more about how the global food industry impacts our region by serving on the Waukesha Nutrition Coalition, MKE Farmers Market Connection, and Milwaukee Food Council.
When asked what has been the most impactful part of her job, Krystina says her commitment to volunteering at the agencies she helps serve. "I want to volunteer at every organization I work closely with rather than just sitting on the outside looking in," she said. Since taking on this position just five months ago, Krystina has volunteered 14 times for 11 different programs.
In her spare time, Krystina is an avid traveler who loves learning about other cultures around the world. She’s traveled or worked in places such as Japan, Ecuador, India, Argentina, Wales, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, and Germany. Additionally, she studied both Japanese and Mandarin. Krystina is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has a degree in International Studies with a focus on Asian Language and Literature. She received her Master’s degree at the University of London in Political Economy of Violence, Conflict, and Development with a focus on development aid and agrarian violence.