Kelly Armstrong is leading a startup for startups

Kelly Armstrong has had an interest in government and civics since high school.

That interest formed the basis for a career in public service and economic development that has taken different shapes over the years. It led Armstrong to her current role heading up a Kenosha nonprofit focused on transforming 100-plus acres in the city into an innovation-focused neighborhood.

“I don’t think anybody comes out of high school at 17 or 18 and knows what they want to do the rest of their life, and I think that changes over time,” Armstrong said. “The work that I’ve wanted to do in economic development has changed over time, and that’s what brought me to Kenosha.”

Her preparation for the role began at the University of Northern Iowa, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration. After graduating, her journey to Kenosha started off with government positions.

Armstrong worked part-time for a mayor’s office and had a position as a finance office manager for a Main Street organization in Iowa while she established her family.

“It was all combined, and that was in a small town, but it was a really great way for me to understand how everything works,” Armstrong said.

After five years working as the director of marketing and communications for an Iowa utilities company, Armstrong decided to turn her attention to economic development and quickly realized it is what she wanted to do.

She spent the next several years in roles including executive director for a Main Street organization in Cedar Falls, Iowa, economic development director for her hometown of Louisville, director of sector strategy development for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and vice president of economic development for the Greater Green Bay Chamber.

Her experiences with the WEDC and the Green Bay chamber led to Kenosha leaders approaching Armstrong about taking the helm of the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood.

The KIN is focused on revitalizing the 107-acre former Chrysler factory site in Kenosha as a mixed-use development with an innovation center, education institutions, technology incubators and offices, commercial space and housing.

City officials have estimated the overall project cost could exceed $1 billion over more than a decade and that the development could create thousands of jobs.

Armstrong was named president of the KIN in April 2024. She succeeded interim executive director Jerry Franke, who served as the organization’s first leader.

“Once I had experienced a number of different facets of roles within economic development, this opportunity here is a once-in-a-career opportunity to build from scratch and drive innovation, drive the entrepreneurial ecosystem to set the ecosystem up to create jobs in the future, create companies, create connections,” Armstrong said. “That’s really exciting.”

Since starting in the role, the KIN has marked several accomplishments.

In January 2025, the neighborhood saw the opening of its first public building, which is home to LakeView Technology Academy.

It followed that up in October with the opening of the Kenosha Innovation Center, a hub for startups, entrepreneurs and job training. Tenants include Kivi Bio, Gateway Capital Partners, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Parkside Works and Ordify AI. An anchor tenant is sought.

The neighborhood also secured its first private project: Wintrust Financial Corp. broke ground in November on a State Bank of the Lakes branch, which is expected to open this year.

The development is projected to have about 800 to 1,300 housing units. The land use plan also calls for a health care complex, which the KIN is seeking a partner for, Armstrong said.

Armstrong's work in her first couple years on the job shows why she is the right person for the gig, said Aaron Towns, the director of commercial banking at BMO and secretary for the KIN board. He describes Armstrong as a “unicorn” and said she has the ability to lead the creation of a startup while sustaining and elevating growth.

“Not everyone can do that with grace, and I've seen her be able to do both," Towns said. "One, engage and collaborate, get people in the right room, having the right conversations that drive acceleration, and then two, be an artist, with being able to connect, convey a vision, a mission, and then create it.”

Taking a leadership role in a new organization has served as a point of connection for Armstrong as the KIN works to attract businesses. The KIN itself is a startup, she said, and it is working to build out an ecosystem for startups.

She said getting a solid mix of businesses — established industry, startups, access to capital, higher education — in the space was a key early step to the KIN's success. The goal now is to build on those partnerships.

“Now it's about scaling that,” Armstrong said. “We have the right recipe, and now we just got to fill up the cup a little bit more.”

About Kelly Armstrong

• Organization: Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood

• Title: President

• Age: 50

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Northern Iowa

• Residence: Kenosha

• Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky

• Family: Husband and four children

• Favorite part of Kenosha: The downtown area