Jessica Safransky Schacht Accepts Role as United Way’s COO

Photo of Jessica Safransky Schacht, United Way COO.August 13, 2020 — As of August, United Way of Racine County has appointed Jessica Safransky Schacht as its new Chief Operating Officer.

Safransky Schacht succeeds former COO Karin Kirchmeier, who accepted the role of executive director at Partners for Community Development in Sheboygan. Safransky Schacht, a Racine native, has been involved with United Way since 1996, when she joined the inaugural board of the Youth As Resources initiative. She came on-board as an employee in 2007 to run that same program.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Jessica for the last eight years,” said Ali Haigh, president and CEO of United Way. “During that time, I have always been impressed by her drive, innovation and positive attitude. She’s naturally risen as a leader among staff and volunteers.”

Safransky Schacht stood out to the hiring committee from a pool of 60 applicants as the strongest contender for the position. During her time at United Way, she’s overseen the implementation, growth and continuous improvement of all the organization’s community impact programs. She’s an active contributor to United Way workgroups and committees at the state and national level, and she was a 2019 participant of the Harwood Public Innovators Lab. A graduate of Carthage College, she holds a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction License in English at the secondary level and has experience as a substitute and homebound teacher for Racine Unified School District. She consistently operates from a lens of equity and centers community and collaboration in every element of her work.

“I’m excited to work with our team in a new role to continue to create impact and influence systemic change in Racine County,” said Safransky Schacht. “I love our community and am honored to have this opportunity.”