Hello! My name is Julie Pahnke and I am Appleton Education Foundation’s new Grants and Scholarships Manager.

This is a newly created role where I’ll manage and further develop the Appleton Education Foundation’s growing grant and scholarship programs. It is a pleasure to be working with the wonderful, talented and dedicated team members that make up the Appleton Education Foundation. 

Julie and her husband Nick

I’m a life-long Wisconsinite and after 18 years living in and near Milwaukee, I’m excited to move my family closer to the Fox Valley where I grew up. I have a background in the arts having graduated from Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. In 2018, I received my Master’s degree from the Helen Bader Institute (HBI) of Nonprofit Management and Leadership. 

Throughout my years in the nonprofit sector, I’ve had an opportunity to grow community engagement and coordinate volunteer programs for Ozaukee County’s largest food pantry (Family Sharing of Ozaukee County), identify and develop outreach initiatives for the Better Business Bureau’s Wisconsin Foundation, and execute many nonprofit fundraising efforts for Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation, Milwaukee Succeeds, Inc. and Highland Community School, Milwaukee’s first charter school.  

 My volunteer experience includes serving as a trusted advisor and Board of Directors for the Ozaukee Nonprofit Center in Grafton, board member for Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s Alumni Association, and G.E.D. tutor for adult learners at Literacy Services of Wisconsin.  

Daphne and Rita

Aside from volunteering, my time is spent with my partner, Nick, and our two dogs, Rita (12, Dachshund/Terrier) and Daphne (3, Coon/Beagle). You can typically find us camping, kayaking, fishing or checking out a local dog park.

I’m an avid reader, and during those cold winter months, I can be found bundled up with a good book — recommendations welcome!

I’m thrilled for this new adventure with Appleton Education Foundation. Every child in our community deserves an education that promotes learning in unique ways. Through philanthropy, we can create those opportunities. I look forward to putting my education and skills to do just that, supporting the foundation’s mission to creatively enhance education in our community. 

The Appleton Education Foundation, a supporting organization of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, has been working since 1997 to develop a steady source of support for grants now, and for many future generations of Appleton children. In the past 25 years, grants totaling more than $5.3 million have supported creative teaching and learning in the Appleton Area School District and community.