Kirby Toon (BBA ’13) drives capital strategy and marketing efforts at Forward Community Investments, a Madison-based nonprofit expanding access to financial services to overlooked communities across Wisconsin. Her work has been instrumental in securing funding to support activation of community-centric projects like The Black Business Hub and McKenzie Regional Workforce Center.
Growing up just outside of Madison, Kirby knew exactly where she wanted to go to college. “My eyes were set on being a Badger from the time I was really little,” says the former student athlete, who initially planned to study sports medicine before pivoting to business.
At WSB, she found an experience that complemented her rigorous training and leadership work on the volleyball court. “WSB helped me translate the skills I had honed as an athlete into skills that I could use to grow and achieve what I wanted to in my career,” she says.
After graduating and making numerous cross-country moves to advance her corporate marketing career, Kirby sought an opportunity to pursue mission-driven work in her hometown of Madison. Since joining Forward Community Investments in 2022, she’s become an indispensable part of the organization’s ten-person team and has gradually taken on more responsibilities beyond communications and marketing.
“Being at a smaller, scrappy organization offers you exposure to so many different types of roles,” says Kirby. “My background isn’t in financial services or nonprofit work. But the core skills I developed and the foundation I built at the Wisconsin School of Business have helped me pivot and grow in my career as I’ve shifted functions.”