Julie Kelly, assistant superintendent for business, operations and human resources for the
Muskego-Norway School District believes in a team approach.
“She truly doesn’t see an “I” in team,” said Rick Petfalski, mayor of the city of Muskego
Kelly and her team move forward through collaboration and conversation with stakeholders. When an employee is hired in the MNSD system, they are not assigned to a task or job duty by someone who is never to be heard from again, Petfalski said. Instead, new hires get numerous check-ins, or “rounding” during their first year to make sure they’re happy, that they understand their role, and that they have what they need from management to help them succeed in their careers.
During Kelly’s tenure, the Muskego-Norway School district was named a “top workplace” by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This all happened in a unionized education environment that was dealing with Wisconsin’s Act 10 legislation, which stripped public unions of much of their collective bargaining power.
Kelly was able to navigate the new reality while taking advantage of changes to benefits and wage scales that saved the taxpayers millions while at the same time raising employee morale, Petfalski said.
