WOMEN MAKING HISTORY 2026: Judy Kehler, CPFIM, ACPFIM, Turning Strategy Into Human Impact
- The Chronicle News
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Some women do not just lead organizations, they help reshape how communities think, plan, and grow.
Judy Kehler is one of those women.
As the Founder of Kehler Strategy Group, Judy brings decades of leadership, financial insight, and strategic vision to the table. Her professional path includes serving as the former Chief Strategy Officer for the City of Lansing, former City Treasurer, and a Senior Management Consultant with KPMG. That kind of resume speaks for itself, but what makes Judy’s story especially powerful is not just where she has been, it is how she leads.
Based in East Lansing, Judy launched her work in 2019 with a clear purpose, helping leaders connect strategy to real human impact. After years of seeing brilliant people and important missions get buried beneath politics, noise, and plans that never fully served the people they were meant to help, she chose to build something different. She wanted to create space for voices to be heard and for strategy to become something more than a presentation deck. She wanted it to matter in everyday life.
That calling is at the center of her work today.
Judy’s vision is rooted in the belief that women should not have to shrink, apologize, or over-explain their value in order to lead. Through her consulting and coaching, she helps organizations make courageous, clear decisions that lead to healthier workplaces, stronger communities, and greater opportunity. Her hope is simple but profound, that women leaders feel seen, supported, and equipped to step into their next level with confidence.
And in a time when conversations around AI, innovation, and the future of work are moving fast, Judy is keeping her focus where it belongs, on people.
Her mission says it best:
“Strategy is only powerful when it is in service of people. In AI and the future of work, my mission is to turn big technological visions into everyday decisions that improve how people live, prosper, and enjoy their jobs.”
That is the kind of leadership the world needs more of, thoughtful, steady, people-centered, and unafraid to bridge vision with action.
For the next generation of women leaders, Judy offers advice that feels both practical and deeply grounded: protect your faith, your voice, your integrity, and your vision. Know who you are. Be clear about what you stand for. Build a circle that tells you the truth, advocates for you in rooms you have not entered yet, and reminds you that rest is not weakness, it is part of leadership too.
Judy Kehler is making history not by chasing attention, but by building systems, spaces, and strategies that help people thrive.
That kind of work may not always shout, but it leaves a mark.