INSPIRE

Lawrence L. Kirby II

Kirby is Vice President, Community Manager for JP Morgan & Chase, where he shapes community engagement strategies to facilitate financial health and build community partnerships in both the Kenosha and Racine markets. With a strong foundation in urban ministry and an unwavering passion for forging connections across diverse communities, Kirby is dedicated to building bridges and catalyzing impactful collaborations. He has contributed his expertise and dedication to numerous organizations, serving on the board of directors of the United Way of Kenosha County, Kenosha’s Police and Fire Commission, the governance board at KTEC School, Kenosha County’s Health Equity Task Force and Bread For The World in Washington DC. He currently serves as on the board of directors for the Shalom Center in Kenosha, and as an Executive Board member of Building Our Future’s Leadership Table.

Kirby also serves as a Pastor at One Voice Church, alongside his friends Matt Myers and David Johnson. He is married to his best friend, Chandrika, and takes immense pride in being the devoted father of three wonderful children: Reginald, Kennedy, and Marley.

Justin Mathews

Justin Mathews is passionate about people and their stories. He was actually able to build a whole career out of it.

Justin’s professional journey took several turns, each driven by a deep curiosity and a love for people and their stories. From technology, event production, live streaming, video production, customer service and business management, his work has been felt across both the non-profit and private sectors.

Justin dreams big at the intersection of technology and storytelling, and his experience and passion sparked the launch of his own business, Upload Partners, in February 2020. In April 2024, he acquired shared ownership of Kenosha’s American Laser Mark (ALM).

Community involvement is also a big part of Justin’s life and he currently serves on the boards of the Kenosha Achievement Center, Kenosha YMCA, and Great Lakes Church.
Justin has been married for 18 years to his wife, Lisa, and together they have two amazing children, Tommy and Maddy.

KABA is excited to bring Inspire to Kenosha, WI, for the twelfth year! What began as an event with approximately 75 people in a small lecture hall at Carthage College has evolved into a highly produced leadership experience with more than 600 energized professionals engaging with our speakers at each other in the auditorium at Journey Church. The goal of Inspire was to empower attendees to make real connections, learn new and motivating content, and hear uplifting stories the local community – and ultimately help develop better leaders and community members.

And did you know? Proceeds from Inspire directly benefit the KABA Education Foundation! The Foundation, formed in 1996, to develop educational initiatives in collaboration with local Kenosha schools. The Foundation aims to increase graduation and educational attainment rates, improve the overall quality of education and foster the best school system in the state. Some of the initiatives of the Foundation include an elementary school mentoring program, annual scholarship awards for local students attending local schools, and support for various other educational initiatives such as Building our Future and the Gateway Promise Program. Read more about the foundation here.