Lisa McCarty is the current President of All Aboard for Kids. Originally from Farnhamville, Iowa, Lisa holds a BS in English with a focus on Rhetoric and Professional Communication from Iowa State University. She and her husband, Mike McCarty, have lived in the Ames area for 30+ years, raising their family of 5 children, including three boys diagnosed with autism. This personal journey inspired Lisa’s passion for advocating for improved services and support for individuals with autism and their families in the central Iowa area, and prompted Lisa and Mike to found All Aboard for Kids in 2016.

Lisa grew up in northwest Iowa and graduated from a class of just 19 students. She loved growing up in a small community! Lisa and her husband have lived in the Ames area for the past 20+ years where they have raised three children. She met Lisa McCarty when her son, Luke, and Lisa Schuelka’s daughter, Olivia, were just babies. They have been friends ever since. Now, these two babies are entering adulthood! She began serving with All Aboard for Kids in an official capacity in January 2020. Lisa expresses that it has been a joy to work alongside the McCarty’s and the rest of the AAFK team to bring this program to life.

Rozanne is a Member of the All Aboard for Kids board. Her hometown is Oskaloosa, IA, and she currently holds a position as the CEO and Owner of Take Action Consulting LLC, a special education advocacy company. Before this, she was a college professor at Morningside College and William Penn University. She worked as a Special Education Director for Boys and Girls Home, a residential facility in Sioux City, IA with programs in Nebraska and Alaska. The majority of her professional career has been working in public schools as a special educator, an alternative high school principal, and for 25 years she worked as a special education director. She has 2 children with her husband Terry – Brock and Madison – and four grandchildren: Zoey, Emmett, Tanner, and Maeve. Here is what she has to say about how she got involved with AAFK: “As an advocate for children with differing abilities, AAFK was an additional way for me to increase community access to activities for all kids. Also, I love hard work that is fun!”

Jennifer is from Dallas Center, IA, and currently works on staff as an Internship Coordinator and Assistant Teaching Professor at Iowa State University. She has a BS in Child & Family Services and her MBA from Iowa State University, and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Higher Education at Iowa State University. Here is what Jen has to say about how she got involved with AAFK: “It was a fortuitous meeting when Lisa M. reached out to meet regarding HDFS internships at a time when I was looking to get back into community engagement after having been in early childhood for almost 25 years. All Aboard for Kids was new to me, but while talking with Lisa, I quickly understood this was a group of people who, like me, had a passion for supporting children in spaces where they’ve not always had opportunities, such as summer camp. I have always been motivated to support and advocate for all children. By the end of the meeting, I was volunteering myself for the board! I am thrilled to be a part of this growing organization.”

Connie is from Ames, IA, and is currently a Professor of Learning Technologies at Iowa State University. Here is what Connie has to say about how she got involved with AAFK: “I became involved in All Aboard for Kids because it is the type of grassroots educational programming that meets the needs of our young people while making a critical difference in the lives of students and families.”

Professionally, Judi is the director of the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship at Iowa State University. In this role, she delivers entrepreneurship education and experiences to students and faculty across disciplines at the university. The center’s programs and services, including CyBIZ Lab, CYstarters, and Startup Factory, offer business support to students, faculty, and the community. Judi has been with the center since its inception in 1996 and worked for the Small Business Development Center prior to the establishment of the Pappajohn Center. She is an Iowa State Ivy College of Business graduate. Personally, Judi is the proud mom of three children, Jeremy, Benjamin, and Amy, and her spouse is Gary. Judi’s volunteer board experiences include Special Olympics Iowa, The Arc of Story County, and several professional organizations.

Kelly is honored to join the “All Aboard for Kids” board, driven by her lifelong commitment to supporting individuals and families with special needs. Her dedication stems from witnessing her brother’s struggles with hyperactivity and learning disabilities, shaping her career path. She earned an associate of science degree in developmental disabilities and later a Bachelor of Elementary Education with special education endorsements from Iowa State University. Kelly taught in various school districts, specializing in special education from kindergarten through fifth grade. She furthered her expertise with a Master of Education in Special Education. After 15 years in the classroom, she transitioned to become an Early Childhood Special Education Consultant and Home Intervention Teacher. Kelly retired in May 2021 and enjoys time with her husband, six children, and 10 grandchildren, engaging in outdoor activities and attending family events.

Beth is a native of Ames. She graduated from UNI in 1981 and taught high school English for 4 years, then got an MPA from ISU in 1987. She worked for several nonprofits, including the Association of Boards of Certification, Iowa Farmers Union, and ACCESS, and did desktop publishing out of her home. Beth was elected to the Iowa Legislature in 2004. She currently serves as the ranking member of the Health and Human Service Committee, a member of the Judiciary Committee, Public Safety Committee, Justice Systems Sub Appropriations Committee, and the Appropriations Committee.