Chris Ryczek’s AmeriCorps and Teach Kentucky Journey

Barry retired from teaching at Jefferson County Public Schools in 2023 and most recently taught at Noe Middle School. As an ECE Teacher for thirteen years, Barry has vast experience working with students with learning disabilities. During that time, he has served as a KTIP mentor with over half a dozen new Teachers. This is Barry’s first year as an RTA with Teach Kentucky, and he is also a new member of the Teach Kentucky Board.

Will is the Accounting Manager for ATI Technologies, having served in this position since September 2019.  Prior to that, he was the Accounting Supervisor for Lloyd & McDaniel, PLC, for 10 years.  Will has served on the board of the Notre Dame Club of Greater Louisville in various positions since 2014, including Club President from 2016 through 2017.  In this role, he increased dues paying members, and led new initiatives for increased member outreach and for selecting a local teacher(s) to attend the annual Excellence in Teaching Conference at Notre Dame.  Born into a family of public-school teachers and having married a TKY alum, Will is a strong believer in the value of public education.  He is a new member of the Teach Kentucky Board.

Rowan is a serial social entrepreneur, having founded two long-term highly successful nonprofits in the Louisville community. The first program was Bulldogs in the Bluegrass, which has operated for 20 years, recruiting Yale University undergraduates for ten-week, paid summer internships in Louisville. Bulldogs hosts 30 plus Yalies annually and over 600 have spent the “summer of their living and working” in Louisville. Sixty former Bulldogs have moved to Louisville immediately after graduation. Rowan leveraged his experience leading Bulldogs to create Teach Kentucky. Over the past 17 years, 343 participants have been recruited to teach in the greater Louisville area and 190 are still teaching in Kentucky. The program has demonstrated a higher-than-average retention rate and is creating high impacts in education and economic development. Rowan’s track record supports that he is tenacious, committed to the mission of Teach Kentucky and expects to be relentless in achieving its goal. Rowan received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and received the prestigious Yale Medal in 2005.

David is a retired principal, counselor and teacher with Jefferson County Public Schools. He has served the last 6 years as an Adjunct Faculty member with the Bellarmine College of Education. He has also served as a Kentucky Teacher Internship Program mentor with the University of Louisville School of Education.  David works as an interventionist with JCPS. This is David’s second year as a RTA with Teach Kentucky. This will be David’s first year on the Teach Kentucky Board of Directors.

An Education and Non-profit Expert. Known as a Results-Oriented Operational Leader – Having served in several Senior Management roles, His demonstrated professional strengths include, fund development, strategic planning, business development, business administration, and organizational & leadership development. Experienced at leading firms through, growth, acquisition, and merger.

As an experienced Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operations Officer, Carl provided a continuity of vision and leadership that has contributed to rapid and focused growth for the companies he has served in.

A former K-12 classroom teacher, University Professor & Department Chair, & Human Resources professional, Carl draws from his experience to reinforce his authentic commitment to improving mission impact with nonprofit and education organizations. His educational background and strong knowledge of nonprofit and education organizations position Carl as a thought leader on nonprofit and education success and sustainability factors.

In addition to his educational background, Carl is a knowledgeable business administrator with nearly two decades working in business management and leadership. His experience includes 20 years as a leader and board member of high-growth, non-profit organizations, which he led through successful start-ups, mergers, and acquisitions.

He regularly speaks and presents at conferences and workshops on innovative business models, nonprofit leadership, operational innovations, and programs that have a record of success for improving workplace effectiveness and efficiency.

Bryan is the Vice President of Education and Community Arts at Kentucky Performing Arts. He works with programs including ArtsReach, ArtsThrive, ArtsRise & Governor’s School for the Arts to further the organizations impact and build valuable educational arts opportunities across the state. He previously served as Director of the Office for Globalization at Louisville Metro Government, bringing together government, business and civic leaders to welcome new international residents for economic and community growth. Prior to his role with the city, he served as Executive Director of Asia Institute-Crane House, and as an Associate Curator of Education at The Speed Art Museum. He has served on the Teach Kentucky Board of Directors for one year.

Alex is the Director of Strategy and Brand Analytics for the Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands at Brown-Forman Corporation. Previously, he led the Corporate Development team at Brown-Forman and he has over 12 years of investment banking and financial advisory experience executing mergers, acquisitions, and strategic advisory assignments for public and private companies. Prior to joining Brown-Forman, he worked at Morgan Stanley and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has served on the Teach Kentucky Board of Directors for two years.

Katherine is the Director of Instruction at Southern High School in Louisville, KY. A veteran educator with over a decade of classroom experience, Grindon specializes in secondary education, curriculum development, teacher training, critical literacy, leadership/coaching, and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). She holds National Board Certification in the field of Early Adolescent English/Language Arts, is nationally certified as both a Literacy Design Collaborative Expert Coach and Cognitive Coach, and is a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Louisville, teaching courses in English/Language Arts methods, disciplinary literacy, and coaching. She was a member of the 2003 Teach Kentucky cohort. She is a new member of the Teach Kentucky Board.

Kim is a partner for Nonprofit Solutions Group, PLLC. She has a master’s degree in accounting from Illinois State University. Over her career, she has worked for MCM CPAs & Advisors, Bellarmine University, Crowne Horwath LLC, the University of Louisville and Stone Carlie. In her current role, she helps nonprofits, government agencies, and faith-based institutions create innovative solutions to build their capacity, sustain programs and services, and plan for the future. She has served on the Teach Kentucky Board of Directors for one year.

John is the Senior Corporate Attorney at LG&E and KU Energy LLC. His areas of practice include corporate law, natural resources and securities. He has been active with the Cherokee Triangle Neighborhood Association and the Dartmouth Club of Kentucky and became associated with Teach Kentucky in its early years. His wife is a pre-school teacher and their children have JCPS backgrounds. He has served on the Teach Kentucky Board of Directors for 11 years.

Sandra is an attorney, an engineer and a community volunteer. A champion of student learning, her commitment to improving the quality of public education began as an involved parent in Louisville public schools. Hinojosa Hubbard is a fellow of the Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership, served on the Site-Based Decision-Making Council at duPont Manual High School, and has been a member of the Kentucky Department of Education AdvancED Diagnostic Review teams evaluating schools identified as persistently low achieving. Before becoming involved in public education, Hinojosa Hubbard supported drilling operations in the oil industry, worked in the F-16 flight test program, and practiced law. She has served on the Teach Kentucky Board of Directors for six years.

Nancy is the Emerita Senior Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity and Emerita Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Louisville. She held biochemistry faculty positions at the University of Minnesota, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School and the University of Louisville focusing on research and graduate education. She has served on many local, state and national committees, most with a focus on STEM research and education. She has a particular interest in encouraging young women to pursue careers in science and engineering. She has served on the Teach Kentucky Board of Directors for seven years.