BOARD PRESIDENT

For over 36 years, Jim has been in corporate real estate, facilities management, and project management. Currently, he is the Director of Facility Planning for Racine Unified School District and is responsible for creating and implementing the District’s long-range facilities master plan. A lifelong volunteer, Jim previously served as the board president and has returned to continue working to uplift Racine.

Vice President

Kevin is a Financial Advisor with Baird in Racine, Wisconsin, helping individuals and families build confidence in their financial future through personalized financial planning. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kevin served in the United States Marine Corps as an Intelligence Officer, completing two deployments to Afghanistan. He later earned an MBA from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Active in his church and the Racine community, Kevin is passionate about education, service, and helping others achieve their goals while strengthening families and communities.

Treasurer

A Racine native, Ashleigh attended Horlick High School and then served for seven years as a military police officer in the US Navy, where she was stationed in Florida and Japan. Ashleigh moved back to Racine to attend Marquette University Law School, where she graduated in 2022. She is currently a general practice attorney, focusing on real estate law, estate planning and business law. Ashleigh also has many years of volunteer experience, ranging from working with the American Red Cross to schools, churches and nonprofits. She enjoys reading, spending time with her family and outdoor activities.

Secretary

Mandy brings valuable financial and operational expertise to her role at RLC. Professionally, Mandy serves as the Assistant Branch Manager at Educators Credit Union, where she has successfully completed the ECU Leadership Program. She is actively enhancing her community leadership skills as a participant in Leadership Racine Class 28 through the Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce (R.A.M.A.C.). Mandy is committed to using her experience in team development and process management to support the Council’s mission across the community.

BOARD MEMBER

Heather has called Racine home for the past 14 years, where she has built a life rooted in family, faith, service and community connection. Heather serves as the Inpatient Pharmacy Purchaser at Ascension All Saints Hospital. Her career also includes more than 15 years of admissions leadership experience with undergraduate and graduate colleges and institutions, where she developed a strong foundation in communication, organization, relationship-building, and service. She volunteered with United Way’s Schools of Hope reading mentoring program, encouraging young readers and supporting student success. She and her husband, Mark, who serves as pastor at Holy Communion Lutheran Church, are the proud parents of three children.

BOARD MEMBER

Beth is a teacher in RUSD’s Transition 2 Employment program, a post-high school vocational program helping students with IEPs to gain real-world job skills. Prior to that, she spent ten years at North Park Elementary. Her education includes a B.A. in Elementary Education and Special Education from Carthage, a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from UW-Milwaukee, and a Reading License from Cardinal Stritch. She is certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and completed United Way’s “United Horizons” program. Her devotion to equity and advocacy landed her a spot as one of ten RUSD educators featured in “The Passions Project: Racial & Social Justice Racine – Educators Edition”. Married for over 30 years, she and her husband Mark have three children and two dogs, Duck and Lucy.

Board Member

Milton is the Interim Regional Director at WRTP | BIG STEP, where he supports workforce development initiatives and connects individuals and communities with career pathways in the skilled trades. A multilingual professional and a proud father, Milton speaks several languages, including English, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Zulu and Shona. Milton earned his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in China, an educational experience that helped shape his communication skills, cultural awareness, and ability to engage effectively with people from different backgrounds. Milton is passionate about expanding access to workforce training, apprenticeship opportunities, and career pathways, particularly for individuals who may face barriers to entering the skilled trades.

Board Member

Born and raised in Racine, Carson Krenzke is a young professional working in the marketing industry for Johnson Outdoors, Inc. He attended RUSD schools (Gifford Elementary, Gilmore Middle, and Case High) for his K-12 education and earned his Bachelor's degree at Carthage College in 2024. Outside of work, Carson enjoys photography and cheering on the Wisconsin sports teams.

Board Member

Charles has worked in non-profit healthcare with Wheaton Franciscan and Ascension since 1997 in various capacities, including pharmacy, information technology, instructional designer and training. His current role is Lead Pharmacy Tech, and he oversees and conducts training for the Ascension All Saints Pharmacy sterile compounding program. Charles is a proud graduate of UW-Parkside in Philosophy and served there as an advocate for LGBTQ+ students as a tutor in writing and philosophy. Charles has served several terms on the Board of the LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin where he had the privilege of being a founding director and serving twice as board secretary. He is married to his partner of 25+ years, John, and lives in Mt. Pleasant with an ever-growing library of books.

Non-Voting Member

Mary is a lifelong Racine resident who previously served as the Board Treasurer. She has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and is a Certified Public Accountant. Her hobby is reading, a perfect fit for a Racine Literacy Council volunteer.

Non-Voting Member

Laura is the executive director of the Racine Literacy Council. Her passion for social justice led her to a life in education and nonprofits. For seven years, she served as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in the teacher preparation program. She worked in education to serve under-resourced children through nonprofit programming and leadership, and with the Racine Dominican Sisters in Communication and Development. Laura was also an editor and reporter for various newspapers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication-Journalism, master’s degrees in Nonprofit Management and Leadership, as well as Pastoral Studies and is a doctoral candidate at Marquette University in Education Policy & Leadership. She is married and has two adult children and two grandchildren.