Retired - City of Chicago

Joan Bertrand Jones hails from the City Of Chicago where she worked as an administrator and developed a love for civic and educational cultivation. Joan has worked locally and nationally with the Alfredo Wells Duster Club. Her personal mantra is to support and encourage those that are interested in creating a better community.

Retired Librarian

Kris is an integral part of the Jewish community in the Quad Cities. She leads a committee in selecting movies shown typically at the Figge Art Museum, and she serves on both the Yom Hashoah Committee and the Holocaust Education Committee of the Quad Cities.

Cathie McDonald helps others achieve their goal of becoming published authors. She edits and formats manuscripts, creates a book cover, and walks adult Christian authors through the process of self-publishing on Amazon. She is excited how she might help guide young authors through the A BOOK by ME process.

Executive Director, Jewish Federation of The Quad Cities

Allan is the son of a Jewish Holocaust Survivor and speaks about his father‘s story. After a distinguished career in the US Army, he became the executive Director of the Jewish Federation , Iowa. He’s very active on many boards in the Quad Cities community.

Professor Emerita, Western, Illinois University

A woman who has dedicated her life to education, Marrietta also enjoys sharing the life of Mary Todd Lincoln with audiences throughout the region. She champions the Jeff Leibovitz Special Collection of Holocaust Education Materials at WIU and is a member of the local Yom Hashoa committee.

Retired - Augustana College

Sue worked in the development office at Augustana College for decades. She’s served in leadership roles with the Association of Professional Fundraising in the Quad Cities. Today she finds fulfillment working with seniors at CASI in Davenport, Iowa. She enjoys sewing, her church and spending time with her family.

Media and Staff Development
Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency

Heather is an amazing education leader for many counties in Iowa. She was a speaker for a breakout session at an international teachers conference with a session about A BOOK by ME titled “a new way to make history come alive“ at ISTE in 2020.

Director of Development and Marketing at Equal Justice America

Anesa came to Iowa as a refugee of the Bosnian War. She served as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2011-2015. First elected at age 23, Kajtazovic is the youngest woman ever elected to the Iowa legislature, and the first Bosnian American elected to any public office in the United States.

Vicky has worked in leadership with Economic Development in the Quad Cities area for over 15 years. She’s currently the President of a Business Consulting & Distribution firm for businesses and the wellness industry. She’s served on numerous nonprofit boards and is passionate about elevating the community and the lives of the people who live here.

Creator, A BOOK by ME

A wife, mom and grandma, Deb is in awe the way the children's books have positively effected students, subjects and their families. Also, educator's testimonies of positive impact of students reading the stories in the classroom. Deb is honored to work with the amazing subjects in this book series and their young authors. Plus the many do gooders through Love Like Lorraine programming.

Retired - Regional Office of Education

Maxine is a retired Education Consultant from the Regional Office of Education in Moline, Illinois. Maxine now enjoys spending quality time with her husband, children and grandchildren now that she's retired. She serves on the local Holocaust Education Committee also edits A BOOK by ME curriculum and helps in many ways for the book series.

Retired Civil Servant - U.S. Department of the Army

Sharon's husband Al was one of the Quad Cities Pearl Harbor survivors. Sharon worked tirelessly to see that Al's book and other stories got into the hands of children. We must never forget the sacrifices made for our freedoms.

Retired - Media Specialist at West High School in Davenport (IA)

Terri has been an educator for 40+ years. She's taught in Iowa, Australia and China. This includes teaching Holocaust classes at Drake and Aurora Universities. She serves on the Iowa Council for Holocaust Education, is a USHMM Teacher Fellow and a member of DAR Hannah Caldwell Chapter of Iowa.

1948-2023

Rose Mary served as an experienced consultant with a history of working in the world of non-profits. Her experience included serving as CEO of two United Way organizations and as Executive Director of the Black Hawk College Foundation.

Professor Emeritus, University of Northern Iowa

A retired professor of the English Department, Dr. Gaies serves as Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education at UNI. Stephen has been passionate for decades about raising awareness, promoting understanding, and preventing future atrocities through education.

Tel Aviv University

Rachel Thompson is a Research and Development Associate at American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU). Rachel earned a B.A. in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a member of the University of Illinois History Department’s Friends of History Board, and former Young Alumni Chair of the New York City Illini Club.