Board of Directors
Allan Ross
Executive Director, Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, Davenport (IA)
Allan is the son of a Jewish Holocaust survivor. After a distinguished career in the military, he became the Executive Director of the local Jewish Federation. A wonderful husband, father and grandfather.
Dr. Maxine Russman
Board President
Retired - Regional Office of Education in Moline (IL)
An extraordinary educator, Maxine now enjoys spending quality time with her husband, children and grandchildren now that she's retired. Max edits curriculum development and helps in other ways on the book series.
Kris Cawley
Secretary/Treasurer
Retired - Rock Island Public Library (IL)
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.
Sue Rector
Retired - Augustana College, Rock Island (IL)
Sue enjoys sewing and spending time with her family. She serves at her church and on various boards. Also, in a leadership role in Association of Professional Fundraising in the Quad Cities.
Heather Whitman
Media and Staff Development at Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency (AEA) in Bettendorf (IA)
Heather is an amazing education leader in Iowa. She's supported A BOOK by ME in many ways including speaking at an International Conference in a breakout session titled “A New Way to Make History Come Alive” at International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in December of 2020.
Anesa Kajtazovic
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.
Dr. Marrietta Castle
Retired - Western Illinois University Macomb (IL)
A woman who has dedicated her life to education. She was President of the Holocaust Education Committee of the QC for many years and she generously proofreads every book in the A BOOK by ME series.
Terri Toppler
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.
Joan Bertrand-Jones
Retired - City of Chicago
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.
Rose Mary Boesen
Consultant at RMB Consulting, Muscatine (IA)
Rose Mary comes to us as an experienced consultant with a history of working in the world of non-profits. Her experiences includes serving as CEO of two United Way organizations and as Executive Director of the Black Hawk College Foundation.
Dr. Stephen Gaies
Retired - University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls (IA)
A retired professor of the English Department, Dr. Gaies serves as Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education at UNI.
Deb Bowen
Director
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.
Honoring Retired Board Member
Sharon Taylor
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.