Board Members

VERONICA ARMSTRONG Veronica is a local lead teacher in a Montessori inspired preschool program with a history in various administrative and teaching roles in early childhood education. She is NAMC Montessori certified and is interested in the expanse of resources and information for all local early childhood programs. She began building the idea for Engaged Childhood Education in 2023 and looks forward to building an idea into a reality to support the future of our community starting at a young age. 

TODD BURZYNSKI Todd is a career IT professional with a love of music, dance, and charity. Combining these passions resulted in co-founding Ragers for Charity, to give back to the community through music events and spread Joy as Resistance. Todd also enjoys Jiu Jitsu, the outdoors, gardening and permaculture.

DELLA CALDWELL Della Caldwell holds a BA and MA from U of Iowa in civil engineering. She works full time  as a project manager for the federal government, and teaches second year civil students at Iowa. Della's passion is bringing people together - hence her to involvement in R4C. Other passions include plants, food, and just living ones best life with compassion! 

ERIN CASEY Erin (she/her) is an original founder of The Writers' Rooms and currently serves as Secretary. She's an urban fantasy/fantasy writer and author of The Purple Door District series. An advocate for mental health, she openly talks about her experiences with anxiety, depression, ADHD, etc, and is a safe person for the LGBTQIA+ community. She believes everyone has a story to tell and lives by The Writers' Rooms' motto: We're Writers Helping Writers.

JAY COOPER Jay is the founder of EntrePartners, an organization designed to build community through entrepreneurship. He is an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, Startup Weekend facilitator, and serial entrepreneur. Jay has been a fixture in eastern Iowa's startup community since 2015 through his writing, mentoring, and leading local events, which were consolidated under the EntrePartners organization in 2022. He has been involved with The James Gang since his work with The 10,000 Hours Show in 2004.

LAURA CROSSETT Laura is a librarian, writer, amateur sewist, and right to repair advocate. She lives in Iowa City, where she fixes sentences for a living and attempts to mend other things in her spare time. 

SERENITY DELGADO Serenity is a student at the University of Iowa studying environmental policy and human rights. She is a research fellow with Dr. Meena Khandelwal investigating repair systems which catapulted her into her work with the IC Repair Cafe! She is passionate about all things sustainability and community wellbeing.

JOSIE DUNNINGTON Josie is a native of Iowa City, where she also raised her own two children. She has always been fascinated by how things work, how they are built, and how to fix them – whether it is the human body (in her work as a physical therapist), a treehouse for her kids, or a broken zipper. She is passionate about the Repair Cafe not only because of her tendency to tinker, but also her desire to foster community, share resources, spread skills and knowledge, and protect the planet from pollution and overconsumption.

CASSANDRA ELTON  Cassandra has a BA in English (2009), a graduate certificate in Book Studies/Book Arts and Technology (2012), and an MLS in Library and Information Science (2015).  She became involved with the James Gang in 2012 when she presented them with the wild idea to start an independent library in Iowa City. That idea became the Antelope Lending Library bookmobile where she continues to serve as the Library Director.

SEAN FINN Sean has volunteered with the LGBTQ Iowa Archives and Library (LIAL) since September 2021 and now manages operations, combining his passions for LGBTQ+ community and nonprofit effectiveness. He works as a policy analyst for Common Good Iowa and also serves as a board member for the Wesley Center.

LIZ ERB FIRMSTONE Liz has as BS in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from DePaul University. Liz is an International Coaching Federation (ICF), Associate Certified Coach (ACC) focused on tapping into human potential. She will be completing an MSW in Spring 2027. Liz believes that our overall wellness and joy inherently come from connecting the many pieces that make up the whole of our life experiences. She is passionate about fostering these connections creatively through the work of CONNEXT!

CECILE GODING  Cecile Goding serves on the board of the Machine Opera Company as president and treasurer.  An educator, writer, and community arts activist, Cecile has taught literature and creative writing at universities and neighborhood centers.  She is the Outreach Coordinator at Prairie Hill, Iowa’s first co-housing community.   

RENEE GULLICKSON Renee is a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (American Nurses Credentialing Center). She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of Iowa in 2015, a Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Iowa in 2010 and a Bachelors of Liberal Studies (BS) from Iowa State University in 2004. She provides holistic mental health care in collaboration with traditional medicine. Renee believes that each human has what they need within to heal themselves and that sometimes we just need a little help connecting with that healing light. Through CONNEXT she has witnessed participants connecting with others and then finding themselves. Renee is excited to see how CONNEXT can play a part in healing our communities! 

BRADY G'SELL Brady is a scholar of African history and culture. She has spent most of the last two decades doing research in South Africa, but when she moved to Iowa City, she was thrilled by the opportunity to meet African neighbors. For years there has been talk in the African immigrant community about creating a celebration of African life in Iowa and planning co-chair Sunday Goshit said "lets make this happen." Brady is also on the board of the Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County and loves walking in the woods with her dog.  

VIRGINIA HAYES Virginia works for the City of Coralville as a stormwater technician, and is also a Board Certified Master Arborist running Hayes Tree Preservation in her free time. She enjoys being outside and active with her two teenage children, and loves thrifting and fixing things rather than buying them new. 

JOYCE JANCA Hayley Crabb, Jordan Decker, Kimberly Jaeger-Arjes, Joyce Janca, Kate Karacay, Angelika Kieffer, Nathan Kleban, Mary McCall work collaboratively  to help create more collaboration and support for death-positive approaches to end-of-life care. We are hospice workers, death doulas, yoga teachers, academics, massage therapists, writers, and work in non profits in film and philanthropy.

SHARON LAKE Sharon Lake keeps the records, and takes the lead in marketing The Machine Opera Company’s events.  A lifelong fan of the arts, Sharon has been thrilled to use her organizational and writing skills to promote local opera. 

MELINDA LICHT Melinda loves animals (including humans) and science. She founded Extant Relatives out of a particular fascination with the human-reptile relationship. She began keeping her own reptiles in 2005 while earning a BS in Biology, a BA in Religion Studies, and a Master of Theological Studies. After working in veterinary clinics, biomedical research, and research education, Melinda hopes to use Extant Relatives to support non-judgmental information exchange that leads to a greater community understanding of the need for ecological preservation and ethical pet guardianship. 

NINA LOHMAN  Nina is a writer, editor, instigator, and the Publisher of Brink.  

EMILY PRITCHARD Emily earned her Master of Music Education degree with a concentration in choral music from VanderCook College of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Commercial Music degree with a concentration in songwriting/vocal performance and a Minor in Theatre from Millikin University.  She co-music directs the Earth Singers for the LENA Project and the Iowa City Madrigal Singers and dinner.  Before moving to Iowa, Emily taught ear training and music appreciation at Bradley University before relocating to Iowa with her spouse and two young children. In another life, she worked in Nashville as a songwriter and was fortunate to study with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Craig Cornelia, and Lari White a part of the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project.  

CALEB RAINEY  Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and event producer. He has published two books, Look, Black Boy and Heart Notes, released two albums, produced a short film with the Brucemore titled Willing to Grow, and starred in an award winning documentary titled The Negro Artist. In 2024, he was the recipient of the Iowa Author Award for Poetry. He is the winner of several slams across the United States, placed 7th in the 2023 UNESCO Slam-0-Vision global poetry slam, and is curating a community of spoken word poets in the Midwest through his high school program, IC Speaks, the adult-slam team, io-what, the recurring open mic, House of Words, and the two-day festival, Mic Check Poetry Fest. 

LISA ROBERTS  Lisa grew up in Michigan, attended Princeton University and The University of Virginia, and has taught literature and writing at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Nevada - Las Vegas, and the University of Nebraska. After moving to Iowa City, she served as Assistant Director of the Iowa Youth Writing Project and worked to bring free creative writing workshops to children throughout Eastern Iowa. Her poems have appeared in Plainsongs, The Untidy Season: An Anthology of Nebraska Women Poets, and Little Village, among others. She now directs Iowa City Poetry, which aims to share the wealth of literary resources in our area with writers of all ages, incomes, identities, and experience levels.

TRICIA WINDSCHITL Tricia has an MS in Early Childhood Education and is a local preschool teacher/director. She was inspired in 2018 by a group of her preschoolers who wanted to do "help the earth be the best earth."  To help spread their message and carry on their young voices, Tricia created the LENA Project (Lessen. Empower. Notice. Act.).  Tricia also enjoys taking walks and drinking coffee (in her re-usable coffee cup of course!).

Past Board Members

Analia Alegre-Femenias • Eric Asboe • Ellie Azoff • Jared Bazzell • Jelena Beideman • Luke Benson • Elizabeth June Bergman • Daniel Boscaljon • Mike Brooks • Heather Byers • Joshua Christian • Jennifer Colville • Micheal Crisholhm • Anne Craig • Riley Curry • Denise Dooley • Josh Eklow • Carson Eggland • Jesse Elliot • Devon Friese • Hailey Franzen • Andrea Flemming • Emily Ginsberg • Cassie Gonzalez • Jennifer Graham • Spencer Griffin • Hans Hoerschelman • Zach Hoyt • Daniel Kahlastchi • Kim Kullmer • Margaret Larson • Tyler Lechtenberg • Leigh Lewis • Dora Malech • Carol McVey • Forrest Meggers • Joe Mrkonich • Jennifer New •  Rob Pilaszewski • Mark Polanzak • Luke Prottsman • Jacek Pruski • John Rearick • Sarah Rades • Katie Roche • Katie Ross • Sheila Samuelson • Laura Savage • Aaron Schaefer • Michael Schmitz • Shanti Sellz • Miguel Soria • Arthur Stewart • Andy Stoll • David Strackany • Amanda Styron • Shannon Thomas • Ryan West • Rachel Yoder