Board of Directors
Karen Roth, President & Founder
In over 30 years of teaching in higher education, Karen’s research in applied learning ranges from rethinking student teaching practices to community service as a strategy for learning. In Defending Public Education from Corporate Takeover, her chapter, Recovering Schools and Classrooms in the Recovery School District, highlights the learning outcomes of her student participants on service-learning trips to reopen schools in post Katrina ravaged New Orleans. Since that 2007 trip, Karen has organized over 20 volunteer trips with over 300 students. She is the recipient of a faculty award in Service and Education from National Louis University, and served on the 2011 International Association for Research in Service–Learning and Civic Engagement conference planning committee based in Chicago. Her resume cites numerous service learning & civic engagement conference presentations, and she currently speaks on the benefits of service learning on college campuses. She is also the Founder and first President of the Illinois Women’s Soccer League, the largest girls and women’s soccer organization in the United States.
Samantha Heinz, Secretary & Communications
Sammi has been volunteering for many service projects in the past and fell in love with PIES in New Orleans summer 2017. She is an early childhood student at Oakton Community College and loves fostering children’s learning. She came on PIES’ first trip to Puerto Rico and plans to go back every summer. She also has a passion for children and the advancement of public education. Samantha is connected deeply with PIES and quickly joined in to help.
Tyler Steinemann, Treasurer
Tyler is a veteran of 12 service trips with Partnerships in Education & Services. Since 2007, Tyler has participated in or lead teams of volunteers to New Orleans, LA, Genola, UT, and Puerto Rico. He is a 2015 graduate of Knox College with a Bachelors degree in International Relations with a concentration in Latin America. He is a librarian in two North Shore communities. As PIES moves toward developing school libraries in communities lacking this vital resource, Tyler’s skills and knowledge provides the exact leadership needed. Serving the public good is a passion for him and combined with the love of travel, serving with PIES is a perfect fit.
Advisory Board
Carol Burns
Educational Consultant; 30 years of experience teaching in higher education; specialist in post-secondary education for students with disabilities, including leading curriculum and service projects within the university and community.
Tiffany Velazquez
Tiffany is an Early Childhood Educator from Chicago currently living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She took her first service trip to New Orleans with PIES in 2012. That year, she fell in love with NOLA, with service work and with PIES. Since then, she has taken a highly active role in the organization, serving as the trip leader on numerous occasions. She is a highly dedicated kindergarten and preschool teacher who has found a great passion in her service work with Partnerships In Education and Service.
Adrienne Waller
Adrienne has a Bachelors in Arts in Organizational Studies and Sociology from the University of Michigan, and a Masters in the Art of Teaching, with middle school math and social studies endorsements, from National Louis University. After graduation from UM, Adrienne did a year of service with AmeriCorps*VISTA in Washington DC, working with the DC Public Schools through a non-profit. It was this experience that led her to a career In education, joining the Chicago Teaching Fellows in 2007, and ultimately a teaching position with CPS in second through fifth grade classrooms. After Adrienne’s first year teaching, she received grants to participate in a PIES service trip to rebuild schools in New Orleans and has led several service teams since 2008.
Behind The Scenes
Angela D’Agostino Merceret, Webmaster
Angela has a Bachelor of Arts in International Business & Diplomacy from The Ohio State University. She is an intersectional feminist and strong advocate for mental health and pregnancy, birth & postpartum health awareness. She considers herself a Jane-Of-All-Trades but has a passion for organization and creation. She has found a niche designing websites for non-profit organizations and was thrilled to be able to assist PIES, as she has been a PIES Service Learning Volunteer traveling to New Orleans for over ten years. Currently, she lives in a 100 year old house in Champaign, Illinois with her husband, two kiddos, dog and two cats.