About the Missouri Public Education Foundation
Dorothy Rohde-Collins, Executive Director
Dorothy Rohde-Collins is the Executive Director of the Missouri Public Education Foundation. In this role, she works with educators, policy makers, and advocates to inform the general public about the positive impacts of public education. Dorothy is a proud parent of two public school students and a former public school science teacher. She previously served one term on the Board of Education of the City of St. Louis including three years as Board President. During her tenure, she oversaw the historic transition in governance from an appointed board back to an elected board, permanent school closures, and the challenge of reopening schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dorothy is currently a PhD candidate of education policy and equity at St. Louis University. Her research interests include school district governance, permanent school closures, and intergovernmental collaborations between school districts and cities.
Board of Directors
O. Victor Lenz, Jr., Board Chair, St. Louis
Dr. Vic Lenz has been an educator for over 60 years as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, middle school principal and assistant superintendent for curriculum and Instruction in Lindbergh Schools. After 39 years as a Lindbergh employee, Vic retired and served four terms on the Lindbergh School Board where he held the offices of Secretary, Vice-President, and President. Vic was also a board member for the Missouri School Board’s Association and held the office of Vice-President, President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past-President. In 2013, Vic was appointed to the Missouri State Board of Education and served until 2021, including six years as vice president. While serving on the State Board, Vic represented Missouri on the Board of the National Association of State Boards of Education. Upon retirement from the State Board of Education, Dr. Lenz started the Missouri Public Education Foundation (MPEF), a non-profit foundation to support public education. Vic and his wife Sharyn have three adult sons: Troy owns and operates an auto service business in Webster Groves, MO; Ty lives in Nashville and works in commercial real estate; and Dave works in residential real estate in the St. Louis area.
Jan Mees, Secretary, Columbia
Jan Mees, a native of New Jersey, has resided in Columbia, Missouri for over 50 years. Jan received a Bachelor of Arts in French Secondary Education from Purdue University and a Master of Arts in Library Science from the University of Missouri. Her career in education spans more than 21 years in Columbia Public Schools and includes roles such as parent volunteer, library support staff, and media specialist across multiple elementary, middle, and high schools. Following her retirement, Jan was elected to the Columbia Public Schools Board of Education in 2007 where she continued to serve the district until 2019, including two terms as President. Jan also served on the MSBA Board of Directors as a region representative and President. She also represented MSBA at the National School Boards Association as a voting delegate. Community involvement has been an important part of Jan’s life. She has held multiple leadership positions and received numerous awards to acknowledge her commitments. Jan has been married to her husband, Bill, for 54 years. They have two adult sons and five grandchildren ranging in age from 13 years to 23 years. Jan’s hobbies include reading, walking, puzzles, and Mah Jongg games!
Linda Daugherty, Nixa
Linda Daughtery has dedicated over three decades to education and business leadership, blending the heart of a teacher with the strategy of a business leader. As COO of the Academy of Hair Design and BeVelle Barber School, she has led expansions to Austin, Texas, and Rwanda, Africa, creating opportunities for aspiring professionals. She and her team foster a culture of generosity, entrepreneurship, and career success. In addition, Linda serves as Assistant Treasurer for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and has been on the Nixa Public Schools Board since 2008. She also contributes as a board member with Missouri School Boards Association, championing education and business growth. Linda calls Southwest Missouri home, cherishing time with her husband, Jeff, their children, and grandchildren. They enjoy the Ozarks’ outdoors—boating, camping, and watching the G-boys race dirt bikes—while staying deeply committed to faith, family, and community.
Jolie Justus, Kansas City
Jolie Justus is Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for University Health, Kansas City’s essential academic medical center. Jolie spent 12 years in public office – 4 years as a KC Councilperson and 8 years as a Missouri State Senator, including 2 years as the Senate Minority Leader. During her tenure, she earned a reputation for working across ideological lines to get things done, including passage of criminal justice reform and foster care reform and approval of a new single terminal airport at Kansas City International Airport (KCI). Jolie received her J.D., with distinction, from University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law and her B.S. in Electronic Media from Missouri State University. She lives in downtown Kansas City with her wife Lucy and a pack of rowdy rescue dogs.
Dr. John Martin, Kansas City
Dr. John Martin started his career in St. Louis Public Schools as a teacher. He moved to University City Schools to work as a teacher, eventually rising through the system to serve the district as an Assistant Principal, Principal, and Assistant Superintendent. After leaving University City, he moved to Montgomery County, Virginia to work as an Assistant Superintendent and earned his doctorate at Virginia Tech before being recruited to become the Superintendent of Grandview CSD 4. Later in his career he returned to Saint Louis Public Schools to work as a Deputy Superintendent before becoming the Interim Superintendent for the Kansas City Public Schools. John also before serving as a member of the Missouri State Board of Education.
Janet Tilley, Columbia
Janet has worked in public education for over 45 years — 34 years as a teacher, administrator, and literacy consultant and 12 years as the Senior Director for Training and Research for the Missouri School Boards’ Association. During her career, Janet earned National Board Certification for Secondary Language Arts and fellowships with the National Holocaust Museum and Memorial and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. She has published several articles in both state and national journals on teaching poetry and reading to adolescents. By virtue of her research on family and community engagement; effective school board governance practices; and the impact of high-quality teachers on student learning Janet has given keynote addresses for the North Carolina Caucus of Black School Board Members and the Missouri School Boards’ Association. In addition, Janet has provided training sessions at the national level for the Council of Urban Boards of Education; The National School Board Association and the Unified Board Alliance. Janet lives in Columbia, MO with her husband, Ben, a retired school administrator and educational consultant on school turnaround. She is the mother to two adult children (Chris and Laura) and two dogs (Jack Kerouac and Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Advisory Council
Karen Rodgers, Liberty
Karen Rogers is an education law attorney, small business owner, and community volunteer who believes public schools are the heart of healthy and vibrant communities. She began her service on the Liberty Public Schools Board of Education in April 2022 and has served as Board Vice President since April 2023. Karen also serves as the sole public school board member on the Title I Committee of Practitioners advising the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and has earned the Advanced and Masters Certification Awards from the Missouri School Boards Association. She is a proud graduate of public schools, including Carrollton High School, the University of Missouri (B.A.), and the University of Virginia (J.D.). Her professional legal experience includes representing public school districts in private practice, as in-house counsel and also as an attorney with the Texas Association of School Boards. She also spent seven years as an investigative attorney with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. Karen is an alumna of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions Leadership Program and in 2022 received the received the 2022 Centurions Bernard Powell Award, given to an alumnus who demonstrates extraordinary leadership and positive community impact, in recognition of her commitment to children’s education, civil rights, and safety. Currently, Karen is the owner and principal of Show Me Perspective, LLC. She and her husband Doug are parents of two public school students.
Larry Felton, St. Louis
During his 36-year career in information technology, Larry gained expertise as a manager, senior analyst, and data expert. He currently uses his experience to study analytics to assess educational governance and the results of effective instruction. Larry was elected to and served 15 years on the Mehlville R-9 Board of Education where his main focus was on effective governance and advocacy for public education. During his years on the board he established a board-level advocacy committee and served on the MSBA Board of Directors for 9 years with four years of officer experience including one term as president. Larry’s goal as a member of the MPEF Advisory Council is to use his career experience and his service as an elected school board member to further the education opportunities for children in Missouri. His priority continues to be public education advocacy at the Federal and State levels.
Darbie Valenti Huff, Savannah
Darbie Valenti Huff is an experienced educator and consultant dedicated to empowering all students. A proud alumna of Northwest Missouri State University, where she has also served as an adjunct professor, Darbie brings over 20 years of experience teaching students in grades third through eighth. Her commitment to excellence in education has been recognized with several prestigious honors, including serving as a STARR Teacher for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the 2017 Missouri Teacher of the Year. Nationally, she was honored as the Grand Prize Winner of the Henry Ford Innovator Award. These accolades have provided Darbie with opportunities to present across the state, nation, and world, sharing her expertise on topics such as trauma-informed education, cognitive engagement, and innovation. Currently, she serves as a Professional Developer for the Missouri State Teachers Association.
Gale "Hap" Hairston, Columbia
Gale “Hap” Hairston’s professional career in Missouri public education spans forty-five years and includes all levels of professional education. Hap began his PK-12 work as a teacher in the Westran R-1 Public Schools (Huntsville) and served as a building principal for the Fayette
R-III and Columbia Public Schools from which he retired in 1999. For the next eighteen years, Hap focused on educator preparation, returning to his alma mater Central Methodist University to serve as the Director of Professional Education and Graduate Studies. In September 2007, Hap joined the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and was serving as the Coordinator of Educator Preparation in the Office of Educator Quality when he retired in 2017. Hap remains active in supporting public education. He currently serves as the President of the Missouri Retired Teachers Association (MRTA) and Treasurer of the Columbia Public School Foundation. Hap and his wife, Carolyn, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. She is a retired elementary teacher with 28 years of experience. They have two sons and daughters-in-love who are raising their families with four grandchildren in Columbia.
Joseph Davis, Fulton
A lifelong resident of Callaway County, Dr. Joe Davis has served a variety of roles within his community’s public schools. He graduated from WWU with a degree in Elementary Education, and later with a master’s degree in education administration. Dr. Davis has served as a fifth grade teacher, assistant principal, and interim elementary school principal in Fulton’s public schools. His wife is a high school art teacher and he has four young children, two of whom are students in Fulton Public Schools. Dr. Davis is also an associate level instructor for the Crisis Prevention Institute and a graduate of the Missouri Leadership Academy. He is committed to service to William Woods University and the Fulton community, serving as a member of the Fulton Public Schools Board of Education, as well as a member of the Personnel Committee at WWU. Dr. Davis is also a ruling elder at the First Presbyterian Church of Fulton and is a member of the Callaway County Historical Society. Dr. Davis began teaching at William Woods in 2016 and recently completed his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri.
Sara Pylate, Jackson
Coming from a long line of educators, public education has been a common thread in Sara’s past, present, and future. Sara earned her English and French Education degrees as well as a Masters in Curriculum from Mizzou. She taught English for a few years at Hickman High School before moving back to her alma mater in Jackson, MO to teach French and English until she finished her Specialist's degree in Counseling at Southeast Missouri State. For the past 13 years, Sara has worked as a school counselor — 12 years at the junior high level and most recently joining the high school counseling team. Sara and her husband have two daughters — a 5th grader and a high school freshman — who take advantage of all our school district has to offer - clubs, sports, choir, band, summer school, and all the classes they can fit in. Sara’s husband was elected to the local school board in 2023 which has added another interesting layer to their dinnertime discussions about school and education. Sara enjoys reading, running, gardening, and all things food: cooking, eating, and recipe experimenting!
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Denise Fears, Independance
Denise Fears retired from the Independence firm of Fears Case-Harmon & Associates after working there as a managing partner for more than 25 years. She became a CPA in 1992 and worked in her career for more than three decades. Denise graduated from Horton High School in Kansas, and she and her husband Jared, a Chrisman High School graduate, raised their three children here in Independence. Their kids also graduated from Truman High School in Independence. Denise is the treasurer for the Independence School District and has also held positions as President and Vice-President during her over 15 years of service on the School Board. Denise also served as treasurer for many years on the board of the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA) and currently serves on the Community of Christ World Church Finance Board and Audit Committee, helping to oversee the finances for the Community of Christ Church worldwide.
Jay Hartman, St. Louis
Jay Hartman is the Director of Youth Connections at the St. Louis Community. In this role, Jay works to convene, fund and support public education innovation in the highest needs areas of the St. Louis region. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Community Partnership Schools with St. Louis Public Schools where he supervised elementary schools and developed local partnerships to support each school. The CPN schools had seen the highest average growth on the state test performance index of neighborhood schools in SLPS. Prior to this role, Jay served as the principal of KIPP Inspire, a charter middle school in St. Louis. While there, Jay completed the National Principals’ Academy Fellowship with RELAY GSE and was awarded a Fisher and Miles Fellowship through the KIPP Foundation. Before living in St. Louis, Jay taught high school history in Chicago Public Schools. Jay holds an M.A. in Education Leadership from Saint Louis University and a B.A. in History and Secondary Education from Wheaton (IL) College.
Jerry Valentine, Columbia
Jerry began his career in public education in 1968, teaching history, civics, and speech in three public school systems in Louisiana. He then earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, followed by roles as an Associate Principal for Curriculum and Instruction and then Principal in Ft. Collins, Colorado. In 1977 he joined the faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia as a professor of school leadership in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. He served in that position for 33 years, retiring as a Professor Emeritus in 2010. At Mizzou he taught and mentored future educational leaders as well as designed and led several state-wide initiatives, including the Missouri Principal Assessment Center, the Missouri Center for School Improvement, and the Middle Level Leadership Center. After retiring, he worked with schools across the country on school leadership, school improvement, and student cognitive engagement. He and his wife have three adult sons and six grandchildren. He loves Cardinals and Royals baseball and served as a youth baseball coach and Little League Board Member for four decades. Now he sits back and enjoys watching his grandkids play...and sneaks in a little bit of coaching on the side.