THE CHARACTERPLUS TEAM
Mike Park
CharacterPlus® Chief Executive Officer, Center for Character & Citizenship Affiliate Scholar, The U.S. Army Intelligence Center & School, Wharton School Executive Program, University of Alabama, LACE Academy, Dean's Cabinet UMSL College of Education, and Brand-P Principal, mike@characterplus.org
Kristen Pelster, Ed.D.
CharacterPlus® Chief Programming Officer, Retired District Administrator, NSOC recipient, Consultant for Center for Character and Citizenship, African Vision of Hope Board of Directors, kpelster@characterplus.org
Nicole Diehl
CharacterPlus® Director of Programming, LACE Academy, Character.org 11 Principles team, Leading the nation in schools coached that have become State & National Schools of Character, Instructor, CharacterPlus Way Director, ndiehl@characterplus.org
​
Julie Sperry, Ed.D.
CharacterPlus® Director of Program Expansion & Innovation, Retired School Administrator, NSOC recipient, Consultant for Center for Character and Citizenship, MA in Administration & Secondary Counseling, jsperry@characterplus.org
Roxanna Mechem, Ed.S.
CharacterPlus® Director of District and Community Partnerships, Retired District Administrator at Maplewood Richmond Heights, and Rockwood School Districts, rmechem@characterplus.org
Emilie Johnson, Ph.D.
CharacterPlus® Senior Facilitator, Instructor, Senior Professor of Education, College of Education and Human Services at Lindenwood University, with an emphasis on Advanced Education Psychology, ejohnson@characterplus.org
Grace Lee, Ed.D.
CharacterPlus EJACE Director, Webster Groves School District School Board Member, Dean of Faculty, Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School, Inclusion Expert, Retired Principal at Hixson Middle and Brittany Woods Middle Schools, Social Worker, English-Language Arts, glee@characterplus.org
​
Jeremy Mapp, Ed.D.
CharacterPlus® EJACE Co-Director, Kirkwood School District Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, previously assistant principal of Keysor Elementary School, former elementary and middle school teacher, and a house parent at Joe’s Place, a home for homeless teenage boys in the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District, jmapp@characterplus.org
Debbie Brandt, Ed.S.
CharacterPlus® Senior Facilitator, Retired Principal at LaSalle Springs Middle School, NSOC recipient, Missouri Baptist University Instructor, dbrandt@characterplus.org
​
Michael Barolak, MSW
CharacterPlus® EJACE and SELf Team, Retired Director of Social Emotional Support Services at Parkway Schools, School Social Worker, mbarolak@characterplus.org
​
Rene Sommers, Ed.D.
CharacterPlus® TACE Co-Director, Retired Principal at Green Trails Elementary School, SLPS Teacher, NSOC recipient, rsommers@characterplus.org
​
Todd Moeller, CMAA
CharacterPlus® Director of HS AACE, Educational Leadership, Retired Athletic Director O'Fallon Township High School, tmoeller@characterplus.org
​
Matt Klosterman. M.S.
CharacterPlus® AACE Team, Retired Superintendent at Belleville District 118, Character Education in Emerging Leaders (CEEL) Consultant, mklosterman@characterplus.org
Pete Paciorek, Ed.D.
CharacterPlus® AACE Team, Director of Outreach for the Institute of Coaching Excellence, University of Florida,
​
Lynn Clapp, M.S.
CharacterPlus® Director of Culture Carriers, Retired School Psychologist and District Administrator at Belleville District 118, Vertical Performance Coach, lclapp@characterplus.org
​
Carol Burcke
CharacterPlus® Director of Development, Previous Chief Development responsibilities at Rx Outreach and Make-A-Wish Foundation, cburcke@characterplus.org
Claudia McMillin, M.B.A.
CharacterPlus® Finance Manager, cmcmillin@characterplus.org
​
Heather Nadenbush
Who holds all of this team together, CharacterPlus® Office Manager & Community Volunteer, hnadenbush@characterplus.org
​
Marvin Berkowitz, Ph.D.
Lead Scholar Advisor, Sanford N. McDonnell Professor of Character Education, UM Thomas Jefferson Fellow, Professor UMSL, Co-Founder, the Center for Character & Citizenship
​
Melinda Bier, Ph.D.
Scholar Advisor, Co-Director of the Center for Character & Citizenship, Senior Research Fellow Division of Educational Psychology, Evaluation & Research, College of Education UMSL