The Shorewood SEED Foundation is an all-volunteer organization, which means more of your donated dollars go directly toward helping our schools and students. Our board is composed of parents of Shorewood students, dedicated community members, and liaisons from district administration and teachers.
Board of Directors
Melissa Nelsen, Co-President, Grants Committee Chair
Melissa has been involved with the organization since the inception of SEED. She was responsible for all special events/fundraisers for many years, became Treasurer and has been serving as President since June 2011. She is a proud parent of four Shorewood alums. Outside of SEED she has served on the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum Board for 18 years and is currently on the First Stage Board.
Vashti Lozier, Co-President, Swing Committee, Grants Committee
Vashti has been a member of the SEED board since 2015 and has served as it’s Secretary as well as on the Swing Gala and Grants Committees. Outside of her work on SEED, Vashti works as the facilitator of the Shorewood Connects Project which brings together residents young and old, the School District, the Village, and local businesses and organizations in an effort to develop initiatives and connections that will lead to a better community. Vashti is the proud mom of three daughters.
Tracey Barrett, Annual Fund Chair
Tracey Barrett is a parent of two kids in the District, a board member of Shorewood Moving Forward, and Vice President at Nvisia, a technology consulting firm. She serves as co-chair of the SEED Annual Campaign.
Shawn Brown, Treasurer, Finance Committee, Grants Committee
Ian Elfe, Finance Committee Chair
Ian is a Senior Investment Analyst at Baird and a proud graduate of Shorewood High School.
Erica Elia, Secretary, Marketing Committee, Swing Committee
A former lawyer, Erica has owned Classy Girl Cupcakes on Cathedral Square in Milwaukee since 2010, and initially offered to donate cupcakes to SEED events as a way to give back. She volunteered on the Swing with Shorewood committee in 2019, and joined the board in 2020. She enjoys coming up with innovative marketing ideas, and researching and writing for our SEED Stories blog. Erica’s daughter, Ansley, attends Shorewood Intermediate School.
Sarah Hammond, Welcome Committee Chair, Swing Committee
Megann Hendrix, Legal Advisor
Sarah Lehmann, Co-Chair Swing with Shorewood Chair, Co-Chair Marketing Committee
Sarah grew up in Kewaunee, WI and found her way to Shorewood in 2012 with her husband and two children. Looking to meet Shorewood families with young children, she found the SEED Foundation and loved getting to meet smart, active, and goal oriented women and men who valued public education. She began volunteering for the Swing with Shorewood auction and after 4 years became a board member. Through her children and part time work as an elementary school librarian, she has come to love Atwater, Lake Bluff, SIS, and SHS.
Rodney Lynk Jr., Finance Committee, Marketing Committee
Rodney Lynk Jr. is the Chief Academic Officer of Milwaukee Excellence Charter School. Rodney has served in a variety of educational leadership and instructional development roles including: Principal of Rocketship Southside Community Prep; Lead Coach for Early Childhood Initiative; and Regional Manager of Teacher Recruitment. Over the past decade, Rodney has trained, coach and supported hundreds of teachers and teacher-leaders increase their instructional impact on their students’ lives. Rodney looks for ways to make the impossible possible by believing that all students can and will achieve the goals set for them; teachers just need to set high goals and never lower the bar.
Sarah McEneany, Marketing Committee Chair
Sarah has two children who have graduated from the Shorewood School District and are thriving. She is a fine art and commercial photographer who works with ad agencies and businesses for their marketing needs. Sarah has been on the SEED board for over 10 years. For 9 years, she co-chaired the Annual Fund and is now the Chair of the Marketing Committee.
Angie Price, Co-Chair Swing with Shorewood Chair, Co-Chair Marketing Committee
Angie Price has 4 children ranging from ages 5-13 and enjoys connecting with new families in the district. She has worked on the Swing committee since 2018, Marketing Committee starting in 2020, and researches and writes for our SEED Stories blog. Angie majored in psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, with a focus on early childhood development, and has worked in various roles in education.
Reshunda Stephens, Welcome Committee, Grants Committee
Christin Wille, BRUNch Run Chair, Dine with SEED Chair, Grants Committee, Swing Committee
Christin Wille graduated from Shorewood High School in 1993. She and her husband, also a Shorewood alum, moved back to Shorewood in 2008, so that their children could benefit from the district’s outstanding public schools . Christin was president of the Atwater PTO from 2011-2014 and the SIS PTO from 2015-2018. She joined the Board of the Shorewood SEED Foundation in 2015 and has been involved with the bRUNch 5k, Dine for SEED, the grants committee, and Swing with Shorewood. She is currently a Transport Nurse at Children’s Wisconsin.
Board Liaisons
Laurie Burgos, Superintendent
Ms. Burgos began her role as Superintendent in July 2023. Prior to Shorewood, Ms. Burgos was the Superintendent of the Evansville School District; prior to Evansville, she worked in both Verona and Racine districts as a teacher and administrator. In her professional roles, she has a demonstrated commitment to equity, building and mentoring teams, working with all stakeholders, and bringing growth opportunities to all students. Ms. Burgos holds a B.A. in Spanish from UW-Madison, an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University, and she is currently a PhD candidate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis program at UW-Madison.
John Stanco, Teacher Representative
Born and raised in Eau Claire, WI, John came to Shorewood right after graduating from UWEC in 1986. He taught third grade for 24 years before moving to fifth grade where he has been ever since. Around that same time, he wrote and was awarded a SEED grant for technology in order to implement a personalized program for teaching math. After receiving other SEED grants for various classroom materials, John joined the SEED Board as a liaison in order to bring a classroom teacher’s perspective to the group.
Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering for SEED, as we welcome community members to join marketing and event committees.