TOWERS OF EXCELLENCE - Key Persons

A'Yanna Dixon

Job Titles:

Middle School Student Champ

Aaron White

Job Titles:

Member since 2023
Towers Student Member
Towers Student Member, Towers Student Members

Aaron has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2023. He began with us in his 6th grade year. Aaron is a student champion in Mr. Tomasso's small group.

Adam Myers

Job Titles:

College Member
College Member, Towers High School and College Students
Member since 2021

Adam Myers joined Order My Steps in 2021. He is the recipient of Towers Path to Success- Higher Education Scholarship in 2022. He will be attending Illinois State in the fall of 2022. We are so proud of Adam and look forward to great things from him.

Akeelah Smith

Job Titles:

High School Student
High School Student, Towers High School and College Students
Member since 2017

Vonn has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2017. She graduated to Order My Steps as a Sophomore in high school.

Alana Perry

Job Titles:

Member since 2024
Middle School Student Champ
Middle School Student Champ, Towers Student Members

Alana has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2024. She began with us in her 6th grade year. Alana is a student champion in Ms. Miller's small group.

Alexis Henderson

Job Titles:

Member since 2020
Student Member
Student Member, Towers Student Members

Alexis has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2020. She began with us in her 5th grade year. Alexis will begin her 8th grade year in the fall of 2022. Alexis is a student champion in Ms. Russell's small group.

Amari Smith

Job Titles:

Member since 2024
Middle School Student Champ
Middle School Student Champ, Towers Student Members

Amari has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2024. He began with us in his 6th grade year. Amari is a student champion in Mr. Fair's small group.

Anton Johnson

Job Titles:

Member since 2023
Towers Student Member
Towers Student Member, Towers Student Members

Anton has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2023. He began with us in his 6th grade year. Anton is a student champion in Mr. Tomasso's small group.

Brian Hey

Job Titles:

Member since 2018

Brian has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2018. He graduated to Order My Steps as a sophomore in high school.

Brian Ray

Job Titles:

High School Student
High School Student, Towers High School and College Students

Brian Thomas

Job Titles:

Member of the Towers Board
Founder of Thomas Law, LLP
Towers Board Member
Towers Board Member, Towers Board Members

Whether your injuries are from an accident at work or on the road, a wrongful death, medical malpractice or property liability, our job is to help you understand your rights and do everything we can to bring you the justice you deserve. The law can be complicated and confusing. At Thomas Law, we make it simple, understandable, clear, and direct. We tell you the truth and precisely explain what you need to do. So together, we can make the law work in your favor.

Caleb Reed

Job Titles:

Jennings - Member since 2020
Student Member
Student Member, Towers Student Members

Caleb has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2020. He began with us in his 5th grade year. Caleb will be heading off to high school in fall of 2023. Caleb is a student champion in Mr. Tomasso's small group and will stay connected as he steps into this new phase of his life- high school!

Caleb Sheppard

Job Titles:

Member of the Towers Board
Towers Board Member
Towers Board Member, Towers Board Members

Caleb has served on our board for over two years. He brings a wealth of experience in marketing and branding. He is committed to helping us further our mission.

Champ, Towers

Job Titles:

Middle School Student

Charlie Myers

Job Titles:

Member of the Middle School Team
Member since 2021

Mr. Myers joined the Towers Team in 2021. He has worked at Catalyst Circle Rock School for the past year working with students and helping to evaluate their academics. As a mentor he holds each student to high standards. He helps our students navigate their daily joys and challenges.

Christine Diploma

Job Titles:

Member of the Towers Board
Founder and CEO of the Nordson Green Earth Foundation
Towers Board Member
Towers Board Member, Towers Board Members

Christine is the Founder and CEO of the Nordson Green Earth Foundation; established to improve Chicago's tree equity by providing urban forests to deserving communities and the health, climate, and economic benefits that tree canopies provide. She was inspired by Nordson Forest, named after her uncle "Nordy" and his son (deceased), which is a 200+ acre man-made, sustainable forest located in the Philippines. Nordson Forest has since provided the local community with a sustainable canopy that has provided jobs and agriculture to impoverished communities. Christine has an extensive background in Management and IT Consulting working for PwC Consulting, IBM, Accenture, and CNA Insurance implementing strategy and software for Finance, CPG, and Insurance industries. She is currently the VP of Delivery at an eCommerce consulting firm, Thanx Media, and is the Founder and CEO of Claire Consultants. She is also co-founder of The Practice Lounge, focused on providing Mindfulness courses and workshops to individuals, schools, and corporations. When she is not busy trying to save the planet or meditating, you can find her enjoying the Chicago lakefront with her husband and 12 year old daughter.

Christopher Jones

Job Titles:

Member since 2020
Student Member
Student Member, Towers Student Members

Christopher has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2021. He began with us in his 5th grade year. He will begin his 8th grade year in the fall of 2022. Christopher is a student champion in Mr. Fair's small group.

Cody Stephens

Job Titles:

Member of the Towers Board
Research Scientist Center for Justice Research and Innovation at CNA Corporation
Towers Board Member
Towers Board Member, Towers Board Members

Cody has served on our board for over two years. Cody brings a wealth of insight and experience in serving marginalized communities in Chicago. She is a published on topics relating to gun violence, smart policing strategies and understanding the communities we serve.

Crystal Waters

Job Titles:

College Student
High School Student, Towers High School and College Students
Member since 2016

Congratulations Graduate!! Crystal has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2016. Crystal is heading to Spellman University in the fall. We are so proud of Crystal and all of her accomplishments in Towers- OMS over the years. Crystal is a recipient of the 2023 Towers Path to Success Higher Education Scholarship Award.

David L. Wendel

Job Titles:

Member of the Towers Board
Towers Board Member
Towers Board Member, Towers Board Members

Mr. Wendel has more than 20 years experience in the Banking industry. Prior to joining US Bank in November of 2015, he spent 17 years at CitiMortgage, where he served as an executive in a wide variety of areas - including Operations, Sales and Originations, Capital Markets and Finance. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Missouri - Columbia. In addition, David is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has earned the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) designation. Mr. Wendel is based in St. Louis, MO.

Eric Davis

Job Titles:

Executive Director
Member of the Towers Board
Towers Advisory Board Member
Towers Advisory Board Member, Towers Board Members

Eric Jones

Job Titles:

Member since 2020
Student Member
Student Member, Towers Student Members

Eric has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2020. He began with us in his 5th grade year. Eric will begin his 8th grade year in the fall of 2023. He is a champion in Mr. Fair's small group.

Gregory Turner

Job Titles:

Member since 2021
Student Member
Student Member, Towers Student Members

Gregory has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2021. He began with us in his 6th grade year. He will begin his 8th grade year in the fall of 2022. Gregory is a student champion in Mr. Fair's small group.

Isaiah Porter

Job Titles:

College Student
College Student, Towers High School and College Students
Member since 2016

Isaiah has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2016. He joined Order My Steps in 2021 as a senior. He is the recipient of Towers Path to Success- Higher Education Scholarship in 2022. He will be attending University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the fall of 2022. We are so proud of Isaiah and look forward to great things from him.

Javonni Amos

Job Titles:

Towers Student Member

Jayla Williams

Job Titles:

Member since 2020
Student Member
Student Member, Towers Student Members

Jayla has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2020. She began with us in her 5th grade year. Jayla will begin her 8th grade year in the fall of 2022. Jayla is a student champion in Ms. Russell's small group.

Jeremiah Martin

Job Titles:

Member since 2020
Student Member
Student Member, Towers Student Members

Jeremiah has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2020. He began with us in his 5th grade year. Jeremiah will begin his 7th grade year in the fall of 2022. Jeremiah is a student champion in Mr. Myer's small group.

Jonathan Wilson

Job Titles:

High School Student
High School Student, Towers High School and College Students
Member since 2022

Jordan Fair

Job Titles:

Member since 2021

Mr. Fair joined the Towers Team in 2021. He has worked at Catalyst Circle Rock School for the past few years working with students and helping to evaluate their academics. As a mentor he holds each student to high standards. He helps our students navigate their daily joys and challenges.

Joseph Smith - Founder

Job Titles:

Co - Founder
Member of the Towers Board
Co - Board Chair
Co - Board Chair, Towers Board Members

Joseph Smith, co-founder of Towers of Excellence, has served as one of the key principals and CFO of Watchtower Security since its inception in 2004. Mr. Smith holds a Masters of Business and Administration and a Master's degree in Accounting from the University of Missouri - Columbia. Prior to Watchtower Security, Mr. Smith served as a manager for the "auditing/accounting" department at The Boeing Company. Mr. Smith currently serves on several boards and organizations (Towers of Excellence, Washington University Entrepreneurship Association, EO St. Louis, Olin Business School Start-Up Symposium) in which entrepreneurship and positive ethical business practices are the core values. Mr. Smith is currently a faculty member at Columbia College where he teaches both Financial and Managerial Accounting.

Katie List - Founder

kl..@towersofexcellence.org

Job Titles:

Co - Founder
Executive Director
Co - Founder and Executive Director, Towers Staff Members
Consultant for the National Institute for Excellence

Katie List is a Co-Founder of Towers of Excellence. She has served as the Executive Director for the organization for over 10 years. She served in CPS and Catalyst Charter Schools in several administrative and leadership capacities for over 15 years prior to co-founding Towers of Excellence. In 2015, in a collaborative effort, Katie co-founded Towers of Excellence in a mission to provide students in underserved areas with quality mentoring opportunities beginning in middle school, through college and beyond. As the Executive Director of Towers of Excellence, Katie has helped Towers triple in size since 2015 expanding its reach, offer more higher education scholarships, and impact more student achievement. Katie has served as a consultant for the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, TAP system, leading and facilitating training to principals and superintendents. Katie has served as a panelist at the NIET conferences, addressing issues for advancing teaching through student achievement and growth in specific areas.

Kimberly Walton

kw..@catalystschools.org

Job Titles:

Member of the Middle School Team
Program Director
Member since 2018
Middle School Team Social Worker and on - Site Coordinator
Middle School Team Social Worker and on - Site Coordinator, Towers Staff Members

Kylee Richardson

Job Titles:

Member since 2022
Towers Student Members
Towers Student Members, Towers Student Members

Kylee has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2022. She began with us in her 6th grade year. Kylee will be in 7th grade this year. She is a student champion in Ms. Morgan's small group. We are so excited about our 2023-2024 school year with Kylee!

Lynette Russel

Job Titles:

Middle School Team and Family Engagement Coordinator
Middle School Team and Family Engagement Coordinator, Towers Staff Members

My name is Lynette Russell, I was born in raised in Chicago. I've worked at Catalyst Circle Rock for 11 years. I started out as an Instructional Assistant. I am currently the Assistant Dean, cheer and volleyball coach. This will be my fifth year mentoring for Towers of Excellence. I am super excited to join a dynamic team, whose is driven to provide extra academic success for our students.

Madyson Web

Job Titles:

Member since 2021
Student Member
Student Member, Towers Student Members

Madyson Web has been a member of Towers of Excellence since 2021. She began with us in her 5th grade year. Madyson will begin her 7th grade year in the fall of 2023. Maydson was presented with the Be Respectful award for the 2021-2022 school year in 5th grade for demonstrating respect for herself and all of those around her. We are so proud of Madyson hard work this year. Maydson is a student champion in Ms. Morgan's small group.

Matt Landwehr

Job Titles:

Member of the Towers Board
Partner Thompson Coburn
Towers Board Member
Towers Board Member, Towers Board Members

Matt practices in the areas of state and local tax (SALT) controversy, banking and financial services litigation, business litigation, and appellate. His tax controversy work involves representing taxpayers (from large multi-state companies to individuals) before Missouri and Illinois state and local taxing authorities in corporate income, franchise, sales/use, property, and other tax controversies. He has negotiated and successfully resolved tax controversies at every stage from audits through appeals, and has also successfully prosecuted numerous large refund claims. Matt's banking and financial services work includes representing banks in disputes involving lender liability, check collection and check fraud, and other aspects of the Uniform Commercial Code. His business litigation practice covers a wide range of business disputes including medical practice breakups and peer review proceedings, fraud, insurance, real estate, non-compete, officer fiduciary, and company dissolution and accounting. Matt has experience in all facets of litigation, and has tried cases before the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission, and state and federal trial courts in Missouri and Illinois. He has also handled appeals at the Missouri State Tax Commission, the Supreme Court of Missouri, the Missouri and Illinois Courts of Appeal, and the United States Courts of Appeal for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits.