President /Tuition Coordinator - Katie Ward
“Hello, my name is Katie Ward. I have served on the Chippewa Preschool board for three years in a variety of roles. This will be my fourth year and I will be board president as well as continuing my role as tuition coordinator. My husband Nate and our children, Benjamin (8), Stephen (6), Evelyn (4) and Eleanor (2) live in Coleman, MI on our lavender farm. During the school year I am a Reading & Writing Interventionist at Coleman Elementary and an active PTO member. In my free time I enjoy reading, crocheting and being outside with the kids. Our family truly loved our time at Chippewa Preschool. It is like having another family! The opportunity to co-op and be a part of my child’s learning experience is something I will treasure forever. Some of my children’s favorite activities included playing in the sand, cooking at school, field trips, and the circus!”
Vice President - Amy Gooley
Amy is a native to Midland where she currently resides with her husband, Seth, and their two children, Hazel (6), and Jason (3). She has been involved with Chippewa Cooperative since 2022 when her oldest attended the 3-day class and will be welcoming her youngest starting this year for the 2-day program. Amy works for Dow within Global Procurement and additionally sits on Global Leadership Teams for Employee Resource Groups, Sustainability, and Supplier Diversity alike. She is a passionate advocate for DEI, and supporting individuals both professionally and in the community with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, getting outside all year round (with golf, tennis, and ski), reading, music, and loves traveling and trying new foods as much as she can. Amy feels privileged to sit on the board this upcoming year and looks forward to many more years of supporting a school that has been and continues to be a tremendous blessing to her family.
Treasurer - Ty Mier
Membership Coordinator - Erin Chebby
“Hello, I’m Erin Chebby and this is my second year as the Membership Coordinator for Chippewa Preschool. I am a Midland native but spent about ten years living New York where I earned my bachelor’s degree in ASL to English Interpretation from Rochester Institute of Technology. I worked as a Sign Language Interpreter for many years before returning to Midland in 2017. I live here with my Husband, our three kids, all of whom have gone to Chippewa, and our dog Indy. We have really enjoyed our years at Chippewa. Some special memories being the Thanksgiving program, Graduation ceremonies, Beach Day and of course the Circus!”
Fundraising Coordinator - Emily Dvorak
“My name is Emily Dvorak. I’ve served as Chippewa’s fundraiser coordinator for the last five years. My husband Ben and I have three daughters: Evie (8), Charlotte (5), and Margot (2.5). When I’m not busy being a full time mom, I enjoy painting, traveling with my husband (our favorite place to visit so far is Alaska—but we’ll see if Iceland changes our mind next year!), and gardening while listening to a good book. We have loved Chippewa since enrolling our oldest in 2019. Being able to co-op and be a part of my children’s learning in a school setting has been something I always knew I wanted. Watching them grow, make friends, and learn life skills has been an experience I’ll always be thankful for. When asked what their favorite part about preschool, Evie said all of the friends that she still has from her preschool days, and Charlotte said playing with her friends outside.”
Fundraising Coordinator - Jade Giering
“Hi, I am Jade Giering! This is my second year serving on the board alongside Emily as the fundraising coordinators. My husband Rob and I have two daughters, Emilia (5), who attended Chippewa for the last two years and Ellie (2.5), who will start at the school in the fall. Our family couldn't imagine sending our children anywhere else for preschool! There are so many things we love about the school, but the opportunity to co-op in the classroom is probably my favorite aspect. Mrs. Savage and Mrs. Rohr are truly one-of-a-kind women... They are exactly the people who you want to be educating, caring for, and role-modeling for your children. Being involved with Chippewa feels very full circle to me, as my brother and I both attended the school 27 years ago!”
Building Coordinator - Scott Sweeny
“Raised in Coleman MI, I currently live with my wife and 2 daughters (ages 1 and 4) here in Midland. I worked in commercial construction for 20 years but recently took a semi-sabbatical to raise the girls amidst some family health issues. I still do residential concrete with the free time I can muster. My wife and I love travel and hiking and have visited many interesting places around the world. We fell in love with Chippewa because of the obvious passion of the staff. We were sold in the first minutes of meeting the teachers.”
General Coordinator - Lindsay Wilcox
“My name is Lindsay Wilcox and I am the General Coordinator for the preschool. I have been with the school in some capacity since 2018, when my eldest daughter first started here. In 2022, I also had the privilege to join the amazing teaching staff as a substitute paraprofessional. My husband, Adam, and I have watched 3 children learn and grow here with the Chippewa family and are so excited for our fourth to start this year!”
Event Coordinator - Sarah Kline
“Hello, my name is Sarah Kline. I am serving again this year as the event coordinator. I have enjoyed my role so far! My family started at Chippewa Cooperative in 2021 when our twins Henry and Scarlett attended the 2 day class. When we went to orientation my husband Josh and I laughed to each other when they said this school was like a second family but they weren't kidding. Our twins attended for 2 years then moved on and now our youngest Alex will be starting his 2nd year this fall for the 3 day class. Chippewa is unique as it is based on involving the whole family and learning through play!”
Publicity - Rebecca Kirkpatrick
“Hi, I’m Rebecca Kirkpatrick. My husband Eric and I have four children and are excited to be a part of the Chippewa family again after a long gap between kids. Our daughter Maya (4) will be attending this year in the 3 day class. We had a wonderful experience at Chippewa with Mrs. Carpenter and Mrs. Silvis with our older children, and are so happy to know that our younger two daughters will have the same memories with Mrs. Savage and Mrs. Rohr.”
