Meet the people behind the mission.
Melinda V. Heinritz
President
Melinda joined us in 2016 and believes our public school system is a fundamental pillar of community vitality. She works to ensure it has the resources needed to support its 52 schools and more than 26,000 students. She and her husband, Mark, have a son at West High School.
Mary Bartzen
Community Partnerships Director
Mary manages our Adopt-a-School program, which establishes and strengthens relationships between a wide variety of organizations and our public schools. Mary joined the Foundation in 2003 to launch A Principal Experience, an initiative that enabled over 1,000 community members to serve as Principal Partners in our schools. She and her husband are proud parents of two Memorial High School graduates.
Tatiana Dennis
Community Engagement Coordinator
From pre-K to university, Tatiana has gone to school in Madison. She had her first nonprofit experience with Amigos de las Americas when she was 16. Today, she works directly with fellow alumni, creating engaging programs with the schools that shaped her. When not in the office, she teaches yoga, hikes and volunteers with the humane society.
Joey Grindrod
Advocacy Coordinator
A lifelong Madisonian and proud East High alumnus, Joey works with students and other community members to help create positive change for public education. He holds a degree in political science and certificate in public policy from UW Madison.
Terri Kysely
Operations Manager
Terri joined our staff the summer of 2022. She and her three children are proud alumni of Memorial High School. As Operations Manager she provides an array of administrative, and systems support for Foundation programs, Board of Directors, and committees. In her spare time, you will find Terri with family and friends.
Kari Mueller
Director, Strategy & Innovation
A proud Memorial alumna, Kari helped launch our Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network. She brings over a decade of experience in marketing and community engagement to our team. You can often find her teaching yoga in her Mount Horeb studio or enjoying the outdoors with her husband, three children and dog.
Angie Schoeneck
Vice President, Strategy & Innovation
Passionate about education, Angie spent the past five years working closely with K-12 librarians and educators across the country, helping them develop makerspace programs in their schools. An expert in customer insights, Angie leads our marketing and external communications.
Laurie Stensland
Community Partnerships Director
The mother of two MMSD students, Laurie is dedicated to supporting students, teachers, families and schools through community partnerships, such as our Teacher Support Network. You’ll often find her biking in the Dane County countryside or walking her dog.
Kristin Wensing
Development Director
As our first development director, Kristin is a relationship builder with a background in managing stakeholder programs for a variety of nonprofit organizations. She’s excited to generate revenue that accelerates student opportunity throughout the district, and believes every child should have access to a free, high-quality education. Kristin is a proud public school graduate of Rufus King International High School in Milwaukee.
“I am proud and honored to be part of a team that is both personally and professionally dedicated to having excellent, well-funded public schools in which learning is celebrated and all students graduate ready for college, career, and community involvement”
Mary Bartzen, Community Partnerships Director
Our Board of Directors
Mary Romolino
Past Chair
ACME Nerd Games
Marty Malloy
Chair
M3 Insurance
Dan Nerad
Chair Elect
Retired MMSD Administrator
Alyssa Hartung
Treasurer
Wipfli
Melissa Scholz
Secretary
Scholz Nonprofit Law
Samantha Baruah
Veritas Technologies
Kathy Costello
Retired MMSD Principal
Benjamin Dickey
Resonant Capital Advisors
Suzanne Dove
Bentley University
Beth Goeddel
Clasen Quality Chocolate
Mike Hertting
Retired MMSD Administrator
Dr. Carlton Jenkins
MMSD Superintendent (non-voting)
Gary Jordan
American Family Insurance
Ted Jun
Upshot
Dan Kennelly
Quad Capital Partners
Andy Lyons
Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA)
Ann Marie Malecha
Dezenhall Resources
Mandy Marcum
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Kerry Motoviloff
Retired Madison Teachers, Inc.
Ali Muldrow
Board of Education (non-voting)
Deb Neff
West High Parent-Teacher-Student Organization
Allison Reimann
Godfrey & Kahn
Gloria Reyes
Daniel Sims
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Gisèle Sutherland
BMO Harris Bank, N.A.
Careers
Create a career that has impact.
Looking to drive progress in the community? That’s what we do. Join our team and go to work each day knowing you’re part of something selfless: Creating amazing opportunities for students throughout Madison.
Newsroom
Stay up to date. Visit our newsroom.
If you’re a reporter on deadline, or just interested in our latest news, check out the newsroom.
Contact Us
Have questions? It’s easy to reach us.
Whether you want more details about a specific program, have questions about volunteering, or need help deciding where to donate, we can help.