Board & Staff
Julie Thomas-Beckett - President
Julie Thomas-Beckett joined the ELEF Board after her children graduated from ELPS in 2012 and 2014. On the Board, she can help all children in the District, not just her own. She believes in public education and the support of educators and students as they grow and develop. She strives to make a positive difference in the East Lansing community. Julie works as a Family Nurse Practitioner in a busy family practice, is the author of "The Work of Nonviolence; Stories from the Frontline," and a trainor and peace team member with the Meta Peace Team. She lives in East Lansing with her husband, Rocky Beckett.
Kacie Kefgen - Vice President
Kacie Kefgen is an attorney and consultant who specializes in K-12 education law, policy, and governance. She and her husband have two children who attend Robert L. Green Elementary. Kacie joined the East Lansing Education Foundation Board in 2021 and serves as the Board’s vice president.
Tom Fehrenbach - Treasurer
Tom Fehrenbach is an East Lansing native and a 2001 MSU graduate. Shortly after graduation, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he operated a small business and volunteered for community organizations. Through this involvement, he found his passion for community building and a pathway to a career in public service. In 2016, Tom and his family were drawn back to East Lansing. He served various leadership roles at the City of East Lansing from 2017-2023 and currently serves the State of Michigan as the Director of the Real Estate Division for the Department of Technology, Management, & Budget.
Kevin Blair
Kevin M. Blair is a litigation attorney at Honigman LLP. He has lived in East Lansing for eight years and has four kids in East Lansing Public Schools, one at MacDonald Middle School, and three at Robert L Green Elementary School.
Mary Crawford, PhD, MPH
Mary joined the ELEF Board of Directors in 2004. She has been living in Chesterfield Hills, East Lansing with her husband, Eric, for over 30 years and all four of their children attended East Lansing Public Schools – Glencairn Elementary and 5/6 configuration, Hannah and MacDonald Middle Schools, and East Lansing High School. Having volunteered in the classrooms and the schools since her oldest started kindergarten, she continues that commitment to ELPS through her volunteer activities on the ELEF Board. Along with other ELEF board members, she is part of that village it takes to successfully raise a child.
Rebecca Dean is an archaeologist and the Director of Assessment in the Office of Undergraduate Education at Michigan State University. She is a 1991 graduate of ELHS and earned her BA at the University of Michigan and her PhD at the University of Arizona. After many years as a professor in Minnesota, she returned to East Lansing in 2022 with her husband and their three children: Maggie (ELHS 2024), Dominic (2028) and Ella (2030). She is passionate about public education providing high-impact educational opportunities for all students.
Scott Eldridge
Scott is a Senior Principal at the law firm Miller Canfield, PLC, where he also serves as one of the firm’s Managing Directors and heads the firm’s Lansing office. He focuses his law practice on higher education law, management-side labor and employment law, government litigation, and election law. Scott has been a member of the ELEF Board since 2020. He and his wife, Kara, reside in East Lansing with their two children, Claire and Vivian, who attend East Lansing Public Schools.
Mara Haynie
Mara works in Travel and Event Planning. She graduated from ELHS in 2014, attended Grand Valley State University, and returned to East Lansing after graduation to start her career. For her, serving on the ELEF board is a perfect way to give back to the East Lansing community and her fellow Trojans.
Jan Munn
Jan Munn came to E. Lansing in 1965 to attend MSU. She and her husband John have lived in the Pinecrest neighborhood since 1971. She graduated with a degree in Elementary Education and taught 2‘d grade & kindergarten in the Grand Ledge School District for 10 years. In 1985 she became a Realtor with Tomie Raines, Inc. and has been helping buyers and sellers accomplish their dreams ever since. Jan has 3 children, Scott, Katie & Jeff. All went through the E. Lansing schools. She has a granddaughter & 2 step-grandchildren. Over the years she has volunteered for the E.L. Art Festival set- up, served on the E.L. Zoning Board & volunteered in various capacities at St. Thomas School, Pinecrest Elementary (now Green Elementary), Hannah Middle, E.L.H.S. Jan & John are 2023 Crystal Award Winners. She became a ELEF Board member in 2022.
Sarah Preisser is Chief People Officer and Head of Strategic Initiatives for a mid-size teleradiology business. In addition, she has a consulting practice focused on organizational effectiveness of small and mid-sized business, public sector, and non-profit sector clients.
Sarah moved to East Lansing in 2002 and has two children who continue to benefit from the East Lansing Public School experience (Olivia - class of 2024 and Liam - class of 2026.) Sarah has a strong commitment to public education, supporting our teachers, administrators, coaches and students, and better connecting our community.
Sarah is a graduate of the Gerald Ford Institute for Public Service at Albion College and lives in East Lansing, Michigan with her husband and two children. Sarah is an avid runner, urban gardener and chicken keeper, lover of dogs and beaches and all things outdoors.
Andy Wells
Andrew Wells served as a dedicated educator and administrator in the East Lansing School District for 34 years. He is a product of the East Lansing school system, having attended Hannah Middle School and graduated from East Lansing High School. He holds Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts and Education Specialist Degrees from Michigan State University.
He began his career as a lunchroom supervisor and progressed to serve as a District Community Liaison Officer (support for at risk high school students), East Lansing High School Coach, Athletic Director, High School Associate Principal, Principal of Whitehills Elementary, Principal of Glencairn Elementary and Principal of East Lansing High School. His administrative and leadership abilities have gained him the respect of the Superintendent, School Board Members, Students, Parents and teachers throughout the district.
In addition to his full-time formal duties Mr. Wells served the East Lansing School District in many other ways. He has served as a student mentor at East Lansing High School, coached girls and boys basketball and track and field, served on various committees including Administration Representative for Labor Relations and numerous interview/hiring committees; East Lansing High School representative to the City of East Lansing for the Youth Action Team, District representative to the Minority Student Achievement Network, District representative to the City of East Lansing in the hiring process for Chief of Police, the district strategic planning committee and the East Lansing Education Foundation steering committee, and a member of the East Lansing School District Achievement Gap Task Force.
Mr. Wells contributes to excellence in the community by previously volunteering for organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Building Child and Family Initiative-previously known as the Black Child and Family Institute. He also served as a guest motivational speaker at the Lansing area Phi Beta Kappa Black Male conference and has served as a guest lecturer at Michigan State University in the Residence College of Arts and Humanities (RCAH). Mr. Wells is the recipient of the 2021 Crystal Award and the 2023 Capital Area Schuck Community Impact Award.
Administrative Support
Michele Huisgen
(517) 333-7439
michele.huisgen@elps.us