Laura Fitzsimmons Peters
President
Ms. Laura Fitzsimmons Peters is a native New Yorker who worked for the Internal Revenue Service for 35 years and served in many positions, working her way up to Senior Manager. During her years of service she won several awards including Manager of the year and the Criminal Investigation Outstanding Trial Witness. In her collateral position as Combined Federal Campaign Chairperson, she won the Long Island United Way Chairman’s Award for raising the most money during the 1998 campaign. She was also nominated twice for the prestigious New York State Federal Executive Board’s Outstanding Executive award. Ms. Peters retired in 2009. She is no stranger to volunteer work, giving of her services over the years in many capacities. She has been a volunteer at ST. Charles hospital, where she was presented with the Volunteer of the Year award; worked with mentally challenged toddlers at the ST Paul and James preschool; was a Den mother, Class Mother and President of the local PTA. Ms. Peters was active with the local shelter for many years, collecting thousands of personal hygiene products to be dispersed to the homeless. She has recently been selected to sit on the board of the Home Owner’s Association for her complex. Ms. Peters lives in Florida with her husband Gary.
Ron Fitzsimmons
Vice President
Mr. Fitzsimmons was raised in West Islip, New York just 50 miles from downtown Manhattan. He and his two younger siblings had a less than ideal childhood after their father abandoned the family. They were forced to rely on welfare payments which barely paid for food and rent but the experience gave him a unique perspective on the challenges faced by children living in poverty. Those experiences ultimately led to the formation of Alice’s Kids. Mr. Fitzsimmons spent most of his working years in the national political arena. Beginning in 1977, he worked for three Members of Congress, was the Director of Government Relations for a Portland-based law firm and in 1991 he formed a national organization that for 15 years lobbied to preserve reproductive rights for women. In recognition of that work, in 1994 the “Washingtonian Magazine” named him one of the “Top 50 Lobbyists” in Washington, D.C. Upon leaving the national scene, Mr. Fitzsimmons served as a staff person for Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland for 5 years and as a substitute teacher at Mount Vernon High School. A strong believer in public service, Mr. Fitzsimmons has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the Landlord-Tenant Board, the Consumer Affairs Commission, United Community Ministries, the Wessynton Homeowner’s Association and the Fairfax Partnership for Youth. He was the President of the Mount Vernon High School Academic Boosters Corp and served on the Advisory Board for “Students Under Suspension.” In 2017 he was named “Mount Vernon Citizen of the Year” by Supervisor Dan Storck. A published author (“Chicken Soup for the Soul: Golf Edition”), Mr. Fitzsimmons received his B.A. in Political Science in 1977 from the State University of New York at Stonybrook. He is married and has two children.
Candice Fondren
Treasurer
Candice Fondren is a Student Support Specialist (S3) at Communities In Schools of Memphis (CISM), an affiliate of the national CIS network, which has proven to be one of the most effective drop-out prevention organizations for over 40 years. As an S3 for the last 5 years, Ms. Fondren has had the pleasure of serving underprivileged children and their families by providing daily school-based interventions to students that address chronic absenteeism, academic failure, behavioral issues, social service needs, and more. During her time with CISM, she has received several awards such as the "Attendance Works" Award, the "Ripple Effect" Award, "All in for Kids" Award, and most recently, the "Veteran of the Year" Award. She has won all of these accolades due to her dedication to achieving CIS's mission "to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life." In addition to all of these awards, Ms. Fondren has also received the "Staff of the Month" Award for exhibiting the school's core value, Compassion, and the 2020 Core Value "Customer Service" Award at her current school. Ms. Fondren has always had a passion to make a difference in the lives of children. Before working for CISM, she was a Center Director at Girls Incorporated of Memphis, inspiring girls to be "strong, smart, and bold," for 10 years. In 2003, Ms. Fondren received a Bachelor of Arts and Science from the University of Memphis, where she majored in Criminal Justice, for she had the desire to become a defense attorney for juveniles to keep them out of jail. However, as she matured, Ms. Fondren changed her career path and decided that becoming a teacher would be more effective in helping youth stay out of the way of the law. As a teacher, Ms. Fondren felt that she would be able to instill morals and values into students that would enhance their lives academically and socially, helping them to make positive decisions in life that would not lead them into a courtroom. As a result, Ms. Fondren continued her education and received a Masters in Education from Cambridge College, Boston, MA, in 2015. Upon joining the Communities In Schools' team, Ms. Fondren discovered that she could fulfill her long time desire and passion even more by helping children on numerous levels, removing barriers that cause them to be unsuccessful in life. Ms. Fondren feels that she has found her calling and will continue to do all that she can to make a difference in children's lives. Additionally, she has two beautiful daughters that she strives to be an excellent role model for.
Kay Casstevens
Secretary
Kay Casstevens' public service career in Washington D.C. spanned several decades. She recently retired from the National Gallery of Art where she served for ten years as the deputy chief development officer. Prior to that, she worked in both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. On Capitol Hill, she served as chief of staff to Congressman (now Senator) Chris Van Hollen and also to Senator Tom Harkin. Earlier, she worked on the policy staffs of Congressman John Seiberling and Senator George McGovern. During the first term of the Clinton Administration, Kay was appointed assistant secretary of education. Later, she worked in the White House as Vice President Al Gore's Director of Legislative Affairs. During the final year of the Clinton Administration, Kay was deputy director of White House legislative affairs and deputy assistant to the President. Kay has a law degree from the George Washington University Law School, and she received a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She is active in the DC area community theater as a choreographer and performer in local productions. She also teaches tap dance classes. For many years, Kay volunteered at Luther Place Night Shelter.
Patrick Fitzsimmons
Mr. Patrick Fitzsimmons has spent his entire professional career in education. After earning his Masters degree in public policy at the University of Virginia, Mr. Fitzsimmons relocated to San Antonio, TX to teach high school math through the Teach for America program. After five years in the classroom he joined the staff of Relay Graduate School of Education as an Instructional Fellow where he now coaches and advises first-year teachers. Mr. Fitzsimmons currently resides in Washington, D.C.
Maria Lewan
Maria Lewan is a long time resident of Alexandria, Virginia where she remains active in a wide variety of social service, health care and educational endeavors. Ms. Lewan is a Registered Nurse who worked primarily in the psychiatric field at Mt. Vernon Hospital Emergency Room and the Mt. Vernon Community Mental Health Center. She earned her Nursing Degree at Creedmoor State Hospital in New York. A Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Degree from American University and a Master of Social Work Degree from Smith College. While raising two children, she took a full time position at St. Aidan’s Day School teaching pre-school children for over twenty years. At St. Aidan’s, Maria also served as the school nurse. She is currently employed as an independent field nurse assisting the aging population who are facing difficult intellectual and physical challenges. Ms. Lewan continues as an active volunteer in both community and school based organizations. She was one of the founding members of the Friends of United Community. She currently serves on the “Tuck-In Call Team” at the Capital Caring Hospice, calling caretakers of Hospice patients on a weekly basis to assess their needs A long-time supporter of Alice’s Kids, Ms. Lewan had the opportunity to give further support when she became a volunteer with Alice’s Kids’ gift card buyers in August 2019.
John Knemeyer
John Knemeyer was raised in California's Mojave Desert, living on the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, where his father was an aeronautical engineer. In 1975, John left the area to attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. After three semesters, he transferred to the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. In 1979 John graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry. In early 1980, he started his career working for Pacific Gas & Electric, at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, located near Avila Beach, CA. John progressed from technician, to chemistry engineer, and finally to supervising chemistry engineer. After approximately 36 years, John retired at the end of 2015. During this time, John volunteered for the American Red Cross, primarily as part of a Disaster Action Team, responding to local disasters to ensure clients had the appropriate shelter, food and clothing to help them start their recovery. In 2019, John started volunteering for Alice's Kids. He soon took on the roles of Grant Manager and Outreach Committee chair. John and his wife raised two children on the central coast of California.
Leslie Hawes
In the first ten years of her career, Leslie represented corporate clients in complex litigation in Los Angeles and Boston. For the last twenty years, she has worked on behalf of society's most vulnerable people. Leslie began by advocating for homeless adults and youth in foster care. In courtrooms and homeless shelters, Leslie saw the unique challenges facing youth in need and the lack of coordinated resources to lift them out of poverty and give them dignity. Most recently, Leslie served on the boards of directors of the largest homeless shelter in Kansas City and the Midwest Innocence Project, as well as chair of their governance committees. In parallel, Leslie advised non-profit CEOs and Executive Directors to improve board communication, reorganize management, and increase fundraising. Leslie is excited to serve Alice's Kids' mission to serve thousands of deserving children in need.