Joe Gallant
Casey Hanson
Casey Hanson is the Deputy Director at Kids Win Missouri and plays a leadership role in the organization’s stakeholder engagement initiatives and child health policy. Prior to her current role, Casey was the Policy and Communications Coordinator for the Missouri AfterSchool Network (MASN). She also has years of experience working in government and politics in Missouri as a legislative staffer in the Missouri House and organizer on multiple issue-based and candidate campaigns. Casey’s passion for working on child well-being issues has been fueled by her direct experiences as a program volunteer, staff person, and parent. She currently serves on the boards of the Show Me School Based Health Alliance and Lemay Child and Family Center. Casey is a proud Mizzou alum and currently resides in St. Louis with her husband, two sons and puppy. Interested in contacting Casey? Email her at chanson@kidswinmissouri.org.
Kara Lubischer
Kara Lubischer is the Director of Community Planning and Research at Kids Win Missouri. Born and raised in Nebraska, Kara has always felt passionate about being involved in the community. A year of service in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, following university, played an important role in setting the path for Kara’s career in community planning and development. She began by working as a community organizer in Cleveland, Ohio, where she founded Ohio’s first youth organizing program – Teen Neighborhood Leaders. After one too many snowy winters, Kara moved back to St. Louis and had a twelve year career at University of Missouri Extension as a community development specialist and Assistant Extension Professor. Her diverse career also spanned local government and healthcare. Kara knows that community planning is her passion and looks forward to connecting that with ECE. She currently resides in Kansas City where she enjoys yoga and volunteering. Kara joined the Kids Win team in August of 2023. Interested in contacting Kara? Please email her at klubischer@kidswinmissouri.org.
Megan Murray
Megan Murray serves as an Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator for Kids Win Missouri. Prior to her current role, Megan grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Saint Joseph, MO in 2017. After graduating high school in the late 90s Megan went into the field of early childhood education as a preschool teacher and quickly found out that her passion was caring for children and their families. She continued her career in ECE until 2023, with her recent role of Director at a childcare center in St. Joe. Megan has worked with school districts and the United way as well as being heavily involved in her community. Megan joined the Kids Win team in April of 2023 after completing a year as a Provider Leader Fellow with KWM. She found that working on the state level on ECE issues is her sweet spot and looks forward to helping all children in Missouri. Interested in contacting Megan? Please email her at mmurray@kidswinmissouri.org.
Jessica Tran
Jessica Tran, the Children’s Defense Fund Advocacy Fellow for KWM, grew up in NE Oklahoma with a lifelong passion for working with children. After college, she engaged with her community as a TYPros Ambassador and festival steering committee member, focusing on arts and diversity. In Kansas City, she worked as an Operations and Project Manager for a government agency, where she and her husband became foster parents, rekindling her interest in child development. She took on a new career path as an ECE Program Director, combining her love for supporting children with her operational skills. As a Provider Leader Fellow with KWM from 2023-2024, she discovered a natural talent for advocacy and applied for the role at Children’s Defense Fund to continue her work with Kids Win Missouri. Jessica lives in Kansas City with her husband, two kids, and two dogs. Interested in contacting Jessica? Please email her at jtran@kidswinmissouri.org.
Robyn Schelp
Robyn serves as the Director of Policy and Advocacy for Kids Win Missouri. A teacher by trade, Robyn taught in North Carolina, served as a missionary in Guatemala, and then taught in rural Missouri before staying home to care for her three boys. In 2012, she and her husband Allen moved with their family to Columbia so they could access services and support for their young son with disabilities. In 2016, Robyn started a grassroots advocacy effort to improve laws for children with disabilities. Two years later she co-founded Missouri Disability Empowerment (MoDE) where she served as MoDE’s legislative director. Robyn is active in her church and supports local families through the IEP process. Interested in contacting Robyn? Please email her at rschelp@kidswinmissouri.org
Brian Schmidt
Brian is responsible for executing Kids Win Missouri’s strategic plan and overseeing the organization’s development. He started his career in public policy as the Executive Director of the Missouri General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Tax Policy where he assisted legislators in analyzing and crafting tax and economic development policies. After his work with the Missouri legislature, Brian started Missouri Wonk, a public policy analysis consulting firm whose work tackled diverse projects with subjects including tax policy and incentives, healthcare, education, transportation, housing, crime and neighborhood revitalization. Interested in contacting Brian? Please email him at bschmidt@kidswinmissouri.org.
