Team

Jerry Hall, Founder, Executive Director

Favorite Grade:1st Grade

Favorite Teacher:Miss B.

Favorite Subject: I loved every subject – especially in my pre-5th grade years. After that it became a lot more work and looking out those windows became a lot more inviting.

Best School Memory: Our K-12 school had a tradition of having all the seniors march through the halls in their caps and gowns in a solemn but celebratory mood. It was a great tradition that showed the little pumpkins what they were looking forward to. In preparation for our town's annual parade, my first grade teacher promised the entire class a penny each if we were able to march in the parade without a single one of us letting our little graduation cap (made of black construction paper complete with tassel) fall off our heads. During that parade we were the most sincere group of kids you ever saw - not one of us letting our cap fall during the entire parade. The next school day we all collected our penny. Funny, that was the first time I had my own money and even though I didn't understand its value I wanted it pretty badly and did my best to earn it.

The Grown Up Years: As a kid I was always trying to earn a few dollars and had a paper route, sold seeds for school fundraising, scrubbed bowling pins for $1/hour, shoveled tons of snow and was always eager to work hard. After getting out of college (early) I usually worked my way towards self-employment opportunities. I'm an entrepreneur at heart and have been in search of my life's mission for many years. I built a web design business and enjoyed using excess time and resources doing pro-bono work for nonprofits. I was able to use those resources to start iLoveSchools.com. After five years it was clear I couldn't run both businesses simultaneously. My heart was in iLoveSchools.com, but my web design business paid most of my bills. After some soul searching and reaching a fork in the road, I thought it was time to break off and turn towards where my heart was pulling. Not knowing where funding would come from or what the future held, I committed to iLoveSchools.com. I truly believe this is what I am meant to do, and now in our seventh year, our mission is more important than ever. We've all heard about the Holy Grail - finding what one loves and the money would follow. For me, the icing on the cake is that I've finally found something I love to do, which is helping others on a large scale and hopefully getting a consistent paycheck. The best part is hearing an appreciative teacher thank us for our work. I must have a little teacher in me as I firmly believe that with the right resources teachers can teach their kids to go out, find themselves and make a good change in the world. Maybe my first grade teacher was teaching me something that is still reaping benefits?

Valarie Swanson, Director of Marketing

Favorite Grade:1st grade

Favorite Teacher: Mrs. Starkey

Favorite Subject: English and History

Best School Memory: Researching and writing a 10 page report on President Ulysses S. Grant in Ms. Farnum's 4th grade class. I can't remember my final grade on the report, but the experience of researching and writing it made a lasting impression on me. It taught me that patience and perserverence pays off and that accepting responsibility for my own education is a very rewarding feeling.

The Grown Up Years: Valarie has continued that love of researching, writing and learning by integrating it into her decade- plus marketing and public relations career. As a University of Phoenix graduate, Valarie holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing which she credits for much of her success. At iLoveSchools.com, Valarie is the strategic leader for the organization's marketing, fundraising and community relations activities. She is married with a son in public elementary school.

Laura Arnet, Program Manager

Favorite Grade:Kindergarten

Favorite Teacher:Ms. Moqueeni

Favorite Subject:Art

Best School Memory: Sixth grade outdoor school - we crawled amongst tide pools, counting sea anemone and starfish; trekked though the forest guessing at plants and trees; and, rolled around on the beach throwing sand each other like little jerks. It was, bar none, my favorite week of school.

The Grown Up Years: Following graduation, I went swimming with the sharks and taught 8th grade English and Literature. Although I didn't last long in education, I do have firsthand experience with the innumerable challenges that stand in the way of creating a viable classroom environment. Since escaping infested waters, my love for the written word has grown as I've honed my writing skills in both the creative a and technical realms as a student, teacher and copywriter.