Who we are
Educators who believe every child can read.
READy to R.E.A.D. is led by certified reading specialists and a board of longtime Brown County teachers and community members.
Cassie Stratton
Master's in Elementary Education · Reading Specialist trained in dyslexia · Certified in Reading (K–12) and English as a New Language · CERI-Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist · Early Literacy Endorsement · Former co-founder and president of the Andong Volunteers Association · 25 years of teaching experience.
Cassie founded READy to R.E.A.D. in 2022 after seeing firsthand how many children in Brown County needed reading help they couldn't access — and decided no family should have to pay for the right to read.
Executive board
Kelli Finley
Sixteen years of banking experience across multiple roles; currently an Accounting Support Specialist with Mutual Savings Bank.
Megan Kakavecos
M.A. Mathematics Education (K–6); B.A. Elementary Education. Certified special education teacher, Orton-Gillingham trained. 1st-grade teacher with 10 years' experience.
Board members
Lauren Lockdall
Recently retired after 41 years teaching in public schools. B.S. Education with Reading Endorsement (Indiana University); M.S. Counseling. Orton-Gillingham trained.
Jannie Collett
B.S. Elementary Education (Magna Cum Laude), reading concentration, psychology minor. Licensed K–6 and P–12 reading teacher in IN & NC. Trained in dyslexia, Orton-Gillingham, and morphology. 24+ years teaching.
Julie Logterman (Davis)
B.A. Russian (Beloit College); B.S. Clinical Laboratory Science (IUPUI). Volunteers with the Brown County Historical Society, Native Woodlands Project, Sycamore Land Trust, Hoosier Mushroom Society, and BETA.
Ken Birkemeier
Retired Vice President, First Merchants Bank. B.S. Manchester University; commercial-lending graduate study at the University of Oklahoma. Founding board member of the Brown County Community Foundation and Brown County Leadership.
Alan Birkemeier
M.S. Education; B.A. Education. 18 years of teaching experience.
Alane Lovell
M.S. Education with an all-grade major in special education (mild intellectual, emotional, and learning disabilities). Retired after 34 years teaching at the elementary level.
Advisory committee
Kyle Birkemeier
Master's in Outdoor Education and Recreation Administration; B.A. Telecommunications; certified in Data Science.
Carol Birkemeier
B.A. Sociology, minor in Public Health. Retired Care Coordinator, Area 11 Agency on Aging.
Want to be part of it?
Whether you’re a family seeking help or someone who wants to give, we’d love to hear from you.