Board and Staff Members

ECCR Board

Rick Ahaus (Co-founder)

An electrical engineer by trade, Rick Ahaus has worked in his family business, Ahaus Tool and Engineering, since 1966. Beginning as a toolmaker in training he gained hands-on experience in the metal working industry. He soon became vice president of sales and engineering and, in 2005, chairman of the board. Rick is also actively involved in the Richmond community. He has been elected to both the Richmond City Council and the Richmond Community Schools school board. He has served as chairman of many local agencies including Richmond Power and Light, Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce, Dunn Mental Health Center, and the Wayne County Foundation. As a school board member, Rick recognized the importance of students reading on grade level in the third grade. He suggested that reading at grade level become the number one priority of RCS. That philosophy prompted Rick and Vic Jose, a retired Richmond businessman, to establish the Third Grade Academy in 2008. TGA is an intensive summer reading program designed to improve reading skills and comprehension. To provide an avenue for funding Every Child Can Read, a 501C3 organization was created. Rick serves as chairman of that board. To further emphasize the importance of reading, in 2012 ECCR created the K-Ready program which encourages parents to read with their children 20 minutes every day. This program serves all Wayne County children four and younger.

Jason Blunk (Chairperson)

Jason is passionate about building community and enabling organizations like Every Child Can Read to make a difference in our community. He is the father of three elementary-aged children who delighted in receiving books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. He has an Industrial Engineering degree from the University of Missouri and is the Chief Information Officer at Earlham College. Jason serves on other community boards including Richmond Civic Theatre, Lifespring Church, and Purdue Polytechnic – Richmond.

Nikki Brock

Nikki Brock is married to Ben, and has two children, Zoe and AJ. She graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College with a degree in music. Nikki has taught middle and high school music in the Union County Schools in Liberty, Indiana and Community Christian School in Richmond. She currently works in the Art Department at Abilities. She is a member of the local chapter of Tri Kappa Sorority, and a member of First English Lutheran Church. Nikki, Ben and their children are a huge Disney loving family, and Nikki enjoys baking cupcakes for everyone!

Kristen Brunton

Kristen cares deeply about educating children and has built her life in Wayne County because of her love for this community. She is a graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a graduate of Ball State University with a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology. She has 20 years of experience teaching children from Kindergarten to Middle School in Richmond public schools with several years being devoted to teaching young children to read in her role as a Reading Specialist and Reading Recovery Instructor. Currently, she is a real estate broker, adjunct faculty at Indiana University East, stained glass artist, and life-long learner. She lives in Richmond with her husband, Mark, and 3 kids.

Landon Elder

Landon Elder was born and adopted in South Bend, Indiana, and spent a majority of his childhood in Northeast Philadelphia. He then pursued an education at Indiana University Bloomington, where he graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Youth Development, with a focus on serving at risk youth. Landon then spent time back in Philadelphia as a preschool teacher, before ultimately moving to Richmond, Indiana in pursuit of a new career. Landon has a professional background in social work coaching and education, and is thrilled at the opportunity to continue to make a difference in the lives of children everywhere.

Jon Ford (Member Emeritus)

Mr. Ford is a 1958 graduate of Hanover College. He worked for Ralston Purina/Purina Mills for 40 years in various locations including St. Louis, Cincinnati, Battle Creek, MI, Davenport, IA, Mechanicsburg, PA and Richmond, IN. He retired in 1998. Jon has been married to Judy for 56 years and has 5 children and 12 grandchildren. Mr. Ford also serves on the Reid Hospital Board of Directors as their Board Chair, Board of trustees of Ivy Tech Richmond, the Indiana Hospital Association Board of Directors and as an Elder at Christ Presbyterian Church. In the past, Mr. Ford has also served on various local boards including the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Wayne County Foundation, Starr Gennett Foundation, Hanover College Alumni Board and the YMCA.

Aaron Fredrick

Coming Soon

Becky Jewison (Treasurer)

Becky is in her third year as Treasurer of the ECCR board of directors. She started working with ECCR in 2018 as the K-Ready coordinator and quickly learned what great literacy programming we had to offer. Upon retiring from Reid Health, first with the Reid Foundation then the Reid Volunteer program, Becky wanted to make a difference in Wayne County by working with a literacy program. She was particularly interested in the impact that The Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library could make. Becky is looking forward to helping ECCR improve literacy in Wayne County.

Kristen Kirk

Coming Soon

Maggie Raynor

Coming Soon

Tricia Sheridan

Tricia currently works for More Than Words, a program of the United Way, as a creative consultant. She serves as a board member of The Women’s Fund and Stage One Youth Theater. As a stay at home mom she has been fortunate to get to spend many hours volunteering at the schools her children attended, at church and at Richmond Civic Theater. She has a passion for creativity, currently focusing on the art of pottery. Tricia was born and raised in Richmond, is a graduate of Richmond High School and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from GMI Engineering & Mgt. Institute. She and her husband Jeff live in Richmond where they have raised their 3 children. Tricia is very proud to be the daughter of ECCR founder Rick Ahaus.

Krista Thornsberry

Krista is a Richmond native and raised her two children while attending Ivy Tech and IU East. She earned her Business Administration degree from Indiana Wesleyan. Krista worked at several local companies as a bookkeeper before she joined Reid Health. She was with Reid Health for 15 years and loved her role as the Director of Volunteer Services. She now services as a mortgage loan officer at 3Rivers FCU and it has been her passion for the past ten years. Krista loves helping people, making a difference in their lives and making the dream of homeownership a reality. If you ask her what she does, she’ll tell you she’s a Dream Maker.

Jackie Webb Vonderhaar (Secretary)

Jackie Webb Vonderhaar recently retired from Reid Health where she worked for 16 years. She served as Barry McDowell and Craig Kinyon’s Administrative Assistance. She was born in Lynn, Indiana and then lived in Florida for 20 years before returning to Richmond 17 years ago. Jackie has an accounting background. Jackie is proud to have served on the Girls Inc. Board for four years and as President of their Board for two years. She attends the First Church of the Nazarene and recently started volunteering with the Chamber of Commerce’s ACE’s Committee.

Judi Willett

Judi started at Reid Health in 2009 and is the Director of Marketing & Communications and Retail Services and serves on numerous internal committees at Reid. Locally, she serves on event planning committees for A Better Way and Jimmy Miller Fun Bowl. At the state level, she serves on the board of the Indiana Healthcare Marketing & Public Relations Society and is co-chair of its Education Committee. She has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Ball State University and a master’s degree in management from Indiana University.

Kathie Zaleski

Coming Soon

ECCR Staff

Patti Peterson (Executive Director)

Patti Peterson loves engaging with the nonprofit community. She has participated in nonprofit development and leadership for many years. While raising her three children she volunteered at their schools, their church, for community events and with local nonprofits. She joined Girls Inc. of Wayne County as the office manager and over time increased her training and responsibilities to become the development director. After earning her CFRM (Certified Fund-Raising Manager) from IU’s Lilly School of Philanthropy, she joined Richmond Friends School as the development director and now she is excited to join Every Child Can Read.

Patti looks forward to helping ECCR grow its impact in Wayne County and improving literacy for every child, every family, every day.

Jackie Scott (K-Ready Program Coordinator)

Jackie began her career in Education and has come back to her roots as the K-Ready Program Coordinator for ECCR. After earning a degree in Special Education from Miami University, Jackie taught in Lebanon, Ohio Schools. After coming to Richmond in 1992, Jackie helped her husband at his medical practice until joining Reid Health in 2008. Jackie continued to work for Reid Health most recently as a Billing office manager, Billing system analyst and Front office staff trainer. She then began working as the accounting administrator for Communities in Schools while also volunteering for ECCR. Jackie joined ECCR in 2019 and loves seeing all the K-Ready programs grow as well as working to grow the love of reading in Wayne County kids!