Amy Ostrander Croll (LMSW, Co-founder and Executive Director)

Amy brings over fifteen+ years of experience working directly with youth, ten+ years of experience working with state and local youth development policies and practices, and nine+ years serving as a youth development trainer and facilitator.  Amy currently serves as a field consultant for the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality/Forum for Youth Investment and the Wyman Center’s Teen Outreach Program, as well as for various state and local entities.  Amy’s style is grounded in experience, as she has provided a myriad of services, including working as a youth worker and supervisor in child welfare/juvenile justice settings, developing and coordinating community-based prevention programming, and coordinating a state-level collaborative body that aligned state and local level policies and practices.  She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Luther College and a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Iowa.

Julie Cackler (Youth Development Specialist)

Julie brings over 20 years of experience in youth serving organizations to CYC. She coordinated camp-related program for over 15 years and currently conducts accreditation visits for the American Camping Association. She serves as the coordinator of our Quality Counts initiative, assisting in Youth Program Quality Assessments, conducting continuous improvement planning with organizations, and providing and coordinating training for frontline youth workers.

Amelia Colwell Reedy (Youth Program Director)

Amelia brings experience in human services and public policy to CYC. In previous positions, she provided employment support to people with disabilities, coordinated a statewide mental health peer support training program, and engaged constituencies in many public policy systems and issues.  As Youth Program Director, she oversees programs related to service-learning and engaging youth with disabilities. Amelia holds a BA in Psychology and Social Work from the University of Iowa, where she was part of the Iowa Writes Project and was published in The Iowa Review.

Jennie Groves (KWAKERS Founder and Coordinator)

Jennie has over thirty years of experience working with children and youth as an educator, mentor, child advocate, and volunteer.  She is the founder and coordinator of a community- and school-based service learning program called Kids With A Kause.  A former middle school teacher at a non-traditional school in Vermont, Jennie has implemented programs in the classroom that revolve around fitness, environmental issues, and community service.  Jennie holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a Master’s in Education from Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont.

Danny Heggen (Youth Venture Coordinator)

A 2008 graduate of Simpson College with a BA in English, Danny has concentrated on writing and community development. By learning how to advocate for services provided in our community as a writer, he has focused his efforts on imprisoned women and homeless youth in Iowa, telling their stories to audiences big and small. Through his work on youth homelessness, he was solely awarded the United Way of Central Iowa’s Advocate of the Year 2009. Now with CYC, he works to help youth generate and develop sustainable community ideas through our Youth Venture work.

Chelsey Larson (Program Coordinator)

Chelsey holds a Social work degree from University of Northern Iowa. She brings to CYC nine years of experience with the Youth Leadership Forum and a passion for helping youth with disabilities gain the skills they need to be successful in school, work, and life. Chelsey directs the ID Action Youth Advisory Board.

Michelle Raymer (Volunteer Coordinator)

Michelle brings experience in human services and volunteer management to CYC. She has served as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Guinea, trained and coordinated volunteers helping refugee families adjust to life in the United States, and worked with residents in affordable housing to organize programs and events. In her current position she manages the volunteer program as well as coordinates CYC’s new mentoring program. Michelle holds a BA in Political Science, Spanish, and International Studies from Central College and is currently working on her Master of Public Administration from Drake University.