The Genius School Board of Directors
ATTENTION:
The TGS Board meeting previously scheduled for Thursday, March 28 has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 4 at 6:00 p.m.
BOARD MEMBERS
Dr. Alicia C.
RAMSEY
BOARD CHAIR
Mrs. Alicia C. Ramsey, born Alicia Beidleman, is a native of Elyria, Ohio. She is the oldest of Gary and Beverly Beidleman’s four children. Mrs. Ramsey graduated from Elyria West High School, then attended the University of Akron where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education in 1993. After moving to Indianapolis in 1995 to marry her current husband of twenty-two years, she furthered her education at Indiana University where she received her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership in 2005. In 2015, Mrs. Ramsey took classes at Ivy Tech Community College in Early Childhood Education to serve as the director for Rhema Childcare and Preschool Ministry.
Mrs. Ramsey spent fourteen years working in Perry Township Schools. She maximized her tenure in Perry Township as the principal of Clinton Young Elementary School and Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy. Prior to those positions, she was an Assistant Principal and Dean of Students at Southport Middle School. In 2002, Mrs. Ramsey was the first African-American female to be elected to the school board in Pike Township for a four-year term. In June of 2009, she decided to make a life change for her family and she resigned from her position as Principal of Clinton Young Elementary School. Mrs. Ramsey has taken her professional experience and is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer at New Life Worship Center Church in Indianapolis, IN.
Mrs. Ramsey is the founder of “Women of Excellence” a non-profit ministry that empowers women through self-help seminars, events, and workshops. She participates on many women discussion panels, does motivational speaking, and is a strong advocate for families of special needs children.
Mrs. Ramsey was appointed to the Governor’s Council for People with Developmental Disabilities in 2014. Their youngest son Jeremiah David was born in 2001 with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum a serious brain defect which causes Epilepsy, Mild Cerebral Palsy, and Intellectual Disabilities. Mrs. Ramsey has taken her passion for advocacy and in 2017 founded AR Consulting a business that conducts educational workshops, presents motivational workshops, along with giving educational counsel and support to ensure the best quality of life for special needs children.
In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and spending quality time with her husband John F. Ramsey Sr, their two sons, John, Jr. twenty, Jeremiah David sixteen and their baby girl Judah Maree who is seven years old.
Todd
FINNELL
BOARD VICE CHAIR
Todd Finnell is the owner and president of FastSigns of Indianapolis – East, a B2B visual
communications franchise. He is a native of Indianapolis and attended St. Thomas
Aquinas Grade School, Bishop Chatard High School, and then Ball State University where he played football on a full athletic scholarship. He graduated in 1990 with a BS in Computer Science and went to work at Eli Lilly and Company. There he established a 20-year career working in a variety of information technology individual contributor and leadership roles, across various business areas, including supply chain, regulatory affairs, clinical trials, IT Infrastructure, and HR. Called to return to his high school alma mater, he left Lilly in 2010 as Director, HR IT, and become the Director of Institutional & Instructional Technology there. While there, he helped to spearhead a technology transformation that resulted in achieving a one-to-one program, one computing device per student and faculty member. In 2014 Todd returned to the corporate world to work at KAR Global in various IT product development leadership roles. In 2019 he joined the IT Product and Engineering leadership team at NextGear Capital, the financial services business unit of Cox Automotive, until leaving in 2022 to pursue his long-time desire of business ownership.
A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Todd has served as president and in
numerous other leadership roles with the fraternity’s Indianapolis Alumni Chapter. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Indiana Guide Right Foundation, the
Chapter’s 501(c)(3) foundation. Todd has also served on the Board of Regents at Bishop Chatard High School and as a board member and board president for the Catholic Youth
Organization (CYO).
Delano
Robinson
Treasurer
Delano Robinson is a senior technology leader and community activist with aspirations of creating pathways to success for those in need. He is a seasoned pharma-tech professional with more than ten years of experience.
Delano lives by a mantra which he coined to help him focus his life efforts, “the lifted, uplift!”
Angela
DABNEY
BOARD MEMBER
After nearly two decades as a Fundraising Executive at United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI), Angela Dabney retired from the organization but not from her passion for this community. She founded Philanthropy Resources LLC to provide fundraising capacity-building for nonprofit organizations seeking to grow their mission through fundraising and community engagement. Areas of focus are training, coaching, building culture and fundraising strategy planning. Angela has long experience and success leading fundraising growth and change as demonstrated by the transformation in fundraising under her leadership at UWCI, where she built strategies to raise more than $750 Million during her tenure there. She was responsible for cultivating United Way of Central Indiana’s first and second $10 Million gifts from individual donors. In addition to serving as board chair for Ignite Achievement Academy, her community involvement includes, participating in a Habitat for Humanity Build, serving on the Steering Committee for the Race and Cultural Relations Network, the WRTV Advisory Committee and advocating for equity and inclusion wherever possible. Community service and philanthropy are her passions. Angela and is married to her high school sweetheart, Michael and they have two grown daughters.
Ramon
MORRISON
CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
Ramon is one of the founding partners of METICULOUS,
overseeing global business development, client strategy,
and market engagement, as well as the firm’s marketing
strategies. Ramon leads all business development efforts
marketing full service architectural, urban design, urban
planning and interior design services to discerning clients
in all market segments, ranging from Pre-K-12 & Higher
Ed, Multi-family housing, Municipal/ Civic, Healthcare,
and Recreation/Hospitality markets.
Ramon brings a wealth of practical corporate and
entrepreneurial resource knowledge, as well as a
proven record of collaborating with clients to help
bring complex development projects from concept to
fruition. Ramon is adept in strategic community and
stakeholder engagement and consults with a diverse
mix of clients and non-profit organizations on all aspects
of development and expansion. Ramon is Vice Board
Chairman of LISC Indianapolis (Local Initiative Support
Corporation), leveraging over $20 million of annual
strategic investments that spur community and economic
development in diverse neighborhoods in Indianapolis
and regional Indiana markets. As board member for
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB), Ramon helps champion
strategic investments to ensure sustainable engagement,
environmental equity, and place making in targeted
communities of the city. He is a Life Member of Kappa
Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., past alumni president, and
chairman of Indiana Guide Right Foundation, empowering
at-risk youth through scholarship, life skills mentoring and
social impact projects.
Kellee
Weston
BOARD TREASURER
Kellee Weston is a dedicated Child Care Provider with a strong foundation in finance and over 25 years of valuable experience in business management and entrepreneurship. She holds a Bachelor is degree in Finance from Indiana University Bloomington, bringing a unique blend of financial acumen and passion for early childhood education to her current roles.
With a solid academic background, Kellee has seamlessly transitioned her skills into the realm of Early Childhood Education, where her commitment to excellence and nurturing stands out. Over the course of her extensive career, she has successfully managed various business ventures, showcasing her resilience and strategic thinking.
Kellee Weston is journey exemplifies a seamless blend of financial expertise, entrepreneurial prowess, a genuine passion for early childhood education, community development, philanthropy, and spiritual leadership—a combination that sets her apart in her diverse
and impactful roles.
Autumn
Smith
BOARD MEMBER
Autumn Smith is an effective situational leader with fifteen years of experience teaching, training, and developing natural and spiritual gifts of children, youth, and adults. She with her husband, Derek Smith, are the founders of Words of Wisdom Words of Power LLC (WOWWOP), a multiproduct life-affirming company based in Indianapolis. Autumn currently works in the DEI space for a fortune 300 company and volunteers as a Big Sister for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Corporation. She loves the arts and has been known to perform in plays locally and around the country. Her singing voice has given her the opportunity to share the stage with many national and international gospel
artists.
Autumn believes in education for all ages. She has obtained her Associates Degree and is currently in a progressive AS to MSM degree program at Indiana Wesleyan
University.
Autumn is esteemed by her peers as a devoted wife, mother of 3 amazing children, faithful minister, and for having a high emotional intelligence and a genuine love for people.
EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS
Dr. Judy
BARDONNER
FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Judy Bardonner holds a B.S. in English education from Indiana University, an M.S. in special education from Butler University, and a Ph.D. from Indiana University. She has over 20 years of teaching experience at all levels. As a college educator, she has focused on teaching methods courses and directing community learning projects for the Indiana University School of Education and for the Marian University School of Education. In her current role as Director of the Center for Community Learning at Marian University, she has created the Summer Learning Institute and the education program for Employ Indy’s YouthBuild Indy program. Dr. Bardonner’s research focuses on teacher education, adult learners, and summer learning loss. She is currently researching methods of bringing university resources to summer programs in order to close the math achievement gap. She is fiercely committed to developing outstanding educators for all youth – especially those who are most at-risk.
Dr. Lindan
HILL
BOARD MEMBER
Lindan B. Hill, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Quality, The Educators College, Marian University. Coming to Marian University in 2006, he became Vice President and Associate Dean in 2016. Prior work includes five years as Director of Teacher Education at Manchester University, North Manchester, Indiana and P-12 public school teaching and administration for 32 years, with 25 of those years as Superintendent of Schools in two districts in Indiana. Hill earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Indiana University-Bloomington in 1969, Master of Science in Special Education at Purdue University in 1972 and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Education and Education Administration at Purdue in 1975. He has served on numerous professional committees and advisory groups, including Unites States Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Selection Committee and President of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents. In 1996, Hill was awarded the Distinguished Hoosier designation from Governor Evan Bayh and in 2001, was awarded Indiana’s highest civilian award, Sagamore of the Wabash, from late Governor Frank O’Bannon. Dr. Hill is co-author of the book, Rethinking the Education Mess: A Systems Approach to Education Reform, along with Ian Mitroff and Murat Alpaslan. Palgrave McMillan, October, 2013.