Celebrate Kids Staff

Dr. Kathy Koch

Founder, President, Speaker, Author

Responsibilities 

An internationally celebrated speaker, Dr. Koch conducts workshops, seminars and other events, influencing millions of parents, teachers and children each year on subjects related to helping children realize their potential. Her practical, results-oriented concepts draw enthusiastic raves from audiences, who leave her seminars armed with tools to help increase success in school and build healthy relationships.

Background   Before moving to Fort Worth, Texas, to establish Celebrate Kids, Inc. in 1991, Dr. Kathy Koch (pronounced “cook”) was a tenured Associate Professor in the education department at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Her other relevant experiences include teaching second graders, coaching middle school students, volunteering as a school board member for a Christian school, and teaching Sunday School at all levels. She earned three degrees from Purdue University, including a Ph.D. in reading and educational psychology. For more information about Dr. Kathy click on

MEET DR. KATHY.

Nancy Matheis

Operations Director

Responsibilities  Oversees all the operational aspects of Celebrate Kids as well as overseeing our abstinence grant and our alcohol reduction grant. Nancy speaks to teachers and church groups and she teaches students in our SOAR program.

Background   Nancy graduated from Dordt College with a B.A. in Education and has spent 30 years in the education field. In the past 12 years, she was principal of two different missionary kids' schools in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. She has also spent 12 years as a classroom teacher and four as Children and Family Pastor in Vancouver, Canada. She made contact with Celebrate Kids when Dr. Kathy visited Uzbekistan with a Family Education Conference in 1996. Nancy recently returned to the States with a wealth of experience not only in administration but cross-cultural education and living. With a heart of encouragement and a joyful life attitude, she spends time mentoring women and enjoying life to the fullest.

Denice Crawford

Scheduling Director/Office Coordinator

Responsibilities  Denice makes arrangements for all of Dr. Kathy’s speaking events. This includes responding to requests for information about her speaking, contacting organizations and people who may be interested in having Kathy speak for them, and working out all the details for an event with the people who contract for our services.  Denice also supervises our volunteers, oversees the Shopping Cart orders, and keeps the office organized and supplied.

Background   Denice has 19 years experience working with teens and their families in the areas of both abstinence and the negative consequences that come from choosing a sexual relationship outside of marriage. She grew up as a military kid, married a career soldier, and has been a military mom, making her uniquely qualified to work with the families and community at Fort Hood.

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Sharon May

Finance Manager

Responsibilities  Oversees all the financial aspects of Celebrate Kids.

Background   Sharon is a Certified Public Accountant who graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a B.A. in accounting. She has completed approximately half the requirements of a Master of Business Administration in Business Management at the University of Dallas. Sharon brings 25 years of experience from both the public and private business sectors to her vital work at Celebrate Kids, Inc.

Linda Depler

Travel Assistant to Dr. Kathy

Responsibilities  Linda travels with Dr. Kathy on most of her speaking engagements and is responsible for the preparations of CK product and equipment needed to take to the seminars.

Background   Linda came to Celebrate Kids with 30 years of experience in the administrative field. She has been employed with Celebrate Kids for 5 years, which makes her the veteran on staff. She has been married to her husband, Rick, for 25 years. Rick assists Linda on some of the trips with Dr. Kathy as an indispensable volunteer. In her spare time, Linda stays busy with their 4 children and 4 grandchildren.

Sandi Fowler

Technical Administrative Assistant

Responsibilities Maintains and updates websites for Celebrate Kids, manages technology for the Celebrate Kids email newsletter, coordinates technology for Celebrate Kids teleseminars, processes and compiles grant reports based on student surveys, and does a variety of data processing.

Background   Sandi graduated from Texas Wesleyan University with a B.S. degree in Family and Consumer Science. She worked in Customer Service until her first child was born. Sandi then started her favorite job as a stay-at-home mom until her two children were in elementary school. She then joined the ministry at a large Bible church for six years as the Preschool Director and Children’s Staff administrator. Sandi has always had a heart for children. She has over 30 years experience working with children and teenagers in both professional and volunteer positions. Sandi also works as a freelance sports reporter for a small, local newspaper. She enjoys writing, photography, and precious time with her own kids.

Karen Fuller

SOAR Director

Responsibilities  Karen acts as liaison and oversees all aspects of the Alcohol reduction classes provided by Celebrate Kids to the local school district that received the SOAR federal grant – Student Outcomes in Alcohol Reduction. She recruits, selects, and trains staff to implement the Life Skills curriculum as well as our Authentic Answers model. She plans booster assemblies and community events and facilitates referral of students with identified needs to counselors and other appropriate school personnel. She supervises prevention educators, contract presenters, and counselors to ensure that professional standards are met and she oversees the evaluation of the SOAR program. Karen is very active in the community and speaks to groups of all ages.

Background   Karen graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a B.S. in Psychology. She then obtained her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. She has also taken many doctoral level courses in Psychology and has spent over 25 years as a counselor, over ten of those as Chief Operations Officer of Focus Counseling Associates and Ministries. She has served as a member of the Board of Lake Country Christian School in Fort Worth and has also served as its Dean of Students. Karen is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She loves to encourage kids and adults to walk in the full identity that God has designed for their lives.

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Jeanie Taylor

Assistant to SOAR Director, Teacher

Responsibilities  Assisting the SOAR Director and teaching the Student Outcomes in Alcohol Reduction programs for the EMS-ISD in the secondary schools.

Background   Jeanie is a mom to 3 active teenagers which has resulted in over 10 years of fulltime substitute teaching experience in the Eagle Mountain - Saginaw School district where her children attend. She has 2 years education at Angelo State University majoring in Business & Secretarial Science. Jeanie has been active in her church -where her husband pastors - for 20 years as an adult Sunday School teacher and teen/youth worker. She has a deep love for teenagers & a strong desire to make an impact on their lives by teaching them God's Word and also the dangers of drugs and alcohol on the adolescent brain.

Sandra Critz

Parent Educator and Staff Speaker

Responsibilities  Sandra presents alcohol-abuse prevention education to youth and community members and character education based upon the Authentic Answers Model to middle school youth through the SOAR alcohol reduction grant. She also speaks for MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) groups.

Background   Sandra brings a wealth of wisdom and life applications from her experiences in many seasons of life. She has encouraged women as a conference, workshop, and retreat speaker for over 25 years with topics relating to marriage, parenting, caring for elderly parents, character training, and life skills. She also has experience working with unwed mothers, mothers with adopted children (since one of her children is adopted), and at camps for court appointed abused children. She attended Little Rock University with a major in Communications and a minor in Language Arts. She has taught in private and public schools for over 17 years, in Dale Carnegie Classes, and has a background in banking and marketing. She has been married to her terrific husband, Martin, for 39 years and has three wonderful children and three precious grandchildren.

Tina Hollenbeck

Staff Writer

Responsibilities  Tina writes an article for each bimonthly issue of Authentic Hope, Celebrate Kids’ email newsletter.

Background  Tina earned a BA in Humanities and teacher certifications (in PK-12 English as a Second Language and 6-12 Language Arts) from the University of Wisconsin—Green Bay, where she met Dr. Kathy…way back in 1985. Kathy even stood up in Tina’s 1988 wedding to her husband, Jeff! For nine years, Tina enjoyed a fulfilling career teaching immigrant kids at both the middle and high school levels. Since 2001, she has been an at-home mom to daughters Rachel and Abigail, whom she now also homeschools. In addition, she operates a small in-home daycare for teachers’ children. And, having lost her oldest daughter, Anna Vivian, to miscarriage in 1998, Tina is called to minister to those who have similarly suffered the death of a pre-born or young child. At her church, she serves on the worship and drama teams and participates a newly-formed writers’ group. She seeks to one day publish a wide variety of her writing—everything from articles for moms and children’s books to a memoir and teaching aids, including a novelization of King Lear.

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Kathyism - Children are human beings, not human doings.