Our Team

Executive Director

Mark C. Mals | Executive Director

Mark has been a Mercy Education Project Girls’ Program tutor since 2014 and started as Executive Director in September 2021. Mark’s wife, Sandy, teaches Religious Studies at Mercy High School and both are Mercy Associates. Together they are committed to the Mercy Critical Concern for Women, ending systemic injustice and making a difference in the world. They have three grown children and two adorable grandchildren, Joey and Lucy.

Development and Marketing

Carol Krumbach, CFRE | Director of Development

A Northern Michigan native, Carol has led development, marketing and community engagement for several higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations in Michigan and California. She most recently served as Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and the Foundation at Cerritos College in southeast Los Angeles County, one of the largest Hispanic-serving community colleges in the nation. Early in her professional career, Carol coordinated a grant-funded program that helped hundreds of unemployed women and single parents complete a college degree and secure employment. She is passionate about educational equity and inspired by MEP’s mission and personalized approach.

Lorin Graves II | Marketing & Donor Relations Coordinator

Lorin earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Marketing from Wayne State University in 2020, and an Associates in Animation and Fine Art from the College of Creative Studies in 2014. A Detroit native and versatile designer, he recently was the creative director of a local digital magazine called The Urban Articulate, a Design instructor for Romulus Community Schools, and has been in the field of fine art and design for several years.

Angela Walters | Communications Coordinator

Angela earned her bachelor's degree in communication from Central Michigan University. She has been a Girls’ Program volunteer tutor since February 2017 and joined MEP as staff in September 2021. She lives on the eastside of Detroit with her family. Angela loves working somewhere that champions the value of education and is actively seeking ways to help break the cycle of poverty in Detroit.

Finance and Operations

Jared Plasky | Director of Operations

Jared earned his Bachelor’s in Business Communications from The University of Toledo. He also has two post graduate certifications from Michigan State University in Human Resource Management and Workforce Management and Development. He was hired for his current position in November 2018. He lives in Grosse Pointe Woods with his wife and their two dogs. Jared loves working at a place that values literacy and education.

LuAnn Warren | Finance Manager

LuAnn has been on staff at Mercy Education Project for nearly five years working in the areas of operations and finance. She is proud to be a member of the MEP family and supporting its mission to empower women and girls in Detroit through education. 

Programming

Rosanne Plasky, M.Ed. | Director of Women’s Programming

Rosanne has been with MEP since 2015. Adult education is a second career for her, after working in K-12 education, healthcare, and development. She was drawn to the MEP mission and continues to be impressed by the drive and efforts of the women we serve.

Mary Beth Lohman | Co-Director of Girls’ Programming

Mary Beth earned her Bachelors in Education from Miami University. Before coming to MEP, she taught middle school math, social studies, and science for 10 years. Mary Beth joined the MEP Girls’ Program Staff in 2017. She enjoys being part of the student’s educational journey and helping them achieve their academic goals.

Allison Fenske | Co-Director of Girls’ Programming

Ally graduated in 2020 with a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Before joining MEP, she worked at a grade school as a Youth Development Specialist helping students with their social-emotional health in the school setting. Her passion is helping students in an academic environment which makes MEP the perfect place to call home! She joined the MEP team in the Fall of 2022 after relocating to Detroit. In her free time, Ally enjoys reading, exploring nature, and learning about the Detroit community.

Revelle Kiss | Coordinator of Women’s Programming

Revelle has worked for Mercy Education Project for four years. She is responsible for all testing in the Women’s program. Revelle has a passion for this mission because she enjoys helping women.

Gracie Solano | Coordinator of Girls’ Programming

Gracella Solano, or as the young ladies refer to her, Ms. Grace, originally joined the Mercy Education Program team to provide transportation for the young ladies in our tutoring program. After spending time on the Women’s Program team as Independent Learning Coordinator, Gracie transitioned to full-time Girls’ Programming Coordinator in Summer 2023.

Ethel Dixon | Coordinator of Workforce Development

Ethel is a graduate of Walsh College where she earned a Bachelor of Accountancy. Her career spans numerous industries including banking, insurance, education and the government sector. The latter entailed providing financial assistance to victims of natural disasters and proved to be one of her most rewarding roles. Prior to taking on the position of instructor at MEP in January 2018, she was a volunteer tutor at Siena Literacy. At Siena, she worked primarily with ESL students in the area of Language Arts. Ethel is a Detroit native and currently resides in the city. She is an advocate of MEP because of her belief in second chances.

Instructors

Ellis Ivory | Adult Education Instructor

Ellis earned Bachelor’s degrees in History, Political Science, and English from Wayne State University and his Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Michigan. He was a professor of Political Science and History for 35 years at Marygrove College, prior to its closing. Semi-retirement followed until he became part of the MEP team in 2023, and is now serving as a GED Social Studies and Language Arts instructor. Ellis likes the fact that the missions of the IHMs and the Sisters of Mercy are similar in nature and very worthwhile.

Lisa Schrimscher | Adult Education Instructor

Lisa is a retired teacher, having taught Math and Science at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Mich. She is currently a Math, Science and ACT tutor. She volunteered at Mercy Education Project many years ago in the after-school program for elementary school aged girls. She has always wanted to be part of the GED program and is excited to help young women succeed.

Mark Weisenthal | Adult Education Instructor

Mark earned a Bachelor’s in General Studies from the University of Michigan as well as a Master of Accounting degree from Nova Southeastern University. He started as a volunteer math tutor in October 2019, and has been a math teacher for MEP’s Women’s Program since January 2020. He lives in Troy. Mark loves working someplace that encourages people to make a better life for themselves.

Dr. Jackie Zeff | Adult Education Instructor

Dr. Jacqueline (“Jackie”) Zeff graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA degree in English and Economics. She and her husband Larry moved to Pittsburgh to pursue their graduate degrees, and when they returned she had her Ph.D. in English Literature, a position as Assistant Professor at Wayne State University, and two sons. A third son would follow in 1978. Jackie left Wayne State to become Full Professor and Director of Graduate Studies and then Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Mercy College of Detroit. It was there she learned to appreciate her colleagues and the educational mission of the Sisters of Mercy, and to aspire to Catherine McCauley’s advice: “We must strive to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” Jackie next accepted a position as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Michigan-Flint. During her administrative career she continued to teach every semester and became involved in the Women and Gender Studies Program at the University. In 1995 she returned to the faculty and full-time teaching. So, when Jackie retired from U of M in 2015, she searched for a way to continue working with students and to nurture the intellectual development of women. For the past six years she has been privileged to be a volunteer teacher at MEP, focusing on the extended writing portion of the GED.

Sister Barbara Zimmer | Adult Education Instructor

Sister Barbara has dedicated her life to educating women, especially those in Detroit. She specializes in teaching English as a Second Language and Language Arts courses. Her invaluable work with MEP has been making a difference in women’s lives since 2016. She is grateful for her time at Mercy Ed which has challenged her to try harder to meet the needs of her students. Sister Barbara is very grateful to her family and the IHM congregation for her education and all the ministerial experiences she has had.

Board Members

Douglas Bohrer | President and Chairperson
Plante Moran (retired)

Robert Buentello | Vice President
Michigan Rehabilitation Services

Douglas Bohrer | Treasurer (Interim)
Plante Moran (retired)

Mayra Bravo-Villarreal | Secretary
DTE Energy

Helen Marie Burns, RSM, PhD
Retired Educator

Joseph G. Eisenhauer, PhD
University of Detroit Mercy

Salwa Guindi, JD
Trinity Health (Retired)

Mary Ellen Howard, RSM
Cabrini Clinic (Retired)

Maria Klosowski, RSM
Sisters of Mercy (Actively Retired)

David Spivey
Trinity Health (Retired)

Jennifer Stallings Dewey, JD
General Motors

Ryan Weldon
PricewaterhouseCoopers

Mark Mals | Executive Director
Mercy Education Project