Upcoming Events

STONE LION PUPPET THEATRE
09/11/2010 - 1:00pm - 1:45pm
PUPPETRY WORKSHOP
09/18/2010 - 10:00am - 2:30pm
Family Fall Festival
10/03/2009 - 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Support Group Meeting (Location: Blue Springs/Lee's Summit, MO)
09/08/2010 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Support Group Meeting (Location: North Kansas City)
09/09/2010 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

About Us

Leadership

Mark
Stimac
President

Mark is the father of a seven year old boy with autism. He originally joined ASH to provide his wife a social outlet where she could meet, talk and network with others. Since joining he has become hooked on the opportunities that ASH presents to those affected by autism. His goal is to help this organization grow into a world class entity in the autism world.

Phyllis
Young
Vice President

Phyllis is the mother of two grown children. Her son, Jeff, is a young man with autism. Phyllis Young is the Parent Educator at the Center for Child Health and Development at the University of Kansas Medical Center and the parent contact for the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training. In addition to her present position she has been involved in the field of developmental disabilities for over 30 years as a special education teacher, member on community boards and councils, and past Director of the Shawnee Mission School District Parent Resource Center. 

Kris
Ray
Secretary

Kris Ray and her husband Justin were blessed with their daughter Maddie Grace in September 2006.  When Maddie was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2 the Autism Society enabled her to quickly find reputable help and resources to cope with the daily challenges of Autism.  Kris' desire is to help parents new to the diagnosis and to bring friends and families affected by Autism together to continuously grow our community of support. Kris holds an MBA from Rockhurst University and over the past 20 years has served in IT management positons at 3 major KC corporations.  She is currently employed by Cerner Corporation where she has started up a virtual support group for associates whose families are affected by Autism.  

Robin
Loeffler
Board Member

Co-Vice President

Robin Loeffler is the mother of four children, two of whom are on the Autism Spectrum – Justice, age 13, diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and Tristan, age 12, diagnosed with PDD-NOS and Dyspraxia. She is committed to helping others understand ASD and learning what resources are available. She currently works for Cerner as a System Engineer with 11 years experience and for ASA-H with 13 years of ASD experience.

B. Meredith
Williams
Treasurer

Meredith has an eleven year old son who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder/Asperger's. The information, support and activities provided by the Autism Society-Heartland have been a tremendous help to her and her family.  She in turn would like to help other families that are affected by Autism Spectrum. She is very involved with her son's school and an advocate for both special needs children and regular education children concerning issues such as class sizes/student-teacher ratios. Meredith graduated from Baker University with a B.S. in Accounting and has 20 years of experience in Accounting and Financial Analysis. She works as Assistant Controller at CBIZ, Inc. in Leawood, Kansas.

Bill
Robinson

Past President
Bill served as the President of the Autism Society-The Heartland from the latter part of 2006 until Sepetmber, 2009.  He also served as the Treasurer from 2003-2009.  Bill is the proud grandfather of five grandchildren, including a ten year old grandson on the autism spectrum. He serves on the Chapter Services Committee for the Autism Society of America and served as the "Contact Person" for all the Chapters in the South-West Region of the Autism Society.  Bill is an attorney and is now retired after serving twenty one years as a District Court Judge. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.S. in Business Administration and Juris Doctor in Law.

Amanda
Appl
Board Member

Amanda is the proud mother of three children, one daughter with ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome. Her two other children have learning issues and allergies related to the Autism Spectrum. She has a BS in Elementary Education and experience in Early Childhood Education as well. She is currently enrolled at KU working on her Master’s in Special Education with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorders. With her education background she is an excellent resource to educate communities about Autism awareness. ASH has touched her heart and helped her find a community that truly supports parents and families challenged by autism. She coordinated the ASH participation in the 2008 and 2009 American Royal Parades and is the Birthday Party Committee Chair.

Mark A.
Foster
Board Member

After receiving his Ph.D. in sociology in 1984, Mark Foster has taught full-time at four universities and colleges. He has been at Johnson County Community College since 1993 where he is presently Professor of Sociology. His areas of specialization are the sociology of religion, social theory, and clinical sociology. In 2007, Mark was diagnosed with Asperger's autism, which clarified his life. Parallel to many Asperger's autistics born in the middle 1950s, Mark was diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia in the early 1960s, was placed on several medications, and had electroconvulsive treatments when he was only 11. He is presently the founding director of the League to Fight Neurelitism, an autistic self-advocacy group, and is director of the Kansas City area chapter of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network.

Robin
Jordan
Board Member

Robin is the parent of a 26 year old son (Boone) who has autism.  Robin joined ASH as a way to learn about autism resource, so that she could be a better advocate for Boone; and to better serve her clients at work.  Robin has been the Family Resource Specialist for the autism team at Children's Mercy Hospital since March, 2009.  She has worked as a registered nurse at Children's Mercy Hospital since 1993 and is also a board certified pediatric nurse, and a certified mentor for MPACT. Robin holds a BS in business administration from the University of Central Missouri.

Michael
Kaplan
Board Member
Robin
Masters
Board Member

Robin found the ASH group when her daughter Morgan was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism/Asperger’s and ADHD at age 7. She was seeking a support group for herself but surprisingly found so much more. ASH has been a wonderful addition to the entire family. Morgan has made some wonderful friends and has had a blast doing it. Robin’s husband Bruce has enjoyed getting to know all the faces of ASH and has become an active part of the organization as well.  Morgan’s grandfather even gets in on the fun by attending events and finds it fascinating to talk with the other grandparents that have children on the spectrum.   Robin has been a hairstylist for 22 years and also has an extensive background in hospitality.   She has a motto that she truly believes in, “you get out of it what you put into it”. Her family has truly benefited from their participation in the ASH group.

Don
Stroup
Board Member

Don has a beautiful daughter and two beautiful granddaughters, 10 and 13; the oldest has a severe allergy to peanuts, tree nuts and fish. He retired from Procter & Gamble as a facilities manager and welding inspector after 29 years. After retiring he became a volunteer with Seniors Serving Schools, RSVP and volunteers three mornings each week at Countryside Elementary in Olathe. Don has two very dear friends who are affected by autism, one has a grandson with autism and the other has a son with autism. It is because of them that he became involved in ASH and hopes to be able to help all families with children on the spectrum.