Million Dollar Teacher Project

Meet Our Board Members

Current Board

Lloyd Hopkins

CEO/Founder

Lloyd Hopkins, an organizational leader with extensive experience in community and nonprofit work, has always been committed to the advancement of K-12 education in Arizona. He graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. With his education and passion for ensuring quality education for all, he launched the Million Dollar Teacher Project in 2016. Lloyd also serves as the Chair of Real Engagement through Active Philanthropy, a fund under the AZ Community Foundation to make a positive impact on African-American Youth.

Karen Ulinski

President

The daughter of a retired firefighter from Upstate NY, Karen learned at a young age about the necessity to help others in whatever capacity possible. Others who might be complete strangers and who might have nothing in common besides being fellow human beings.

She has collaborated with and volunteered for local non-profit organizations representing all types of groups in our community. This has allowed her to be bold in her pursuit to help elevate the lives of others.

Rhonda Bowman

Vice President

Passionate and highly skilled educator with 11 years of special education and team building experience. Proven leadership abilities with a track record of establishing and nurturing strong working relationships with students, parents and faculty.

Kristine Morris

Treasurer

Kristine Morris, Superintendent of Union Elementary School District, has spent her entire career teaching in and leading public schools throughout Maricopa County. A strategic and systemic thinking, in her prior role, Ms. Morris provided collaborative leadership in the development of the Maricopa County Education Service Agency (MCESA) into a nationally recognized Educational Service Agency known for quality innovations in teaching, learning, and leadership for the fifth largest county in the Nation.

Bill Pankey

Member

Bill Pankey has been involved in training and development for over 25 years. With experience as an Executive Director and Training & Development Specialist, Bill has enjoyed a storied career offering multifaceted, broad-based expertise in training and development, organizational leadership, strategic planning, financial controls, and operational directives. Over the course of his career, Bill has been an active mentor and teacher for students of all ages.

Brian Stinson

Member

Brian is an engineer, entrepreneur, father, and athlete with nearly 30 years’ experience building high performing teams and driving culture change. In 2016, he left his role as IT Workforce Strategist at Intel Corporation to launch The PEAK Fleet consultancy with the sole purpose of helping organizations create engaged workforces that thrive together. Brian’s core values are Open Mindedness, Humility, Fairness, Wellness, Family, and Independence.

Leighton Tyau

Member

Attorney & Entrepreneur, I’m Leighton and I’m passionate about personal finance, tax minimization, and avoiding unintended consequences (good planning). When I’m not drafting wills and trusts or advising clients, I’m usually taking care of my daughter, walking my dog, or having a beer with friends. I’ve been a lifelong entrepreneur, always owning one business or another since I was a teen. I was born and raised in Hawaii and went to Oregon for college. In 2006, after receiving my bachelors in the field of economics, I moved to Arizona. After graduating law school in 2011, I started my law career in family law and an ecommerce business at the same time. As the business grew, I transitioned to small business law taking on business clients while running a successful company. I started Copper State Estate Planning because of my passion for personal finance and the pursuit of the American Dream. Combining those two passions with my expertise in tax law, I decided that estate planning was my calling. As such, I decided to transition myself to helping families protect and pass on their wealth.

Michelle Alvis

Member

Personal-able, enthusiastic professional with a work history of creating high-energy, positive, and development of various programs & departments. Successful engagement of various department heads in leading teams & producing optimal results. Continuing to cultivate strong professional relationships with all levels of management to ensure development. Passionately committed to clients & family’s success as well as loyalty.

Jason Kerrick

Member

Jason has over 24 years of financial industry experience, with four years at OneAZ Credit Union. As the Regional Sales Leader for the Central Region, Jason is a link between OneAZ and the communities we are part of, helping our Credit Union anticipate the growing needs of Arizona businesses in the Phoenix area. His experience has taught him the importance of building trusting relationships between business leaders, their financial institutions and the communities they serve. For him, that relationship is more than just business – it’s a true partnership between the organization and the credit union. Jason moved to Arizona from Ohio in 2007 and has worked in the Phoenix area ever since. Prior to joining OneAZ Credit Union, Jason worked as a Regional Manager with a Regional Bank for ten years. Jason is very passionate about coaching and practices both with Associates that he leads daily at work but also in his volunteering efforts outside of work. Jason spends a lot of time outside of work as a volunteer coach for organizations that offer youth sports programs to the youth in the community.

Founding Board

Chanel Dudoit

Community Development | Microsoft

Carol Farabee

Community DeveConsultantlopment | Microsoft

Jared Greenberg

Manager | Uncle Louie’s Restaurant

Ryan Hamilton

Realtor | United Brokers Group

Lynnette Harris-Scott

Consultant

Jessica Heart

Owner | Heart2Heart PR

Lloyd Hopkins

CEO/Founder | Million Dollar Teacher Project

Juan Kingsbury

CEO | Career Blindspot

Wiley Larsen

Program Manager | Postdoctoral Affairs Office at ASU

Kristine Morris

Superintendent | Union Elementary School District

Bill Pankey

Consultant

Erica Schwartzmann

Partnership Manager | Arizona State University

Colin Seale

Founder/CEO | thinkLaw

Apply Below

All items are required. 

Your Role:*

Growing the Tree

Million Dollar Teacher Tree was first developed in a classroom by students in a program called, Next Generation Service Corps at Arizona State University in December of 2017. These students were tasked by Lloyd Hopkins, founder of Million Dollar Teacher project with developing a project that can potentially become an integral part in helping MDTP achieve its mission. The group eventually developed the original prototype for Million Dollar Teacher Tree—a cutout dollar sign that would be placed in surrounding businesses near the partner school. The idea was pitched to staff members of MDTP during the last of their class, and the project was picked up by MDTP as a new pilot program for the organization. After many months of planning, the prototype was eventually revamped into what it is today, Million Dollar Teacher Tree.

Golden Apple

These apples are intended to provide any sort of Professional Development which, in turn, gifts them with key knowledge to add to their personal skill-set to better work with their students.

As educators, teachers are constantly looking to continually grow in their profession to not only learn how to better connect with their students, but to also make the learning experience much more exciting.

Suggested donation amount range: $10 – $100

Red Apple

These apples are designed to provide the typical day-to-day items in the classroom. Teachers spend can spend upwards of $1,000 out of pocket to have enough supplies yearlong for their students– to alleviate this, the Red Apples were created.

Everyday school supplies include; pencils, notebooks, crayons, hand sanitizer, etc.

Green Apple

These apples are intended to provide a big-ticket item for the teachers. These supplies are typically something that the teachers can use for more than one school year.

Examples include; a class-set of computers or new furniture for the classroom.

Suggested donation amount: $500+