Inspire. Empower. Soar.
Where C.H.A.N.G.E. is Possible
Meet Our Team
Our Founders
CHIP ST. CLAIR, CO-FOUNDER
Chip St. Clair, bestselling author of The Butterfly Garden: Surviving Childhood on the Run with One of America’s Most Wanted (HCI 2008), is a motivational speaker who shares his personal story of tragedy and triumph. St. Clair has been featured on Good Morning America, Dateline, and the Huffington Post among others, and in a documentary series on OWN as well as Investigation Discovery, airing in syndication worldwide for his incredible story of overcoming unbelievable odds. As a young boy, Chip found solitude in poetry and literature – Dickens, Dumas, Twain, Harper Lee, and Tolkien offered brief respite into a world more beautiful than his own. In 2005, St. Clair was honored with a U.S. Congressional Record for his ardent child advocacy. In 2007, Chip and his wife, Lisa, founded the St. Clair Butterfly Foundation, with a mission to eradicate the notion that children of sordid backgrounds are defined by their surroundings and destined to continue a cycle of suffering. Universities and high schools across the country have incorporated The Butterfly Garden into their curriculum, and St. Clair’s riveting lectures have become an integral part of the training for law enforcement, prosecutors, and DHS is several states. For Child Abuse Awareness Month, St. Clair participated in nearly 100 interviews worldwide. In addition to his published memoir, The Butterfly Garden, St. Clair has also contributed a prologue for the children’s book, I Said No! A Kid-to-Kid Guide to Keeping your Private Parts Private. Today, St. Clair continues to grow his foundation and lecture nationwide as a member of Premiere Speakers Bureau and Celebrity Talent International. He is at work on several fiction book projects, where he looks to offer readers of all ages the same inspiration and enjoyment he found in books as a child.
LISA ST. CLAIR, CO-FOUNDER AND SECRETARY
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Lisa St. Clair is actively involved in the development and oversight of the nonprofit organization dedicated to helping at-risk children find their voice. St. Clair has been featured on Good Morning America, Dateline, and the Huffington Post among others, and in a documentary series on OWN as well as Investigation Discovery, airing in syndication worldwide for her intrical role in helping Chip overcome unbelievable odds. In 2007, Lisa and Chip founded the St. Clair Butterfly Foundation, with a mission to eradicate the notion that children of sordid backgrounds are defined by their surroundings and destined to continue a cycle of suffering. Former Director of Casework for the Michigan chapter of an award-winning national organization, Lisa St. Clair ran the case-intake and internship initiative program for over three years. Working in the nonprofit sector provided her invaluable experience from fundraising and networking with other nonprofits, to helping to pass critical legislation to better protect children in three states, in addition to working with professionals in the field to develop therapeutic programs for children in need. Based on popular demand, Lisa is working with Chip on a self-help book covering her unique perspective and insight through their amazing journey together. She has been the owner of a successful small business for over fifteen years. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys baking and outdoor activities.
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Our Board of Directors
JOHN J. SCHALTER — PRESIDENT
John J. Schalter is a practicing lawyer who has dedicated over 35 years to serving the needs of personal injury clients in Michigan and California. He did his undergraduate work at Michigan State University, where he was an Evan’s Scholar. He then went on to the University of Notre Dame Law School. He is licensed in both the State and Federal Courts in Michigan and California. Mr. Schalter views Personal Injury Law as his life calling. His father experienced a massive heart attack and stroke due to carbon monoxide poisoning at his job that left him completely disabled for 11 years. Since then, he has made it his life’s mission to help bring justice to innocent victims of negligent conduct. In his free time, Schalter writes screenplays for major studios and producers in Hollywood, in addition to writing the column "Ask a Life Coach" for Eydis Magazine. He and his wife Carrie are professional life coaches at Quantum Leap Coaching, and have also built and a school in Kenya, Africa. Together they host the immensely popular and inspirational radio show called The Butterfly Moment.
RANDY SPECK — VICE PRESIDENT
Randy Speck is an experienced educational leader who has one dream for students . . . that they are able to learn and define their academic success based on what they are learning. Randy’s dream for education and for students centers around their needs and their strengths. Students no longer live in a world where they have to wait for knowledge to come to them. The days of the teacher being the possessor of knowledge and bestowing that knowledge to the child are coming to an end. It’s coming to an end because students are no longer going to wait for the information. Randy dreams of a day that schools are created in a way in which education meets students where they are, where curriculum is designed based on what is best for students, where teachers are valued for the servants they are, when students have the ability to learn in real-time achieving real-time results, when students have a say in the design and development of curriculum based on their needs and not those of publishing companies, and when students, no matter how they learn are viewed as special pieces of a amazing puzzle. Recognized in 2010 by Corp! Magazine as one of the Top Entrepreneurs in Michigan, Randy believes in the power of transforming communities through a transformation of education. He began as Superintendent of Madison District Public Schools in April of 2012 after serving as Superintendent of Oakland Christian School located in Auburn Hills, MI and Principal of Angell Elementary School in Berkley, MI. Randy and his wife Kim have two children, Palmer (9) and Lainey Hope (5).
RUTH FRUSHOUR — SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Ruth Frushour graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Education. Frushour taught Health and Physical Education for 35 years in the Troy School District. Ruth Frushour is presently retired and enjoys volunteering for the St. Clair Butterfly Foundation, the Master Gardner’s Society of Oakland County, and the honorary teachers’ sorority, Alpha Delta Kappa.
PATTY HUFFER
Patty Huffer attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Education in Home Economics (now referred to as Life Skills or Family Ecology). She earned her Master’s in Marriage and Family Counseling from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. After having her children, Patty served as a Brownie Leader and then an Assistant Cub Scout Leader for several years. For a total of almost 17 years, she taught Life Skills classes in Westwood Heights School District in Flint, Michigan and Frankenmuth and Troy, MI school districts. Currently, Patty is retired and enjoys volunteering for St. Clair Butterfly Foundation, Troy Senior Computer Learning Center, and other organizations such as Arts and Scraps and Gleaners Food Bank. In addition, she dabbles in quilting and various sewing projects some of which are donated to organizations for program support or fundraising such as Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester, Michigan.
MELISSA SALK MORRIS
Melissa Salk Morris an accomplished professional with more than 25 years of diversified experience and success in marketing and sales for companies ranging from service niche businesses to “Fortune 500” corporations. Her major strengths are in public relations, marketing, media relations, investor relations, implementation of procedures/controls and complete sales cycles. Melissa is a dependable, thorough, and well-organized planner with a successful record of accomplishment in coordinating and adopting new ideas. She has extensive organizational and planning skills - completely reorganized marketing departments to improve efficiency and to track inventory more accurately.
ELAINE GROHMAN
Elaine Grohman is an Energy Healer, educator, Angel Reader, and author who for nearly 20 years has worked with many individuals, teaching people about their own personal connection to the Living Earth, the source of Energy. As an Energy Healer, Elaine has been privileged to work with both the University of Michigan Medical School and Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit, Michigan, to help medical students, medical faculty and physicians begin to understand the integrative principles of Energy Medicine. Elaine has a private practice in which she works with people to regain their connection to the Living Earth, thereby helping them heal in multiple ways - Body, Mind, Spirit and Emotions. Elaine was brought to this work through a profound personal hospice experience. From there, she began to work in hospice while studying the phenomenon of Energy Medicine. As a natural adjunct to Energy, her innate intuitive skills opened and blossomed further. Elaine is the former host of CBS Psychic Radio's "Going Beyond Medicine," in which she interviewed world renowned and local experts in the fields of Integrative Medicine. Elaine is a frequent guest on the Emmy Award winning Medical show, "Ask Dr. Nandi," and does both in person and phone Angel Readings, helping people to open to their own potentials and self understanding. In February 2015 Elaine was asked to re-establish her radio show, “Going Beyond Medicine,” on Empower Radio. She hosts a 1 hour weekly show in which she interviews people who are making a difference in our world. She is the author of two books, “The Angels and Me – Experiences of Receiving and Sharing Divine Information,” (2009) and, “Spirit Awakening – Wisdom for Life and Living.” (2011) She teaches about Sacred Geometry, Energy Medicine, Intuition and the Native American body of Wisdom known as the Medicine Wheels, and Earth Science that helps us to have a deeper appreciation for our place in Creation and how to open to our Human potentials.
LINDSAY SCHWEICKERT
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Lindsay Schweickert is a professional photographer at Lindsay K Photography and advanced quality engineer at Mayco International LLC.
SANDRA REIGEL
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Sandra Reigel is the Owner of Reigel Investment Group. Her primary focus is on the Detroit area, buying and rehabbing foreclosed single family houses. It all began with a dream, and a desire to contribute to the betterment of Humanity. Reigel was a freelance senior client executive, responsible for key accounts in the public sector, i.e. Belgian Military, Foreign Affairs, and sales for international reporting. A few years ago, Sandra, living in her native Belgium, knew she wanted to leave the corporate world to come to the United States. She got on a plane and flew to Michigan. For some, the images of broken down homes and blight would have stopped the faint of heart. Sandra Reigel saw only opportunity.
DENNIS LEVASSEUR
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Dennis Levasseur practices intellectual property litigation, franchise/dealer litigation, complex commercial litigation, securities litigation and arbitration, primarily for securities broker-dealers, in proceedings throughout the United States. He has successfully defended securities broker-dealers and their registered representatives in unsuitability, fraud, churning, and “selling-away” cases. He also practices in the area of trade secret protection and arbitration proceedings in state and federal courts. Mr. Levasseur has lectured on broker-dealer and securities litigation to trade groups. Before joining the Firm, Mr. Levasseur clerked for the Honorable Stewart A. Newblatt of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Mr. Levasseur is a founder of the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and serves as the Legal/Government Committee Chair and on the Executive Board as the Vice President for Legal Affairs of the Detroit Historical Society. He is a City Attorney for the City of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.
Mr. Levasseur is listed as a 2016 "Lawyer of the Year" under Detroit Litigation-Banking & Finance in The Best Lawyers in America. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2016 under Litigation-Banking & Finance and Litigation-Intellectual Property, listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2009-2011 under Litigation, listed in Michigan Super Lawyers 2007-2015 under Securities Litigation, listed in Benchmark: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys 2008-2016, and is listed as a 2016 “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness magazine. He is AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.