This is Amy's Story

BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHANGE MAKERS COMMITTEE
I’m just a regular gal, born and raised in Fort Wayne Indiana.I earned my Master’s in accounting from Indiana Tech.I work full-time at an insurance company and part-time teaching at my alma mater. I enjoy spending time with my family and watching sports and game shows.
After prematurely losing my nephew in 2017 to gun violence, I became more concerned about what’s going on in my community.
I started paying more attention to crime and the response by local government. My eyes were opened wide by the variety of injustices taking place in my hometown. I was worried for the safety of my loved ones.
In my pursuit for justice, I found that navigating our justice system was difficult, confusing, and overwhelming. To my dismay, there seemed to be a tremendous lack of accountability and compassion from top authorities. Time after time, the various agencies were pointing fingers at each other. Meanwhile, my family was caught in the middle, left with no answers and no justice. After speaking with others and hearing their stories, I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling defeated.
Eventually I teamed up with Stacey Davis. We felt the need to do something. There’s power in numbers, right? That’s when we founded JAVA and faced the hurdles together, with confidence.I’m extremely passionate about spreading awareness and helping others. I have an enormous amount of empathy for others who’ve faced similar loss and frustration. I know my nephew is never coming back, but I will keep his memory alive as I continue to be a voice about what’s really going on.
With my experience and education, it seemed fitting that I would become the treasurer for JAVA and help with fundraising. It seemed logical to throw in all the other administrative tasks, such as website, phone calls, etc.