Co-Valedictorian of her class, Kathy remembers Dale Richmond’s Senior Government Day as one of her most influential experiences at Chagrin Falls High School. She became active in student government at Hiram College, where she became the first female senator elected. Enroute to an M.S. degree in special education from Eastern Montana College in 1980 and an Ed.D. in adult and higher education from Montana State University in 1993, Dr. Kelker has influenced thousands of families. She is Executive Director and Co-Founder of Parents, Let’s Unite For Kids (PLUK), a parent training and information center which, since 1984, has imparted information about assistive technology to consumers and professionals in the education, rehabilitation and medical fields. Kathy is the author of Taking Charge: A Handbook for Parents of Children with Emotional Handicaps. She has received several awards for her work, including the Development Disabilities Service Award for her significant contributions to the quality of life for the disabled citizens of her state, and the Professional of the Year Award from the Montana Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children.