At Kids Moving & Thriving, our team is committed to upholding our core mission: to create access to affordable, inclusive physical activity programming for K-8 youths throughout greater Kalamazoo. With the aim of ensuring that every child reaches adulthood at a healthy weight, our team works tirelessly to create, promote, and host a range of events, from family relays and fun runs to triathlon training camps and winter break activities.
Carl Roberts has been a part of Kids Moving & Thriving since its’ inception in 2012. He has served as Co-chairperson from 2012 through 2017.
Carl earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from Western Michigan University. Recently Carl was inducted into the WMU College of Engineering and Applied Science Alumni Excellence Academy.
Carl began his professional career with Eaton Transmission Division in 1968. He retired from BorgWarner in 2007 as Vice President of Engineering for their Thermal Systems Division. He served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1972.
Carl has been and remains very active in a number of community service organizations including Kids Moving & Thriving, Mt. Zion Baptist Church Trustee Board, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Scholarship Board, Western Michigan University Engineering Design Technology Department Advisor, WMU National Society of Black Engineers Chapter Advisor, WMU Human Subjects Institutional Review Board and Kalamazoo County Land Bank Board.
Carl is happily married to Mary. They have one son, Edward.
Sandy Barry-Loken serves as the Executive Director of Communications & Community Engagement at Kalamazoo RESA. She previously held the role of Vice President for Community Impact and Investment at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation (KZCF) leading the foundation’s grantmaking team in the development and implementation of strategies designed to advance racial equity and expand inclusive practices in community. Sandy has served in various leadership roles both in the nonprofit sector and in higher education over the past 25 years with a focus on building the power of girls and women and on equitable access to education. Sandy serves as KMT’s Board Co-Chair and on various other boards including the YWCA Cradle Kalamazoo Governing Board and the Gazelle Sports Foundation Board. She is a founding member of KZCF’s Anti-Racism Transformation Team (ARTT), served as co-chair of the Advisory Board of the Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care and on the Western Michigan University School of Communication Advisory Board. Sandy earned a Master of Arts degree in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology and a Bachelor of Science degree in public relations from Western Michigan University
Nicole Wallace has been a part of the Kalamazoo community since relocating from Geneva, Illinois in 2014. During her time here she has been active in several organizations such as Kalamazoo Country Day Parents Association, the Silhouette Chapter of Kalamazoo Michigan, the Southwest Michigan Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, The Links of Kalamazoo (MI) and the Iota Sigma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She also serves on the board of Kids Moving & Thriving and is an active member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Mrs. Wallace holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida and a MBA from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. This year Nicole will celebrate 26 years of blissful marriage to Roscoe Wallace Sr., and is mother to Mackenzie and Roscoe Wallace Jr