Our Team
Programming Staff
Lisa Shotts, Executive Director
Lisa Shotts has been an educator for the past 20 years. She spent a good portion of her career as an elementary and middle school teacher in the classroom. Lisa transitioned to an instructional coach role, worked with teachers for ten years, and later supported striving readers as a literacy specialist. In 2018 Lisa was honored to be chosen as Union Public Schools Teacher of the Year. She has a passion for literacy and finding ways to bridge the inequities in education for students living in under-resourced areas.
Kirby Mackenzie, Assistant Director
Kirby is an elementary school librarian. She has 9 years of teaching experience and a passion for summer reading, teaching with an emphasis on social justice, and getting kids access to great books! Working with Gaining Ground has been an amazing way to marry all of these passions and she is so excited to see the amazing transformations that continue to come from this organization.
When she is not at school or passing out books to random kids in public places, you can find her watching Ellen, teaching yoga, rocking out with an indoor cycle class, or eating tacos!
Dr. Tiffany Robles, Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Tiffany Robles began her teaching career in 2010 and moved to Tulsa in 2012. She has served as a classroom teacher, Language Arts specialist, and Instructional Coach. Most recently, she earned her Doctorate of Education in Curriculum Studies from the University of South Carolina.
Tiffany has a passion for providing engaging curriculum and experiences to students and working towards narrowing the educational opportunity gap.
Nikki Vardaman, Operations Manager
Nikki has always had a love of learning. She studied Spanish and Linguistics at the University of Oklahoma. From her passions for language and equity in eduction, she found Gaining Ground and joined as a Tulsa Service Year fellow. From that experience, she stayed with Gaining Ground full-time in Operations and is committed to furthering Gaining Ground’s mission in the Tulsa area through building systems.
In her free time, Nikki likes to read literary fiction and fantasy, play board games, crochet, and journal.
Stephanie Malik, Program Manager
After many years of volunteering and working for Gaining Ground in various positions, Stephanie is excited to join the Gaining Ground team full time as Program Manager. She earned her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Tulsa and her master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University. She is an experienced classroom teacher and has served as a Project Based Learning Specialist. Stephanie has always had a passion for literacy and is excited to step into this role.
Eliza Staton, Lead Intern
Eliza is from Tulsa and is excited to return for her third summer with Gaining Ground. She recently graduated from the University of Arkansas with degrees in Sociology and Spanish and is passionate about Gaining Ground’s mission of expanding opportunities for children through literacy. She is looking forward to continuing to help develop readers, leaders, and, of course, popsicle eaters. Outside of work, Eliza enjoys reading, crafting, and spending time with her rescue dog, Toby.
Emily Paul, GKFF Intern
Emily is very excited to join the Gaining Ground team and support their mission to expand literacy access for children in Tulsa. Emily is from Owasso, Oklahoma, and she plans to graduate from Oklahoma State University in 2027 with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in English. She is passionate about connecting children to books that they love and providing them with positive literary experiences. When she is not in school, Emily can usually be found reading, spending time with her family and friends, or drinking coffee!
Spring 2025 Program Teaching Staff
Board of Directors
Luisa Krug, Chair
Luisa Krug currently serves as the Executive Director of Eastside Rise, where she is responsible for community asset building and holistic economic development. Prior to this role, she was the Executive Director of Tulsa Global District, focusing on projects related to placemaking, public art, rental assistance, and small business support programs. Luisa has her Masters in Global Health from the University of Notre Dame and Bachelors in Biochemistry from Oklahoma State University. She serves on the Gaining Ground board of directors and was also recognized as a 2025 Pinnacle Award Honoree for Arts and Humanities.
Ana Barros, Vice Chair
Ana Barros is the Director of Collaboration and Partnerships at ImpactTulsa, a collective impact backbone organization that uses data to change systems in support of student outcomes from cradle to career. Prior to this, she was a middle school Social Studies teacher in Tulsa Public Schools for six years. Ana is a first-generation immigrant, born in Brazil and raised in Venezuela before coming to the United States at age 14. She has supported education advocacy efforts for the last decade, and is deeply embedded in Tulsa's community work.
Dana Falletti, Treasurer
Dana has over 25 years of not for profit audit, investigation, management and consulting experience. In addition to her experience serving major not for profit organizations in over 40 countries, Dana was CFO of a US Government-funded not for profit organization, was a US Peace Corps volunteer and contractor, and has served as chair, treasurer and audit committee chair on several not for profit boards.
Kyra Carby, Member
Kyra Carby is a proud and lifelong North Tulsa resident, and a dedicated educator, chef, and community organizer. Kyra’s career spans classroom teaching, public service, and grassroots organizing. She taught 1st through 3rd grade for five years within Tulsa Public Schools, where she embraced holistic education and family advocacy as cornerstones of student success. Currently, her work honors the legacies of Greenwood survivors, victims, and descendants. With a background in hospitality and restaurant management, Kyra has developed youth programs that merge cooking with academic enrichment. And in the nonprofit sector she pushed for inclusive programming and accessible green spaces across the city.
Lauren Meyer, Member
Lauren Meyer holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Oklahoma. She has worked in corporate communications at Williams in Tulsa since 2022, helping connect employees with information and resources that support business goals and company culture. Outside of work, Lauren is a wife and proud mom of two boys. She spends much of her free time cheering from the sidelines at youth sporting events and enjoys reading and tending her garden.
Dr. Janel Pasley, Member
Dr. Janel Pasley is a health equity strategist and philanthropic leader who builds the systems, leaders, and community infrastructure that make collective action possible. She is the Founder and Principal Consultant of For LITE Solutions, a Tulsa-based consultancy focused on nonprofit capacity building, philanthropic strategy, and leadership development.
