ABOUT US
Mission
Facilitating learning through safe adventuring in a kids' co-working space
Triple Stone Education Support exists to provide an environment for students to be free to improve their skills both inside and outside of the classroom. We provide educational support to all students regardless of financial limitations.
Triple Stone provides motivated Title 1 students access to after-school educational adventures in a safe, affordable kids’ co-working space with interest-based learning opportunities and homework help alongside engaged supportive mentors.
Kids want to spend time in the welcoming and comfortable environment at Triple Stone. Volunteers are sincere and accessible, encouraging kids to think for themselves. We value the opinions of kids and encourage them to have a voice in their community.
We are committed to making available the types of workshops, often technology-based, in which participants are interested. We base the availability of these workshops on the ideas and interest of the kids.
Throughout the organization, Triple Stone emphasizes respect for self, each other, and the world by way of promoting kindness, creativity, risk-taking, empowerment, healthy decision making, diversity, and personal leadership. We work to collaborate with other positive youth-supporting organizations.
History
Triple Stone was developed in 2014 after a group of dedicated education professionals were discussing the needs for:
- High quality, low/no-cost after-school learning support for those in need who truly care
- Safe comfortable spaces for kids to finish homework in a supportive environment
- Opportunities to learn the cool stuff they want to learn
Lindsay Lanspeary grabbed these ideas, added some much loved references from the movie The Goonies®*, and ran with it.
The process of opening Triple Stone was not easy or quick, but it has been fueled by a passion to create opportunities for kids to be great.
MEET THE TEAM
Our Board of Directors is made up of a group of skilled individuals combining various backgrounds with the same common purpose: ensuring students have a safe, fun, and healthy place to continue their desired learning once the school day ends.
President/CEO
Lindsay Lanspeary knew she wanted to be a teacher by the time she was 9 years old. It wasn't until college, however, when a professor taught her that math was simply a series of puzzles to be solved that she realized she wanted to teach math. She was inspired to help kids understand what she learned - that math doesn't HAVE to be hard. For over a decade, this was exactly what she did.
After years spent frustrated by the massive limitations within the field of education, Lindsay found her voice as an activist speaking out on behalf of students and teachers alike. She fought for quality public education in Arizona for many years, serving as Member-at-Large, Vice-President, and then President of the Madison District Classroom Teachers' Association. She continues supporting this battle in her work with Triple Stone by helping students and parents break free of the limitations she encountered over those years.
A Phoenix native and mother to a high-school-aged daughter, Lindsay taught for 11 years in Arizona public schools before taking the leap in 2014 to open Triple Stone Education Support. Lindsay brings to Triple Stone her love of math, music, technology, healthy living, kindness, and creativity. Her passion lies in creating opportunities for kids of all ages to challenge themselves and supporting them in becoming better people, both inside and out of the classroom.
Vice-President
Erin Manning is a full-time teacher at Peoria Accelerated High School. Previously, she taught all levels of high school English and the health elective "Family Life" (a sexual health, relationships, and communication class) at Estrella High school. Prior to teaching full-time, she worked in public policy, education, and youth program management at Planned Parenthood Arizona. Her primary role before leaving PPAZ was coordinating TAG (the Teen Advisory Group), a youth-driven group of teens dedicated to educating their peers and improving family communication about sexual health to change perceptions and behaviors regarding sex and relationships in the greater Phoenix area.
She has been an advocate for reproductive rights, education and social justice in Arizona at the grassroots level for over a decade. She was a founding member of Vox: Students for Choice and the Progressive Student Union at Arizona State University’s West Campus. She is a former Arizona street team leader for Rock the Vote and is dedicated to improving Arizona one election at a time.
Erin is a second generation native of Phoenix. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Masters of Education and a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Special Events Management from ASU’s West Campus.
Secretary
Nikki Kontz is the Clinical Director for Teen Lifeline, a local nonprofit dedicated to providing a safe, confidential and crucial crisis service where teens help teens make healthy decisions. She has been working in the field for the past 15 years, including work on a crisis mobile team, postvention intervention and assessment for hospitalization. Nikki specializes in mental health issues, crisis intervention, suicide prevention and education, and adolescence. She currently is a state Licensed Master Social Worker, a certified crisis worker through the American Association of Suicidology, field instructor for the Social Work Department at ASU, and serves as the President on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition. Nikki and Lindsay have been helping save the world together since high school and aren’t planning to stop anytime soon.
Treasurer
Jared Pflaster is a Travel Marketing professional with AAA Arizona, where he is also on the AAA Serves committee, helping to connect AAA Arizona employees with opportunities to give back to the community. Jared serves as a Chair for Generation United, a young professionals group that advocates the work of Valley of the Sun United Way. Jared also served on the United Way Campaign Cabinet chaired by Dr. Michael Crow of ASU. Jared shares a passion for education and community improvement with Lindsay and is excited and honored to be a part of the board for Triple Stone Education Support.
Member at Large
When Alannah Coley-Eisenmann was in middle school, two life-altering events occurred. Her younger brother was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and she began volunteering in special education classrooms. Since then, Alannah's educational and career goals have involved helping children with special needs. After graduating with her BA in Psychology from Arizona State University, Alannah began working with children with ASD in both school and home-based settings. Alannah is currently completing her graduate education in Psychology, with a focus on Child Development and Applied Behavioral Analysis. She lives in Phoenix with her daughter, Eleanor.
Member at Large
A native of Phoenix, Paul worked on post-graduate schooling in Early Childhood Education until he decided he was too much of a pushover to work with six year olds. He is a HarperCollins author and has at times made half his living as a visual artist. His day job for the past 10 years has been helping people with socially responsible investing as the founder of Invest Green. He is married and the father of two school-aged daughters, and lives a short walk from his place of birth in downtown Phoenix.
Member at Large
David Hedges is a corporate attorney at Quarles & Brady LLP. He maintains a comprehensive transactional practice, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and general business law matters. David is an active member of Quarles Cares, where he participates in outreach events at Capitol School. In addition, David has been recognized as a Pro Bono Superstar for his work on behalf of nonprofits. Before starting his career as an attorney, David served as a civics instructor at Perryville Prison through a local nonprofit focused on reducing recidivism rates. David earned his Juris Doctor from Berkeley Law, and his BIS in political science and gender studies and his BFA in oil painting from Arizona State University.
