Meet the NACS Board of School Trustees
STEVE BARTKUS
Steve Bartkus was born and raised in Northwest Allen County and graduated from Carroll High School in 1991. After working in architectural design for eight years, Steve acquired his license to sell real estate. He has held his broker's license in real estate for more than 15 years, along with being a licensed auctioneer. Steve is a proud member of the IAR, NAR, NAA , IAA and has his CAI & AMM Designations for Auctioneers.
Steve has been part of Real Estate Boards and the Church Board of St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Churubusco where his family attends. Steve has been married to his wife, Jody, since 1998. She, too, is a product of NACS. Together they have two children, William and Whitney, whom both attended Huntertown Elementary, Carroll Middle and Carroll High School. They currently attend Purdue University and Indiana University.
Steve enjoys helping out with the Allen County 4-H program, being part of St. John Bosco's Catholic Men's group SPARC, the youth group, being an eucharistic minister both at mass as well has taking it to the sick and Homebound, St. Vincent's Rekindle the Fire and the Knights of Columbus. Steve has been a avid outdoorsmen and enjoys spending time hunting, fishing and experiencing the great outdoors.
Township Represented: Eel River
Began Serving on Board: 2017
Current Term Expires: 2024
Phone: 260-437-6555
Liz Hathaway joined the Northwest Allen County Schools Board of School Trustees in January of 2015. She is a 1992 graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. She was employed as an engineer by Von Duprin in Indianapolis. Following her time at Von Duprin she spent her time doing consulting work.
Liz has extensive experience in the NACS district as a volunteer and member of the PTO. She has chaperoned many field trips, participated and organized fundraisers, tutored students, assisted teachers and staff both in and out of the classroom and assisted with many of her children's extracurricular activities.
Liz and her husband Bob have 4 children. All of her children attended Perry Hill Elementary School, Maple Creek Middle School and Carroll High School. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family, summers at the lake, reading, gardening and volunteering at school and in the community. Currently she serves on the board of the Fort Wayne Medical Society Alliance, ISMA-A, Super Shot, Cinderella Dress Day and tutors with Study Connection.
Liz vows to do her best to represent the students, teachers, and staff of Northwest Allen County Schools. Her goal is to make sure all children receive the highest quality of education possible while being a careful steward of the resources of the school district.
Township Represented: At Large
Began Serving on Board: 2015
Current Term Expires: 2026
Home Phone: 260-637-6879
Kristi Schlatter has served as a Northwest Allen County School Board member since 2017, and has held the office of Board Secretary the past two years and will continue in that role for a third year. Kristi has also represented our region for the Indiana School Board Association's Nominating Committee in 2019 and 2020. She and her husband, Mark are both graduates of Carroll High School (1991 and 1990 respectively). Kristi graduated from Purdue University (1996) with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. She has taught high school and middle school mathematics and has also been a substitute teacher, served with PTO and has volunteered in the classroom.
Kristi and her family have roots in the Arcola and Huntertown areas that exceed over five generations, and they currently reside on a small farm near Arcola. She is the mother of four children, the oldest of whom graduated from Carroll High School in 2019 and the youngest of whom is a student at Arcola Elementary. Kristi enjoys cheering her children on in their extracurricular activities, mentoring, volunteering at church and in her community, and enjoys nature and the outdoors.
Kristi is honored and blessed for the opportunity to serve and invest in the NACS community through this role as a school board trustee. She is passionate about service and excellence in education, and will join the school board efforts to facilitate these for each student. She values the opportunity to support and encourage both students and staff. Kristi desires to give back to the community that has given so much to her.
Township Represented: Lake
Began Serving on Board: June 2017
Current Term Expires: 2026
Phone: 260-609-0741
Northwest Allen County School Board Member Kent Somers is employed at Swiss Re, an international reinsurance company. An actuary by training, Kent is a Sr. Vice President and leads a team responsible for onboarding and monitoring large transactions executed in North America. Prior to joining Swiss Re in 2013, he spent 25 years at Lincoln National Life as an executive in financial and risk management roles.
Kent is a 1986 graduate from Purdue University, West Lafayette, with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics. Professionally, Somers has earned both the FSA and CERA designations from the Society of Actuaries.
Kent and his wife Lisa have three children, a son currently working in his ER residency program, and two daughters currently within the NACS system. In addition to a very busy family life, the Somers family attends Central Ministries where Kent has served the church in various roles.
In 2020, Kent was re-elected to his third term as a Trustee. He is determined to ensure that NACS continues to provide an outstanding educational environment for all students, teachers and support staff; while striving for persistent growth in learning opportunities.
Township Represented: Perry Township
Began Serving on Board: 2013
Current Term Expires: 2024
Home Phone: 260-637-0163
Email: [email protected]
DARREN VOGT
Darren Vogt is the newest member of the NACS School Board having begun his term in January 2023. Darren began his career in insurance with Allstate Insurance Agency in Fort Wayne in 1994. After 28 years of owning his own agency employing nine staff, he retired in 2022 to begin his next adventure. Along with insurance, Darren has also long been in commercial and residential real estate, owning commercial and residential investment properties. He is currently developing a Parlor Doughnut franchise in Huntertown; the shop is scheduled to open summer 2023.
Not new to government work, Darren was first elected to the Allen County Council in 2002 and he served three 4-year terms. He served as president for six of the 12 years. He currently sits on the Redevelopment Commission.
Other boards on which Darren has served include Greater Fort Wayne Inc., Urban Transportation (UTAB), Northern Indiana Regional Transportation, and Junior Achievement. Besides serving on JA’s board, he also taught JA since the 1990s. In addition, Darren has been heavily involved with Charger Youth Football for the past 12 years.
Darren has a Sports Marketing Management degree from IU Bloomington having graduated in 1992. He and his wife Jennifer have four kids ranging in age from 13 to 22 who are in grades 7, 10, 12 and a senior in college.
Darren plans to bring his business, local and state government experience to the board for the benefit of the NACS community.
Township Represented: At Large
Began Serving on Board: 2023
Current Term Expires: 2026
Phone: 260-402-1835