On April 25, 2016, Patty Link began work for the annual conference as the Advocate for the Change a Child’s Story Initiative. She will be working half-time for the next sixteen months to provide strategic support and resourcing to the Change a Child’s Story team, so that the conference’s efforts to improve early childhood reading proficiency can be amplified.
Patty is a native of Burlington, Iowa. She spent part of her childhood in Dyersville and has resided in Des Moines since 1999. She attended both the University of Northern Iowa and Kirkwood Community College before moving to the east coast. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from The Pennsylvania State University in Harrisburg, and her Master’s Degree in Reading Instruction from George Mason University in Alexandria, Virginia, and she also taught 2nd and 4th grades there before returning to Iowa.
Patty has a current Master Educator license in the state of Iowa. From 2007-2012 she served on the Des Moines Public School Board; she also served 11 years on the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council as a citizen member. She was the Iowa State Director for an education reform group before resuming her current job at Grace United Methodist Church as a program director for an after-school program. She is also active in the youth group at Grace. Patty is married to Jeff Link and has three children.
Patty is eager to work with the Change a Child’s Story team and be part of this important effort.
“United Methodists in Iowa have been challenged to break the cycle of generational poverty through building up literacy among Iowa’s children. I’m excited to blend my experiences in the classroom, the public and my education to be an asset to this process.”
Patty can be reached by e-mail at Patty.Link@iaumc.org.