About Us
Opportunity in Motion
The Big Bus was born in 2022 when our founder, Tracy Davidson, ran a re-election campaign for school board in Westerville, OH. Spending time out in the Westerville community, Tracy spoke with New American families at Abbey Lane apartments. Many of these families had arrived in the United States within the last three to five years, some from refugee camps.
Many of the Abbey Lane parents expressed hope that their children could receive academic support. For immigrant students who are also trying to learn English, navigating public education and succeeding in school involves serious challenges and complexities. Things we often take for granted—knowing the language that school subjects are taught in, for example—aren't always a given for these students.
One of the mothers, in broken English, asked if there was a way that she and other mothers in their community could receive help with their English language and reading skills. That way, they could help their children succeed in school while also helping each other integrate into their new community. She repeated the idea in Somali, and all of the mothers around her nodded their heads in agreement.
The idea for The Big Bus began to take shape that day, with dreams of bringing multigenerational impact and educational equity to under-resourced areas. The first literal Big Bus—our school bus beautifully redesigned into a mobile classroom—quickly became road ready, with its first stop set to Abbey Lane. The Big Bus team, meanwhile, made a commitment to continue deeply listening to community needs, with the understanding that supporting individuals and groups in need benefits our entire community ecosystem. ​
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We started with after-school K-5 tutoring at Abbey Lane Apartments, we expanded to include English Language Learning (ELL) programming for parents and kindergarten readiness for preschool children. With our programming more firmly established, we have grown to Newcastle Townhomes and Charring Cross neighborhoods. With the introduction of The Big Bus II, we have expanded programming to serve 6th-12th grade students and hope to continue to grow our outreach
Our Programs
The Big Bus I
Big Bus I focuses on after-school homework help for K-5th grade students in three community neighborhoods. We are at Newcastle Townhomes every Tuesday, Abbey Lane Apartments every Wednesday, and Charring Cross every Thursday, providing students with a supportive, consistent learning environment each week.
The Big Bus II
Big Bus II serves middle and high school students across Westerville City Schools through a weekly rotation. In December of 2024 we launched programs at both Abbey Lane Apartments and Newcastle Townhomes, and have added Charring Cross since.
Meet The Team
Jenn grew up in Westerville and is grateful to now be raising her family in the same community with her husband and their two sons, James and Jensen. She earned two degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education from Eastern Michigan University, along with a Special Education endorsement. She later completed a Master’s degree in Elementary Education with a specialization in Literacy.
Jenn taught third grade at Mark Twain Elementary for over a decade before transitioning into Early Intervention as an independent evaluator, providing developmental assessments for young children across Central Ohio. She is excited to join The Big Bus team, helping create meaningful and engaging learning experiences for all students while drawing on her background as an educator.
Outside of her professional work, Jenn enjoys coaching swimming in the summer and spending time with her boys. You can often find her at neighborhood parks, community events, or cheering on her sons in their activities.
Jenn Frashier
Academic Programs &
Engagement Manager
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Mark Peterson
Driver
Winnie Spencer
Driver
Ms. Winnie is a retired COTA (Central Ohio Transit Authority) bus driver with a passion for serving the community. After retiring, she found a new calling with The Big Bus—combining her love of driving with a deep commitment to supporting children and families.
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At The Big Bus, Winnie enjoys working closely with students on homework, early language skills, preschool readiness, and reading—key areas that help set them up for success. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch the growth and confidence that blossoms in our students and to be a part of a mission that truly makes a difference.
Our Approach
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Accessible
Being able to (literally) meet students and families where they are is central to our approach. Regardless of how great a community opportunity or resource may be, it won't have an impact if it can't reach its intended target.
Multigenerational
Multigenerational impact was a key component of our original founding vision and continues to be a source of inspiration. Working cohesively with pre-K children, students, and parents gives us the opportunity to powerfully impact individuals and communities, both for now and for the future.
Listening-led
Our commitment to being listening-led helps us ensure that our approach genuinely addresses the challenges that we say we're working on. Our organization was created as a response to active, compassionate listening, and we're committed to maintaining that mindset as our reach grows.
Our Board
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Tracy Davidson
Board Chair
Tracy Davidson has been a dedicated member of the Westerville community for over thirty years, living with her husband, Mark. They have three grown children: twin daughters, Kate and Emma, and a son, Eli. Tracy recently began her role as the Operations Director at Blair IT.
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With 11 years on the Westerville Board of Education, Tracy has held roles as President and Vice President and served as a liaison for Community Engagement, Finance, Facilities and Operations, Curriculum and Academic Achievement, Policy, and Human Relations.
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A committed advocate for students, Tracy has been a board member of the Westerville Education Challenge (WEC) for 12 years. WEC focuses on raising awareness and funds for Social-Emotional Learning initiatives that benefit students across all grade levels. Tracy remains actively involved in various school and community groups, and she recently joined the Rotary Club of Westerville. Most of her free time is devoted to working on The Big Bus and spending time with family and friends.
Nancy McFarland
Board Vice Chair
Nancy and her husband, Todd, have made Westerville their home for the last twenty seven years. They have enjoyed raising their two boys, Trent and Ethan, within the Westerville community and schools.
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Nancy graduated from The Ohio State University with an elementary education degree. She worked for Columbus Public Schools teaching grades first through third for ten years. During that time, Nancy completed a master’s degree in school counseling.
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Nancy volunteers her time to many organizations in Westerville and Columbus. Nancy has been a member of Westerville Education Challenge for over ten years and continues to be an active member by serving on the curriculum committee. She has truly enjoyed being a mentor to Westerville middle school girls over the last four years through the Model program. Nancy also donates her time to Friends of The Faith Pruden Foundation, the OSU Diabetes Clinic programs and to the Westerville South Academic and Theatre Boosters.
Sherri Blais
Board Treasurer
Sherri currently is an Accounting Associate with Westerville City Schools. Previously was finance manager for Nichols & Company, CPAs for many years.
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She is originally from Canal Winchester, Ohio and graduated from Otterbein College with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Sherri and her husband, Doug, have lived in Westerville for 22 years with their 3 daughters, Amanda, Katherine and Elizabeth, all graduates of Westerville South High School.
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Sherri has been very involved in volunteering within Westerville City Schools, serving as President and Treasurer of various organizations. She is currently a board member of Westerville Education Challenge and Hope Squad advisor for Westerville South High School.
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Charlie Boss joined Westerville City Schools in 2020 as the district’s Communications and Community Engagement coordinator, where she captures stories that celebrate and cast a spotlight on Westerville’s students, staff and schools.
A multimedia storyteller passionate about education, Charlie started her career as a reporter for the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Indiana before covering Central Ohio schools for the Columbus Dispatch. She moved on to communication teams at Columbus State Community College and Ohio State University before joining the district.
Born in California, she graduated from Emerson College with a degree in journalism. She and her husband, Wade, have made Columbus their home with their two dogs.
Charlie Boss
Board Member
Tami Cole-Santa
Board Secretary
Tami grew up in Westerville and continues to be a proud member of this community for over 40 years. She currently resides here with her wife, Nicolette, and two children, Pyper and Dax.
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Tami graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and then The Ohio State University with a focus in social work. She has held various social work positions throughout Columbus and Westerville for 22 years including The Buckeye Ranch, Nisonger Center, Huckleberry House, Concord Counseling and Westerville City Schools.
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Now in her 18th year with Westerville City Schools, Tami currently serves as the Executive Director of student Services. In this role, she helps lead and support K-12 school counselors, school social workers/clinicians, nursing services as well as facilitate programs and initiatives falling under the social emotional, educational equity and mental health/wellness umbrella.
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Tami has also recently completed work through Starr Commonwealth to be a trainer for trauma-informed, resilient school content. Tami has a passion for leading mental health awareness, decreasing stigma and helping people throughout the district and community understand the importance of a trauma-informed, resilience-focused approach to learning and life.
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Volunteering her time locally with Westerville Education Challenge (WEC) is another passion of Tami's. In her free time, she enjoys being outside, all things sports and being involved in her kids' activities.
Dennis Blair
Board Member
Dennis was raised in St. Clairsville, Ohio and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. Dennis has been active and involved in the Westerville community for over a decade. With the Westerville Education Challenge, he helped to bring Hope Squad to Westerville City Schools. He was awarded the G.E.M District Award through Westerville Parent Council, the STEMStar award from COSI in 2019, and the Westerville Volunteer of the Year award in 2019.
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Dennis is a founding board member of Uptown Westerville, Inc and a past treasurer and board member of the Arts Council of Westerville. He is the board chair of the Uptown Review Board, a co-chair of Comprehensive Community Plan, and a current member of Westerville City Council.
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Dennis has held multiple roles in Westerville Sunrise Rotary and has also been involved with the MLK Legacy project, Westerville Chamber, and Westerville Historical Society.
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Megan Reamsnyder
Board Member
Megan and her husband Jake are lifelong Westerville residents. They have two daughters, Olivia and Abigail, and Oreo the dog. ​Megan graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelors in Social Work. She is active and involved in her community, serving as a member of Westerville City Council.
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In addition to her work on City Council, Megan is a founding board member of Cultivating Success Fund, a donor advised fund founded by a group of Westerville North graduates. She is active in Uptown Westerville, Inc as a City Council Representative and serves as PTA Vice President at her daughter's school.
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Megan is also an active member of The Rotary Club of Westerville and a member of the Neighborhood Bridges steering committee. She served on the Charter Review Commission in 2020 for the City of Westerville and completed the Westerville Citizens Police Academy in 2019.
Lori Overmyer
Board Member
Lori Hunter Overmyer, MBA, CFRE, has more than 35 years of professional fundraising experience with a focus on the arts, and social and human service organizations. Following 21 years as a successful nonprofit development director, she joined as a consultant with Goettler Associates, Inc. in 2005. Since that time, she has lent her knowledge of marketing research, proposal writing, personal donor cultivation, recognition strategies and volunteer leadership to some of the Columbus, Ohio’s most successful capital campaigns, many of which exceeded their original fundraising goal by millions of dollars.
Lori continues to be driven by a passion to provide best practices in every development function, and a commitment to professional growth. She has been a proud member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 1986, and has served on numerous AFP Boards as well as the AFP Global Board from 2015 to 2023. In 2011, Lori was recognized as the Outstanding Fundraising Professional at the Central Ohio Chapter’s National Philanthropy Day awards celebration. Since 2012, she has served as an adjunct
professor at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate classes on Fundraising and Development, and Board Skills.
Giving back to the community is an important personal value. Lori was honored to be recognized as the recipient of the 2009 LifeCare Alliance Outstanding Spirit Award and the 2018 Leadership for a Lifetime Award from Leadership Worthington. She also enjoys her volunteer leadership affiliations with the Worthington Chamber Orchestra; Franklin County Master Gardener Volunteers; and most recently, as a member of the board of The Big Bus.