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
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Kate Hunter is the Executive Director of The Big Bus and a relationship-driven nonprofit leader with nearly a decade of experience in philanthropy, operations, and community engagement.
She is known for bringing people together, strengthening partnerships, and creating meaningful experiences for donors, volunteers, and families.
Kate previously served in philanthropy and operations roles at National Church Residences and as Operations Manager at My Very Own Blanket. Her background spans donor stewardship, volunteer coordination, event leadership, and community partnerships.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, Kate is active in professional development and community service. She brings steady, compassionate leadership to The Big Bus, helping ensure students and families feel seen, supported, and connected.
Kate Hunter
Executive Director
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Kelly Misbrener is an educator and program leader with a career spanning early childhood classrooms, informal science education, and curriculum development. She began her career as a Kindergarten teacher and most recently served as a Science Museum Educator at COSI, where she expanded her impact beyond a single classroom. While at COSI she developed early childhood science experiences that accommodated diverse learning styles and accessibility needs and created researched-based professional development for educators. She also worked within their animal department training rats to play basketball and caring for their large living animal collection, including axolotls, opossums, and a skunk!
Kelly lives in Columbus with her husband, David. When she is not on The Big Bus, she enjoys spending time with her family, her dog Norman, and most especially her new granddaughter, Charlotte.
Kelly Misbrener
Academic Program and Engagement Coordinator
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Mark Peterson
Driver
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Joe Joe LeGros
Driver
After retiring as an executive at Bob Evans Farms, Joe drove a bus for the Westerville City School District for 11 years. He retired from the district in 2024. Joe and his wife, Aggie, have 4 children, all graduates of Westerville North. They have 10 grandchildren.
When Joe is not driving The Big Bus, he can be found enjoying one or more of his grandchildren.
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 is a dedicated leader and active member of the Westerville community for over 30 years. She lives in Westerville with her husband, Mark, and they have three grown children.
She currently serves as the Director of Operations at Blair IT, providing strategic leadership while bringing extensive organizational expertise and a community-focused approach to the team.
Tracy is the founder and chair of The Big Bus, a nonprofit mobile classroom initiative focused on increasing access to resources, opportunities, and learning by meeting students and families where they are. Through this work, she remains deeply committed to creating meaningful impact across the community.
With 12 years of service on the Westerville Board of Education, Tracy has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting all students and public education.
She has also been a board member of the Westerville Education Challenge (WEC) for 15 years, helping raise awareness and funding for Social-Emotional Learning initiatives that benefit students across all grade levels.
Tracy remains actively involved in a variety of school and community organizations and is a member of the Rotary Club of Westerville. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality 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 serves as the Finance Director for Blair IT, bringing extensive experience in accounting and financial management. She previously worked as an Accounting Associate with Westerville City Schools and spent many years as Finance Manager at Nichols & Company, CPAs.
Originally from Canal Winchester, Ohio, Sherri earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Otterbein College. She and her husband, Doug, have called Westerville home for 26 years, where they raised their three daughters, all graduates of Westerville South High School.
A dedicated community volunteer, Sherri has been actively involved with Westerville City Schools, serving in leadership roles such as President and Treasurer for various organizations. She currently serves as a board member of Westerville Education Challenge, is a Hope Squad advisor at Westerville South High School and is a member of the Westerville Noon Rotary.
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 is a proud member of this community for over 40 years. She currently resides here with her family.
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Tami graduated from Ohio Wesleyan and The Ohio State Universities with a focus in social work. She has held various related positions including The Buckeye Ranch, Nisonger Center, Huckleberry House, Concord Counseling and Westerville City Schools.
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Now in her 19th year with Westerville City Schools, Tami currently serves as the Executive Director of Student Services, where she leads and supports school counselors, social workers/clinicians, nursing services as well as facilitates programs and initiatives falling under the social emotional, educational equity and mental health/wellness umbrella.
Tami recently completed work through Starr Common-wealth, allowing her to continue leading by training mental health awareness, decreasing stigma and helping people understand the importance of a trauma-informed, resilience-focused approach to learning and life.
Tami is passionate about volunteering her time with organizations that support her community. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, staying active, and being involved in her children’s 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 Czako
Board Member
Megan Czako is a lifelong Westerville resident and currently serving her second term on Westerville City Council. She serves as the representative to the Ohio Municipal Electric Association and Chair of Council.
Megan graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and works at Otterbein University in Grants and Corporate Engagement.
She has been actively involved in Westerville through a variety of leadership roles. Megan is a founding board member of the Cultivating Success Fund, a donor-advised fund created by Westerville North graduates to support local students and initiatives. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Westerville and serves on the Neighborhood Bridges steering committee. Additionally, Megan has previously been involved with Uptown Westerville, Inc, in the PTA as Vice President and President, on the City of Westerville Charter Review Commission and is a graduate of the Westerville Citizens Police Academy.
Across her work and volunteer service, Megan is driven by a commitment to strengthening connections, supporting community, and helping Westerville continue to thrive.
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.