Three New Members Appointed to Board of Directors

We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Lawson; Tyjaun A. Lee, Ph.D.; and Commissioner Sherrill P. Roberts, J.D. to our board of directors. The new members bring diverse and extensive experience to their roles on the board as we expand our holistic service model to new cities and states.

“We look forward to working alongside our new board members as we help families break the generational cycle of poverty and grow as an organization,” said Connections to Success CEO and co-founder, Kathy Lambert.

“Our three new members are joining at an exciting time,” said Lambert. “Through interagency partnerships, we’ve started working with currently incarcerated individuals to help them build the skills, connections and hope they need to be successful after returning home. As we continue to grow, we welcome the leadership and insights our new board members will bring.”

Elizabeth Lawson brings more than 20 years of experience to her role as the vice president of finance at BJC HealthCare. She is responsible for the financial oversight of BJC St. Charles County Hospitals and provides management support for certain ancillary services. As a strategic and collaborative leader, Lawson oversees more than 200 employees to ensure quality services are provided.

Tyjaun A. Lee, Ph.D. serves as the campus president of Penn Valley & Maple Woods campuses at Metropolitan Community College. Her experience encompasses many leadership roles, including associate vice president of enrollment and student services at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Virginia and director of the counseling department at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lee has been nationally recognized with awards and appointments for her exceptional leadership capabilities and her work with underrepresented and underprivileged students. Lee considers this work near and dear to her heart as she is the product of a single parent home and a first-generation college student. She actively engages in the Kansas City community, serving on the Broadway Westport Council and the board for Literacy KC.

 Commissioner Sherrill P. Roberts, J.D. has served as the Family Court Commissioner in Clay County, Missouri since 2005. She presides over family law cases, including custody, child support, paternity establishment, child support enforcement, and related matters. Prior to her appointment as commissioner, she was a practicing attorney, concentrating her practice in matters of family law and representing children in litigation.

Commissioner Roberts has collaborated with Connections to Success for several years in association with her child support enforcement dockets. In 2017, she collaborated with the Clay County Prosecuting Attorney’s office, Connections to Success, and other community organizations, to develop and launch a Parenting Court program. The program is based on the diversion/treatment court model and has exhibited tremendous growth and success.