Board of Directors

Meet the team driving life-changing opportunities

Meet the our Board of Directors that put adults with IDD first!

Meet Our Team

Joey Curtin

Joey currently lives in Wales but grew up in Mequon and lived in Port Washington before making several moves around the country. While living in North Carolina, Ohio, Massachusetts, and returning to Wisconsin, she homeschooled her three, now adult, daughters. Graduating from UW Stevens Point with degrees in Business Administration and Spanish Joey has had the opportunity for growth in several different careers such as a Special Events Coordinator, Dance Studio Manager, and Preschool Teacher – Spanish Language for the YMCA. She currently works in Sussex, where she gets to spend her days working for a family business.
Being invested in opportunities to serve and connect abroad and within the community has always been very important to Joey. Over the past 8 years she has led mission trips to both Mexico and Chile, and as these opportunities continue, she is very excited to become a part of something local with Blossom IDD.
Growing up in Mequon, Joey lived with her Uncle Bobby with IDD. She watched and listened as her grandparents advocated for Bobby through the many roadblocks he faced. They fought for him to be given the opportunities where he could reach his highest potential, grow, learn, and belong. Joey feels very blessed to be a part of Blossom IDD as they continue to help adults with IDD have these same opportunities.

Jan Chapman

Jan and her husband John reside in Cedarburg, Wisconsin where they raised their three sons. As a lifelong resident of Cedarburg, Jan is thrilled to have The Mercantile and Blossom IDD as part of her community.  
Jan became interested in disability issues and supports while volunteering as a mentor through her high school community services program. Jan retired (in August of 2018) after 32 years in public education, where she worked as a Recreational Therapist, Special Education Teacher, Special Education Transition Coordinator and School Administrator of Pupil Services & Special Education. Currently Jan works at Concordia University – Wisconsin/Ann Arbor as the Director of the Academic Resource Center & Accessibility Services, assisting students as they transition to college life by eliminating the barriers to learning and allowing equal access through accommodations and supports.
Jan has years of experience in educational, professional, and non-profit organizations serving on various national, state and local boards. She is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children – Division of Career Development and Transition, Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services, and the Association on Higher Education and Disability. Jan has been a Special Olympics Coach, a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and has served as a parent mentor and advocate for families with special needs. Volunteering and working with individuals with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD) has remained a focus of her life both professionally and personally.
“Being part of the Blossom IDD Board of Directors allows me to continue to feed my passion for supporting the IDD community. Following individuals with IDD from birth to 3, throughout their education, and into their independent life goals and dreams has been a gift…”

Kalindi Drewry

Hi everyone, my name is Kalindi! I went to Lakeland Union high school, and I graduated in 2017. I went to Concordia University of Wisconsin for a two-year program and it was called the Bethesda program. I graduated in 2019. Now I live in a house in Cedarburg with 3 other roommates. I work at metro market in the bakery department. Every Thursday I go to an art class, and I do various different art work like painting, trays and window pieces. Things I like to do for fun is going for walks, I love to go downhill skiing, cooking/baking, watching movies or tv shows and watching sports like baseball, softball, basketball, football. My favorite phrase to use is, “Be who you are, not who the world wants you to be.” 

Emma Gaffney

Hello! My name is Emma and I am so excited to be a part of something big here at Blossom IDD! A little bit about me… I am originally from Minnesota but have been a proud Wisconsinite for the past four years. I graduated from Concordia University spring of 2021 and now attend Marquette University for their Masters of Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. My goal is to become a certified rehabilitation counselor so that I can continue to serve the amazing population of individuals with IDD. Since I was in high school, I have been fully engulfed in the IDD world through many different volunteering and work experiences- I am overjoyed to be adding my time with Blossom IDD to the list!
Emma Gaffney
She, Her, Hers
M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling Candidate | RSA Scholar
Marquette University | Dept. of CECP
emma.gaffney@marquette.edu

Katie and Steve McCarley

Katie and Steve McCarley, Secretary & Vice President, reside in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and have 2 children, both with IDD.  They have been married for 25 years. Steve is a US Marine Corps veteran and currently works in the barcode technology field.  Katie is a University of Kentucky graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Throughout our children’s education, we have both been actively involved in various programs that keep our children well immersed in the community. We are also active in several other charities through volunteer work. The foundation for Blossom IDD focuses on everything we have been searching for to help our children gain their voices along with other children like ours. We are honored to be a part of this organization.

Cindi Purnell

Cindi with her husband Mike had the vision to provide their daughter Dakota and others in the IDD community with opportunities to work and develop the life skills necessary to not just survive, but to thrive. 
Mike and Cindy designed Cedarburg Mercantile as a destination that provides unique, meaningful experiences for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. The Mercantile will be a place of discovery, wonder, enrichment, learning, jobs, social interaction, achievement, fun, and so much more. 
The Mercantile employs individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, many of whom have been denied the opportunity to become self-sufficient.
In addition, Cedarburg Mercantile provides a place for people with IDD to develop their talents and skills through the sale of handcrafted items that are sold via the Mercantile, website, and other outlets. The earnings they make help them gain financial independence while they learn important social and community skills.

Mike Purnell

Mike with his wife Cindi had the vision to provide their daughter Dakota and others in the IDD community with opportunities to work and develop the life skills necessary to not just survive, but to thrive. 
Mike and Cindy designed Cedarburg Mercantile as a destination that provides unique, meaningful experiences for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. The Mercantile will be a place of discovery, wonder, enrichment, learning, jobs, social interaction, achievement, fun, and so much more. 
The Mercantile employs individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, many of whom have been denied the opportunity to become self-sufficient.
In addition, Cedarburg Mercantile provides a place for people with IDD to develop their talents and skills through the sale of handcrafted items that are sold via the Mercantile, website, and other outlets. The earnings they make help them gain financial independence while they learn important social and community skills.

Emma Yanke

Hello, all! My name is Emma Yanke and I am very excited as well as humbled to be presented with this amazing opportunity to join the Blossom IDD Board.   
I wanted to provide you with some information about me. First off, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in May of 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Organizational and Professional Communication Studies. Following graduation, I worked at Acuity Insurance as an HR Specialist for 2.5 years. Following that experience, I started my new role with Delta Defense in January of 2022 as an HR Business Partner. 
I am originally from the Belgium, Wisconsin area but have been living in Cedarburg for the last year and a half. My boyfriend, Sean and I, have recently bought a house in West Bend and will be moving there on April 1st! 
A few fun facts about me is that I am a retired police officer’s daughter. Also, my parents and I attend many Packers games since we recently received season tickets after being on the list for 20+ years. To add, while attending school I studied abroad in Galway, Ireland and a goal of mine is that I am hoping to travel to Germany within the next few years.

Luca Deflorentiis

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Share Our Vision

By volunteering at Blossom IDD, is not only rewarding but, we can direct more of our funding towards programming while providing valuable support from individuals like yourself who share our vision for building strong communities through service.

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EMPOWERING JOURNEYS

Strengthening IDD Communities

Blossom IDD is committed to providing complimentary resources, actively seeking donations to enhance the public’s understanding and to bolster empowerment among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), as well as offering support to their families.

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