Board of Directors

Mr. Ryan Baty was born and raised in Wichita, KS, graduating from Wichita Northwest High School in 1999. From there, Ryan received an athletic scholarship to play baseball at the University of Kansas where he studied Strategic Communications and History. From 2000-2004, Ryan achieved success on the baseball field as a three-time team captain as well as a multi-year All Conference (Big XII) and All-American selection. In 2004, Ryan was awarded the Jayhawk Scholar Athlete of the Year and shortly thereafter signed a professional contract with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

In 2008, Ryan founded THE mattress HUB and quickly developed the company into a leading mattress retailer across the region. Aside from multiple business investments, Ryan also serves his community through a variety of non-profits and organizations that focus on issues such as Christian ministry, foster care, local schools and mental health.

Ryan earned a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Newman University in 2014 and is recognized in the community as an innovative and transformative leader.

Ryan and his wife, Alicia, have three children – Reese, Landry and Rhett.

Tylan has a passion for two things: helping and partnering. These two values are rooted deep within Love Schools, an organization that’s near to his heart. Tylan is married to his bride, Jodi, of 23+ years and they have been blessed with one daughter, Elliot, and two sons, Brooks and Barron.  They also have two Golden Doodles, Scout and Lola.

Tylan helps lead PETRA, where his desire to help and partner are utilized in the real estate investing and development space. Serving Love Schools is a dream that Tylan gets to live while sharing his passions with those around him!

Micki Soft-Heim has been married to Jeremy Heim for 9 years. They have two kids, Carley and Heath. Micki has always enjoyed working with children. She served as a summer school-aged camp director for 17 years and worked in youth sports for 16 years. She currently works for Goddard High School as the Registrar. She also coaches middle school volleyball. Working with and being involved in public schools has always been something Micki’s passionate about. Joining the Love School’s board was just another way to help impact the community.

Carie Paulus has been married to her husband Shane for 19 years. They have two sons, Taylor and Nicholas and a daughter, Adilynn.  Carie has been in education for the past 27 years, and has served the Wichita School District for 25 of those years. During her time at Wichita Public Schools she has held several positions including k-5 teacher, Special Education teacher, ESOL teacher, and Special Education Teaching Specialist. Carie is currently a member of the Social Emotional Character Development Team for the Wichita School District where she trains teachers, principals, and Behavior Interventionist on the Neurosequential Model (NME) and the effects of early adversity and how it impacts students in the classroom.

Carie sees the benefit of Love Schools in several of the buildings she works with and is excited to support the work they are doing.

Whitney is a Texas native, Wichita transplant. She has been married to her husband Derek for just shy of 9 years and has three children – Ansel (4.5), Avett (3) and Elsie (1). Whitney was a teacher for 5 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She has taught a little bit of everything from preschoolers to seniors in high school. She recently finished her Masters in Educational Administration from Emporia State. Whitney has a passion for aiding in the health of the public school system. She serves on site councils for both a middle and elementary school in USD 259. Joining the Love Schools Board was a practical way for her to continue using her gifts and talents to help bring connection to the public schools in the Wichita area.

Cammy Todd has been married to her husband Joey for 18 years and they have two daughters, Bailey and Molly. She began her love for schools as a science teacher and worked for Wichita Public Schools for 10 years before changing careers to support her husband in their company, Weber and Associates, Inc. She currently serves as the financial officer for the company. She has been involved in her children’s schools since Bailey was in Kindergarten. Cammy joined the Love Schools board to help broaden her impact on the schools in the Wichita community and to further support all the wonderful teachers and staff. In her free time, she enjoys watching her daughters develop their leadership skills and passions on the soccer field, volleyball and tennis courts, and theater stage.

After volunteering for several years in his kids’ schools, Brandt noticed the many barriers schools faced each day when trying to educate the children in their building. He also watched as local entities surrounding the school struggled to find ways to effectively help schools and their staff.

So, in June of 2021, Love Schools was born. Brandt believes that the barriers schools are faced with can be overcome with the help and support of the community around them. He created Love Schools to help connect the community to the classroom and build sustainable relationships with partners so schools can meet their goals. Brandt and his wife of 18 years, Jessica, have two children, Campbell and Grady. When he’s not busy helping schools, he loves watching his kids play sports, rooting on the Kentucky Wildcats, and spending time with his family. He feels called to make an impact in the city of Wichita and believes everyone has gifts and talents they can use to make an impact in their community.