As the founder of Lighting Up Language, Amy has been interested in languages and cultures since she was thirteen and her family hosted their first of three AFS foreign exchange students. She received her BA in Linguistics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1997 where she had the great privilege of working for the Alaska Native Language Center on the development of the Koyukon (an Alaska Native Language) dictionary. She also served as a Russian interpreter in the Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District. Amy’s passion for equity, inclusion and belonging led her to a career centered around advocacy and change. She has organized union members, lobbied on behalf of nonprofits, managed political campaigns of both candidates and ballot initiatives, and served as chief of staff to the Alaska House Minority. In 2015, Amy served as a Special Assistant for the Mayor of Anchorage, Ethan Berkowitz, where she led the development of the Welcoming Anchorage Plan to make the community more open and accessible to all people. Through her work with Welcoming Anchorage, Amy took on the responsibility of developing, writing, and implementing the language access policy for the Anchorage municipal government. This unleashed a passion to help organizations understand the importance of providing language services to the public. Lighting Up Language, launched in 2022, has developed language access programs for businesses, non-profits, and governments. Amy is eager to assist more agencies to better serve their communities through robust and inclusive language access programs.As a co-Chair of Welcoming KC, she works diligently to incorporate her passion and quest for equity, inclusion and belonging for all into her professional and volunteer work. She also enjoys traveling, exploring Kansas City and spending time with her husband, Casey and their miniature schnauzer, Gilbert. She is so happy to be back in Kansas City with family and friends and to be able to offer a service that will enrich the lives of many.