Co-Director of Curriculum Tracy Vincent

Tracy Vincent has been involved with Missouri RYLA Academy for 7 years, served on the Board of Directors for Missouri RYLA as the Treasurer for this organization.

Tracy joined Macon County Rotary in 2012. Both of her children attended Missouri RYLA, and she knew there was something special happening at these youth camps when both of her children attended RYLA and came home inspired to be leaders in service in their schools and communities. Tracy knew she had to get involved and be a part of this terrific program. Tracy has volunteered as a Rotarian Staff Counselor for four sessions of RYLA and wanted to make an impact with this program, thus deciding to take on the Director of Curriculum position when it came open for the 2024-2025 sessions. As part of her leadership training for this role, Tracy attended NexGen RYLA in Aug 2023 to prepare to set Missouri RYLA up for success through this transition.

Tracy has served as the President of her Rotary Club in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 and as the Rotary Foundation Chair and Grants Chair for several years prior to serving as President. Service through Rotary and other service organizations she has been involved in has always been important and a way to give back to her community. Tracy’s passion during her leadership with Macon County Rotary was in starting a High School Interact Club, encouraging kids to attend Missouri RYLA, grow their leadership skills, and serve in their communities and schools.

Professionally, Tracy’s company, TetraTALENT, founded in 2015, served as a vehicle of service to candidates and her clients, as she helps the right people connect with the right positions. The company focuses on identifying talent for government integrators.

Tracy’s passion for youth and encouraging servant-hearted leaders to find their place to serve will be a terrific addition to the Missouri RYLA team for years to come.

Co-Director of Curriculum Morgan Mings

On a spring day in 2009, Morgan Mings sat in a small hair salon in Boise, Idaho. Little did she know that an interaction with the person next to her would lead to one of the most influential moments of her life. She sat next to the director of RYLA 5400 who explained that they had a few more open spots for the upcoming session. Despite knowing nothing about the program, nor anyone attending, Morgan decided to go for it and she attended RYLA a few days later. Morgan left RYLA in 2009 inspired, energized, and not ready to leave.

Since then, Morgan has been involved with various RYLA programs. For the next 13 years, she attended Idaho’s program, RYLA 5400, each summer where she served a multitude of positions including: junior leader, senior leader, mentor, and then director.

Her friends and family will agree that RYLA has been one of the most influential components of her life. It inspired her career path towards one that was focused on service and relationships. After Morgan graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas Christian University in 2017, Morgan applied for the Teach for America program. She was accepted and then placed in Kansas City, Missouri in 2017. Despite being 1,373 miles away, Morgan’s heart was still committed to RYLA so she continued directing the Idaho RYLA until 2023. 

Morgan continued with her education and received a Masters in Education from Johns Hopkins University in 2020 and then a Masters in Counseling from University of Missouri Kansas City in 2024. It was during this time that she heard about the RYLA program in MO. She sent an email to one of the directors in 2024 and then attended MO RYLA that summer. Her passions aligned directly with the vision of MO RYLA and decided to join the team full time. She is overwhelmed with excitement about her next step as a Co-Director and can’t wait for the new journey.

Executive Director Miki McKee Koelsch

Miki McKee Koelsch is relatively new to RYLA, having attended four MO RYLA Academy sessions, but is a seasoned veteran, having worked with youth and camps her entire career. Additionally, she was trained by the amazing 20-year veteran Valerie Anderson, who was a founding member of the team that developed the multidistrict RYLA concept for Missouri in 2003 and had been with the program for over 20 years.

Professionally, Miki retired on April 1, 2023 (no joke!) after a 38-year career in municipal parks and recreation, 33 of which were with the City of Webster Groves. She held many positions with the Missouri Park and Recreation Association, including President in 2020-2021. She is a licensed attorney, having earned her juris doctorate from Saint Louis University and passing the Missouri Bar exam in 2006. Additional educational degrees include a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Park Administration from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a Master of Arts in Media Communications from Webster University. Miki currently works part-time as an Administrative Assistant for Harmony UMC in St. Louis and writes for her hometown newspaper, the Webster-Kirkwood Times.

Miki has been a member of the Rotary Club of Webster Groves since 2018. She served as Club President 2023-2024 during the club’s Centennial year. Prior to that, she was on the board, serving as sergeant at arms, chaired numerous projects, and received the Rotarian of the Year award for the 2021-2022 year. Miki also serves as liaison to the Webster Groves High School Interact club (since 2021). She has a passion for inspiring servant leadership, empowering and helping youth realize their greatest potential.