Board Member Spotlight — Jeannine Sandstrom
Many moons ago, Dr. Jeannine Sandstrom quit her job, sold her cars and house, and even re-homed her dog so she could join The Peace Corps and teach English as a second language in Malaysia. While the decision to move nearly 10,000 miles away from everyone and everything she knew appeared to be made on a whim—a short recruiting pitch in college was all it took to get Jeannine and her then-husband to sign up—anyone who knows her likely saw it coming from a mile away.
After all, Jeannine comes from a large family of educators and business owners and always had what she calls a “built-in bias” for helping children and adults from all walks of life learn to read as early and as often as possible.
“I’ve seen the difference it can make in people’s lives,” she said. “For a child, a love for reading opens up their entire world.”
Fast-forward to today, and Jeannine’s bias couldn’t be stronger. She parlayed her education and countless trips around the world into teaching at the elementary and university levels, then went on to build a successful consulting practice where she now works with ambitious, fast-moving executives on their path to greatness. When she’s not busy doing that, she’s investing her time, talent, and treasure as a tireless volunteer, cheerleader, and board member for Book Drive for Kids.
Jeannine joined BDK five years ago after meeting Michelle Cook and Nicol Klingenstein through a joint Bible study group. The fearless duo happened to be asking for book donations, which Jeannine happily obliged.
The next thing she knew, she was volunteering at the warehouse and several area book fairs.
Then came even more volunteer opportunities, and Jeannine never once said no.
“When Michelle began talking about needing new books, my built-in bias kicked in, and my ears quickly perked up,” Jeannine said while reminiscing. “It’s hard to say no to Michelle, and honestly, I don’t want to say no. She is delightfully passionate about what she’s doing, and her infectious personality led me to what I’m doing for them today. It was certainly a fun decision, and I can see myself sticking around for quite a while—provided that my unique brand of mischief is tolerated.”
Jeannine has lived in the Flower Mound-Highland Village area for 30 years, and to say she’s accomplished quite a bit in her life would be the understatement of the century. Besides spending nearly three years teaching in Malaysia, she also spent three years in the Canary Islands. She has a Master’s in Human Resource Management and Marketing and a Doctorate in Human Resource Development.
Among many other accolades and credentials, she is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) and Certified Business Coach (CBC).
In her downtime, Jeannine is a member of three book clubs and travels internationally with the Voices of Flower Mound music group.