The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools is excited to welcome Karli Strom to our work as an Assistant Director reviewing Career and Technical Education.
Karli was born and raised in rural Warren County. Growing up in and around rural Illinois, she saw both the challenges and the incredible resilience that define them, and recognized the promise of rural communities to create greater opportunities for their students through continued collaboration and collective effort.
Driven by a belief in the power of working together at every level, Karli pursued her B.A. in communication studies and political science at Monmouth College. Her time there deepened her interest in education and advocacy, and gave her the tools to share stories, build connections, and engage others in meaningful conversations about issues unique to rural communities.
Before stepping into this role, Karli served as Editor-in-Chief of the Courier at Monmouth College, where she honed her leadership, communication, and storytelling skills by guiding a team of writers and shaping campus-wide conversations.
Karli is joining AIRSS as the Assistant Director of the Rural IL CTE Project. In this role, she will be working closely with rural schools and communities to better understand and expand CTE opportunities for rural students, helping to create pathways that prepare them for their future careers.