Allison Scardino and James Shay Lead Strategic Initiatives Designed for State Growth
Allison Scardino and James Shay Lead Strategic Initiatives Designed for State Growth
Guided by our new strategic plan, Kids’ Chance of America (KCOA) has launched several specialized task forces and committees to develop leadership within the organization and increase interstate collaboration.
We are also thrilled to welcome two new national board members — Allison Scardino and James Shay — who answered the call to lead during this exciting time of expansion and transformation.
With over twenty-five years’ worth of experience in the workers’ compensation space, Allison has seen first-hand the impact a claim can have on a family — especially children. “They are the innocent bystanders of the workers' compensation system,” she said, “which, unfortunately, does not provide many long-term solutions for them. I have the drive and desire to ensure that more is done for the children of injured workers.”
Allison, currently the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Allied Universal Insurance Claims Solutions, first heard about Kids’ Chance years ago at the Ohio Self-Insurers Association’s annual conference in Ohio. “Being from Wisconsin, I was not familiar with Kids’ Chance, given we didn't have a state organization in the Badger state yet,” she said. Flash forward to 2011, Allison was approached by attorney and fellow Milwaukee native Douglas Feldman to start an organization in their home state. Allison became the founding vice president of Kids’ Chance of Wisconsin (KCWI) and, together with Douglas as president, awarded the state organization’s first scholarship in 2012.
In 2017, Allison assumed the role of president and has since paved the way for tremendous growth in KCWI’s scholarship program. “In total, we have awarded nearly $750,000 in scholarships to Wisconsin applicants,” she said. “We now have our eyes set on the $1 million threshold!”
Allison’s passion, industry experience, and commitment to the Kids’ Chance’s mission led to her appointment as Vice-Chair of the Council of State Organizations (CSO) in 2020. The Council, made up of delegates from each state, meets quarterly to articulate the needs of the states and provide feedback to the national office on strategies to meet these needs. This fiscal year, the Council introduced an Executive Committee to focus more attention on strategic state initiatives and made Allison its Chair.
Becoming a national board member for Kids’ Chance has long been a personal and professional goal of Allison’s. “I could not be more honored to serve in this capacity,” she shared. “Having the ability to give back and make a positive impact on the lives of our youth is a wonderful feeling.”
As for what Allison hopes to accomplish during her tenure, the short answer is: more. “Raising the bar, furthering the mission of Kids' Chance, doing more for our applicants and their family members, and elevating the brand into a household name — that’s what I hope to achieve.”
As President and CEO of American Contractors Insurance Group (ACIG), a construction insurance captive providing insurance, safety, quality, claims, and risk services to forty-two different contractors across the US, James is also no stranger to the workers’ compensation space — and the hardships that come with it.
“Our company’s mission is, ‘Saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing the overall cost of risk for our members,’” he said. “I’ve felt deeply the disappointment of failing that mission and have always wrestled with how to address the ‘unfinished business’ of helping the kids impacted by that failure.”
James’s solution? Kids’ Chance.
Hoffman Construction, one of ACIG’s members and a driving force behind the founding of Kids’ Chance of Oregon (KCOR), first introduced James to the organization over a decade ago. ACIG invited a representative from KCOR to present at one of ACIG’s safety meetings, where they showed a video of a scholarship recipient sharing the impact Kids’ Chance has had on her life. “I remember that video like it was yesterday,” James said.
Now, as an integral member of the Student Applicant Pipeline Task Force, James is helping boost outreach and awareness through initiatives such as the Planning for the Future (PFF) initiative. Tasked with exploring new ways to target and direct potential applications to join PFF and enter the Kids’ Chance pipeline early in their educational careers, the national task force has seen a rise in submissions to the program — which has directly increased the number of kids applying for scholarships and scholarships awarded at the state level.
James finds this work both meaningful and enriching, in part because of the other board members he works alongside. “I’ve had the opportunity to serve on boards and committees of other non-profits,” he said. “But the Kids’ Chance role provides a unique opportunity to partner with enormously talented, resourceful, and passionate professionals all of whom are doers and impact-makers. Their singular commitment to the kids' needs is incredibly inspiring.”
During his tenure, James hopes to get more of his industry contacts engaged with Kids’ Chance and support its crucial mission of accessible education. “I plan on leveraging the professional network I’ve grown over my thirty-five-year career as much as possible in service of the kids' needs,” he said.
Allison and James are excited to take on their new roles on the board of directors and help advance the Kids’ Chance mission. But they also recognize that there is more work to be done — and more leaders needed to make it happen. “Someone has to care and donate their time and expertise,” Allison said, “and that someone can be you, me, all of us!”
For volunteers who one day hope to see themselves on a national board, it all starts with getting involved. “Take the plunge and actively participate in focus groups, various committees, peer-to-peer discussions, etc.,” Alison said. “The more you learn about Kids' Chance, the more you will want to contribute.”
“Your impact can be both immediate and profound,” James said.
