With two young children in tow and not knowing anyone when she moved to North Texas from Massachusetts in 1992, Carol Kyer did what many mothers would do – join her children’s Parent Teachers Association.
“It helped me get involved in the community and meet people,” said Kyer, who has called Flower Mound home ever since.
That initial delve into volunteering only grew in ensuing years. The list is virtually endless but generally has revolved around non-profits that helped children. These have included the Children’s Advocacy Center, United Way of Denton County, Lewisville Education Foundation, Community in Schools, multiple PTAs and the Lewisville Angel Tree. She also is a member of the Cross Timbers Rotary.
Kyer may be best known for serving for 15 years on the Lewisville Independent School District Board of Trustees (1999-2014) including multiple terms as secretary and president. She spent much time reviewing and approving annual budgets and hiring superintendents including Dr. Jerry Roy and Dr. Stephen Waddell. She also played a key role in the building of 25 new schools in an effort to alleviate overcrowding, one of key reasons she decided to run for the office.
“When you are in PTA one of the things they try to teach you is do a lot of training and you become a speaker for the children and the teachers,” she said. “Running for the school board is the next step in doing what you can.”
For everything she has done for the community through the years, the Flower Mound Town Council selected her for its 2020 Outstanding Citizenship Award. She officially was presented the honor Jan. 4. Her name is included on a plaque placed at Town Hall and engraved on a brick at the Flower Mound Public Library.
“It was a surprise. In fact, they made it a surprise,” she said. “I thought I was going to a board meeting for something to do for Community in Schools. They tricked me. I was honored. I really was.”
Among those in on the surprise was husband Mark with whom she will celebrate their 35th anniversary in September. They have three grown children – Elizabeth, 31, a pharmacist in Boston; Billy, 29, an engineer in Tulsa; and Brittany, 26, a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force stationed at Barksdale AFB in Bossier City, Louisiana.
While her three children were growing up she was primarily a stay-at-home mom. Once they all left home, she served as executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Denton County from 2015-2017 and then worked for Rise Adaptive Sports for a little more than a year before taking time off to care for her mother. Now she is working on obtaining her real estate license.
She makes it a point to stay informed by reading all meeting minutes and audits of each of the organizations she assists. She’s also involved herself in fundraising including raising money to build the Children’s Advocacy Center’s current Lewisville headquarters.
Currently, Kyer is involved in a number of capacities for a newer group called 100 Women Who Care plus is finishing her two-year term as board president of Communities in Schools where she collaborates with CEO Ann Wilson and the other 22 board members. When time allows, she assists other groups on individual events.
“In retrospect, I volunteer for children and family non-profits because of my childhood,” she said. “My mother was widowed when she was 34 – my father died of a heart attack at 35 years old. This left her to raise five children, ranging from 3 to 10 years old. I was lucky to have the time as a stay-at-home mom to start volunteering, something that she never got to do because she had to get a full time job.
“I decided to get my real estate license because it falls into the same area of helping people and families – help them find the house with a great neighborhood and schools to raise their children. I know the North Texas area because of my more than 28 years of living and volunteering here.”
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