Board of Directors

Kelly’s interest in health and wellness began while teaching kindergarten in the suburbs of Minneapolis. From the time she started teaching in 2000, to when she decided to stay home with her youngest child in 2011, she noticed an increase in the number of children with health-related issues and neurological disorders. Curious as to the increase and always one to seek truth, she found that families who chose dietary interventions and increased their emphasis on wellness for their children were able to reduce and reverse health related symptoms. She remained skeptical, but open minded because of her anecdotal accounts of these very special students.

Shortly after the birth of her daughter Kendall in 2005, Kelly was forced to make similar changes after Kendall became chronically ill with frequent infections that eventually led to ADHD diagnosis and chronic pneumonia. You can read Kendall’s Story HERE. In making dietary changes for Kendall, she quickly realized that her own health was suffering from the fast and easy food lifestyle she had become accustom to. Eating whole foods, exercising, getting the proper amount of sleep and practicing being mindful, became priorities for the whole family and through these practices everyone started to feel more alive and full of energy again.

Kelly envisions a world where children do not have to suffer a life sentence of health-related illnesses. A world of children healed. A world where every health issue has multiple solutions and one where all families have access to the tools functional and lifestyle medicine provides.

Kelly graduated from Minnesota State Mankato with a degree in Elementary Education. She received her Master’s in Education in 2006, from St. Mary’s University and taught kindergarten and first grade for over 10 years.

In her spare time Kelly enjoys traveling, yoga, downhill skiing and wake surfing. Kelly is married to Kyle King and has three children, Kendall (2005), Kade (2007), and Knox (2011). She and her family reside in Chaska, MN. Her daughter Kendall is the spirit and inspiration for Hope Rooted.

Allison was born and raised in the western suburbs of Minneapolis.  She loves the lake and all things active.  She grew up competing and spending time on the softball field or in the pool.  She has participated in one marathon, several half marathons, one 5 mile swim and various other races.

She graduated from the College of St. Benedict in 1997 and then studied at St. Catherine in 2002 where she received a Master’s in occupational therapy.

After getting married, Allison’s career took her to New Jersey where she worked as an OT in an eating disorder unit at a hospital.  She found a passion for working with people who had mental health issues and spent her career in that field until the birth of her first child in 2005.

Allison and her husband, Mick, have three active boys.  Healthy eating and lifestyle hasn’t always been a priority.  Due to being so active, she and her family enjoyed lots of sweets and processed food for years.  She was hesitant to recognize the impact of these choices and did not look beyond a standard Western medicine approach to health.

This all changed when one of her sons was diagnosed with PANDAS in 2015.  The disruption and strife this caused the entire family made her search for answers that would help her son THRIVE and get better.

Following a year of antibiotic treatment, Allison felt she had nothing to lose by taking her son to a functional medicine practitioner in Minnesota to look for a better solution.  This is where the lightbulb went on about the importance of adding functional medicine in a child’s life.  FM doctors looked deeper to determine the root cause of her son’s health struggles.  Her son began improving through supplementation, correcting vitamin and mineral deficiencies and addressing a longstanding Lyme infection.

Allison feels that Functional Medicine often is the missing piece for many kids and wishes these services were covered by insurance. Until then, she works on the Hope ROOTED team to support its mission and vision.

Kyle King has lived in Minnesota his entire life, growing up waterskiing and wakeboarding on the shores of Weaver Lake in Maple Grove. Kyle loves all things active; biking, hiking, wake surfing and more. If it’s active and outside, he’s in! He especially loves mountain biking and recently successfully completed the “Lutsen 99er” a 99 mile bike race in Lutsen, MN.

Kyle graduated from Augsburg College with a degree in Business and Marketing in 1998. Kyle, Senior Vice President at Sherman Insurance Services, based in South St. Paul, is a 20-year commercial insurance industry veteran and has represented commercial trucking operations all over the country.  Kyle has built a solid foundation of corporate clients through his ability to work through issues as they arise and consistently exceed the insurance needs of his clients.

Kyle is married to Kelly King (Hope Rooted President) and they currently live with their three children in Chaska, MN. Kyle has a passion for wellness, specifically fitness, and comes from a long line of physical education teachers. His mom, Cheryl was actually Kelly’s tennis coach and that is how they met!

Kyle has seen first hand how the principles of functional medicine have changed the lives of his family’s health and those around him who’ve taken this approach. He’s excited to be a part of the Hope Rooted board and move Hope Rooted forward to improve the lives of Minnesota children suffering from chronic illness.

Omni is proud to be joining the Hope Rooted Board of directors. She has been with the organization since its inception in 2017 when she drafted the founding legal documents for the non-profit. Since then, she has served in an advisory of-council position. She believes in the mission, the vision, and the goals of Hope Rooted.

Omni is the proud Managing Attorney at Kiecker Law. Her thriving practice is built on helping people to protect their families. This includes the fields of elder law, agricultural law and business law. She also works with probate, real estate and veterans affairs. Although Omni practices in many areas, her passion lies in assisting those who have been diagnosed as disabled and their families by leveraging the protection provided by Supplemental and Special Needs Trusts.

In addition to practicing law, Omni also enjoys educating others about the law. In her speaking engagements, which include Continuing Legal Education for other lawyers, Community Education, private speeches and public seminars at her office, Omni makes the law relatable and easier to understand.

Omni met her husband Jeff, who is a fellow College of Business graduate, at Minnesota State University, Mankato. They have three young children and reside in Belle Plaine, MN. Omni is active in her community and serves as a member of the Local Planning and Zoning Commission, School PTO and is a member of the MSU, Mankato Alumni Board.

Erik is a business executive with sales and leadership experience at some of Minnesota’s fastest-growing companies.  Currently, he leads sales, recruiting, and client service at Antenna, a Minneapolis-based consulting and staffing firm that deploys a community of experienced marketers to deliver on-demand marketing solutions.

In addition to his broad business experience, Erik has advised on strategy and programs as a board member or active committee member at multiple local non-profit organizations.

Erik lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Bridget, and their two daughters.  In 2017, after exhibiting multiple unexplained neurological and behavioral symptoms following a Strep infection, their eldest daughter was diagnosed with PANDAS and months later, chronic Lyme disease.

After months of unsuccessful traditional medical interventions, Erik and Bridget quickly turned to integrated and functional medicine.  Together with wholesale changes toward a clean diet and living environment, they saw positive results for both their daughter and Bridget, who had also been diagnosed with chronic Lyme.

Hope Rooted represents a convergence of Erik’s professional, non-profit, and personal interests.  He discovered the organization accidentally through friends participating in the inaugural golf tournament fundraiser in 2018 and the mission and purpose immediately resonated with him.