ROBIN LITTAU’S STORY
SHOWING UP FOR HER COMMUNITY
When it comes to showing up for her community, Robin Littau doesn’t wait for someone else to take the lead. A Coast Guard veteran, small business owner, and mom of four, Robin has long lived by her personal motto: “Be the change.”
Robin has spent years answering the needs she sees around her. She prayer walks in her neighborhood, teaches self-defense classes for kids, and mentors teens who’ve experienced trauma and loss. She’s turned her home into a safe place for young people (sometimes up to twenty at a time) to gather, talk, and heal. “It started with just loving the kids in my neighborhood,” Robin says. “They’re worth somebody fighting for them.”
That same calling eventually led her to The Policy Circle. “I got an email one day for veterans about a civic leadership class,” Robin recalls. “I didn’t have the money to pay for it, but when I saw there were scholarships, I thought, well, if you want to give me a scholarship, I would love to learn.”
ENCOURAGEMENT SPARKS A BOLD STEP
Not only did she complete both the local civic leadership program as well as the state and federal program, she immediately put what she learned into action. As part of an assignment, she met with her city’s mayor, an experience that would change her trajectory. Days before the filing deadline, the mayor encouraged Robin to sign up to run for the school board.
Two weeks later, tragedy struck. Her son Elijah and his best friend Matthew, were riding motorcycles when a vehicle struck and killed Matthew. In the midst of her family’s grief, Robin started a Go Fund Me to help Matthew’s mom with funeral expenses and raised over $11,000 in just three days. Robin focused her efforts on helping her son and his friends, many of whom were staying in her home.
“I was in the middle of all the brokenness, and I had no vision for anything in my life,” said Robin. “I was just trying to survive. My prayer was Lord, if you want to put me in there, that’s fine, but you’re gonna have to do all the heavy lifting, because I can’t.”
On November 5, 2024, she was teaching a single moms group when one of the women asked if she had checked the election result. She hadn’t and was shocked to find out that she won with 60% of the vote, 1,200 votes over the appointed incumbent, who was favored to win.
STEPPING INTO SCHOOL BOARD LEADERSHIP
Robin now serves on her local school board, which oversees more than 3,600 students across nine elementary schools. Her first year in office has not been easy. “I’ve been the one asking questions, sometimes the only one,” she admits. “It hasn’t been comfortable. But if no one’s asking the hard questions, nothing changes.”
Navigating the challenges of public office has tested her resolve, but it’s also strengthened her sense of purpose. When facing obstacles and isolation, she has leaned on The Policy Circle’s network and connected with the School Boards for Academic Excellence, which provided a workbook that has equipped her to be more effective.
Robin has stayed committed to transparency and accountability. She continues to research, ask questions, and comb through hundreds of pages in board packets. After seeing that few parents were attending school board meetings, she started engaging her community through social media and meet-and-greet events for parents.
LIVING OUT “BE THE CHANGE”
Robin’s faith fuels her perseverance, even when the progress feels slow. “God has given me hard things to do,” she says. “But He says ‘My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’” That perspective carries her through the long days.
Looking ahead, Robin is continuing to expand her impact and has recently taken on leadership of Joyful Living, a local magazine she hopes to grow into a national platform that connects and uplifts her community. The connections she made at The Policy Circle’s Summit have given her new goals for this magazine.
Robin exemplifies leading by example. Her advice to others who may want to step up in their community is simple. “If you look around and there’s no one there,” she says, “it’s you.”
Robin Littau received the 2024 Mary Beth Weiss Award at The Policy Circle’s 10th Anniversary Leadership Summit, recognizing her dedication to community leadership and civic impact.
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