Nibal Awad
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Donor Impact
Owen Bauer-Lepofsky
afore 2024 Youth Leadership Fellow
Born and raised in Carrboro, North Carolina, Owen is an avid soccer player, reader, sports fanatic, and loves to play card and board games with his friends and family (you should ask him to show you his hidden talent for shuffling cards if you get the chance!). Owen is studying at Boston University, majoring in Education and Human Development and minoring in English, which he hopes will lead to working as a teacher in the future. Owen is excited to combine his love of sports and physical activity with his passion for social justice and empowering youth in his new role as a Positive Tracks Youth Leadership Fellow.
Katie Bickers
KATIE BICKERS
Born and raised in Kentucky, Katie is the youngest of four siblings in a fantastic family of 6. When she’s not playing soccer, you might find her on Pinterest getting inspiration for her next big creative project, like the “Great Cooking Judging Ceremony of 2023.” Trust us, you’ll want to save the date for her next one. As a soccer student-athlete and graduate of Murray State University in Kentucky, Katie majored in biology and minored in chemistry. Katie’s heart and passion for community connection and supporting the world around her is part of her everyday favorite things, and she can’t wait to meet the Challenge Captains in her new role as Youth Leadership Fellow.
Andrea Calderón
Director of Programs
Andrea was born and raised in San Salvador, El Salvador, but she is a proud Bostonian since 2018, where she moved to support youth-led changemaking. Andrea holds a Master’s Degree in Peace and Justice from the University of San Diego. She identifies herself as a peacebuilding professional who has been mentoring young social advocates for the last 3 years through her work at the Center for Peace and Commerce and Peace First. Andrea has also supported different organizations to understand their impact through monitoring and evaluation processes, including her experience in South Africa conducting an external evaluation at Lima Rural Development Foundation. When Andrea is not at work, you’ll find her listening to the Beatles, eating ice cream, trying a new pancake recipe, talking about haunted houses, singing, or dancing.
Oumou Fall
2024 Youth Leadership Fellow
My name is Oumou Fall and I am a senior at UMass Boston, studying ethics and social philosophy. After graduating I’m planning on helping change the world, starting with my local communities. I grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts and have a West African background being from Mali. I love to travel, and see new things and meet new people. When I’m not wander-lusting, you can find me trying to learn something new, in the kitchen or at a plant store.
Emily Gardner
Vice President of Communications & Operations
Emily Gardner is proud to have grown up in rural Vermont. She received a B.F.A in Acting from the University of Connecticut and is a graduate of The Second City – Los Angeles. After living, working, and eventually burning out as an actress (and waitress) in LA, Emily returned home to New England in 2011. She excitedly joined Positive Tracks in 2016 and now loves incorporating passion, comedy and humility into her daily communications and operations work. Emily loves hard shell tacos, cats that purr, yard sales, and disposable contact lenses. She lives in the Upper Valley of Vermont with her polar-opposite husband, two fabulous daughters, three deranged cats, one cat-sized dog, and a perpetual mountain of laundry.
Byron Glaser
Graphic & Visual Brand Creator
Byron Glaser is designer and illustrator of creativity-inspiring products and film, including the award-winning line of Zolo® toys and Curious Bonz™ and Higashi Glaser Design. He works in a variety of mediums including paint, collage, sculpture, film, and digital art. Byron, a native of Southern California, graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with Honors. He lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and also serves on the Empowerhouse Board in Fredericksburg, VA.
Liz Gray
Vice President of Innovation & Sustainability
Liz Gray has been with Positive Tracks since 2012. She was Positive Tracks’ Program Director helping to create methodology and tools for Positive Tracks Challenges program before moving into a new role focused on innovation and sustainability. Liz leads technology development with a focus on keeping Positive Tracks’ programming relevant and up to date for young people. Liz enjoys Sweating for Good for causes she’s passionate about, playing tennis and traveling to experience live music and explore the outdoors. She has two sons and lives with her husband Alex and dog Lula.
Nini Meyer
CEO & Founder
Nini Meyer grew up in Lyme, NH, as a competitive equestrian and returned to New England in 1999 to raise a family of two boys. She attended Tufts University and C.U. Boulder, and holds a B.A. in theatre. She’s a starting line junky, endurance runner and cyclist, avid hiker, and very poor cook. Alongside her role as Founder and CEO of Positive Tracks, Nini currently serves as a Trustee of the Jane B. Cook Charitable Trusts; a member of Friends of CHaD Board; an Overseer of Hopkins Center For The Arts At Dartmouth; Community Engagement Director of the CHaD HERO Half Marathon, and Trustee of the Hypertherm HOPE Foundation.
Ben Silberfarb
Film Editor & Videographer
Ben studied film and environmental studies at Dartmouth College. At college, as well as shortly after, he worked at MTV’s On-Air Promotions Department in New York City. In 1992, his attention turned to environmental work with The Nature Conservancy (1992- 1997), a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies from Yale University (1997-1999) and conservation-oriented forestland investment with The Lyme Timber Company, Lyme, NH (2000-2006). In 2007, Ben returned full time to film with the creation of SILBERFARB-FILMS.
SILBERFARB-FILMS is an award-winning production company that develops promotional and creative videos for television, internet and independent clients. It is a “full-line” production company that works with clients in all aspects of creative production from concept to final deliverable. See more at: www.bsilberfarb.com
Adith Velavan
2023 Youth Leadership Fellow
Native to Connecticut, Adith is an avid musician, percussionist, traveler, extreme sports enthusiast, and cinephile — let’s just say there is no Diem that he has not Carpe’d, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Adith attends the University of Connecticut and will graduate this May as a STEM/Honors Scholar and Laureate with a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences. As our Youth Leadership Fellow, he is looking forward to continuing his passion for leadership development and youth engagement and will bring his Philanthropy Chair experience in the Greek community to his coaching on the starting lines of our Challenges program.
Valerie Wilson
Development Operations Coordinator