We are

As President & CEO of Hope Ignites, Kristin leads the Network Headquarters team and works with local affiliate leadership to ensure that every young person in the program receives similar access to educational experiences, opportunities, and a Network of support. Kristin lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two sons.

Mel oversees all Human Capital Management administration functions and serves as a key strategist, advisor, and implementer of organization-wide efforts to create a positive employee experience, recruit and retain talent, and foster a culture of equity, inclusion, learning, and development. Mel lives in Kentucky with her husband and son.

Brian oversees mission fidelity, performance management, Network programming, and educational partnerships. He works with affiliates to ensure program model compliance and scholar success. Brian lives in St. Louis and is a proud dad and stepdad.

Bill oversees the Network Headquarters development team and fundraising efforts, including corporate and foundation partners, major donors, digital giving, and business development. He also works to spearhead collaborative network-wide fundraising & events. Bill lives in St. Louis with his wife.

Jennifer oversees the Network Headquarters Marketing and Communications team and projects, including the branding, website, public relations, and social media efforts. She serves as a key strategist for the organization’s marketing and communications planning. She lives in St. Louis with her two sons.

Laura directs the Performance Management Tool and Process, the Scholar Salesforce Database (PPM), and outcomes data and impact evaluation efforts. She oversees information technology

and leads Network training and The Vatterott Training Institute Learning Management System (LMS). Laura is married living in St. Louis, with two children.

Dana cultivates relationships with major donors to secure significant financial support for the Network Headquarters' annual operations. She also collaborates with affiliates to identify and leverage joint funding opportunities that align with the organization’s strategic priorities. Dana is remotely working from Atlanta.

Ashley is primarily responsible for supporting the CEO/President in the delivery of accounting, budgeting, financial planning, analysis, and reporting activities and procedures to the Hope Ignites Network Headquarters and US Affiliates of Hope Ignites. Ashley lives in St. Louis with her husband, three sons and one daughter.

Erin manages key programming initiatives such as My Road, EnvisionU, and World Wide Technology Scholars. She also manages volunteer and service learning initiatives, like AmeriCorps and the Guate-Maya Service Immersion. Erin lives in St. Louis.

James leads college, career, and alumni programming for the Network, supporting affiliate capacity in these areas, and managing partnerships with universities, intern placements, and peer organizations. James lives in Houston, Texas with his fiancé.

Pete manages all Network technology platforms, including Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and our technology infrastructure, as well as being the developer for our websites. He advises affiliate leaders on technology related decisions and troubleshoots on technology installations. Pete lives in St. Louis with his wife and three children.

Xiá manages grant proposals and stewardship initiatives to support Network Headquarters as well as collaborative opportunities to benefit the affiliate network. Xiá lives in St. Louis with her husband and two children.

Vivian is a curriculum design specialist and assists in the development for programming in Latin American and the US. She lives in Guatemala with her husband.

Stephanie assists affiliates and Network Headquarters with finding exceptional candidates for open positions and reinforces HCM compliance, best practices, policies, & procedures.

Aly designs, updates, creates content for, and manages the Network brand and visual identity. She also works with the tech team and affiliates to keep website technology and content refreshed and up to date, offering web and design training for affiliates to maintain a consistent brand voice. Aly lives in North Carolina with her son.

Lynn manages the Salesforce development database for Network Headquarters, as well as providing training and support in this area to affiliates. Lynn and her husband live in sunny Florida.

Martin manages the Network social media channels, email marketing, video creation, blog, and internal communications. He also assists affiliates with social media tools, resources, and training. Martin lives in St. Louis with his wife and dog.

Gigi maintains our scholar records, assists affiliates in the optimal usage of our scholar database, and supports outcome and impact data reporting. Gigi lives in Florida with her husband and five children.

Jenn is responsible for payroll for the Network and maintaining the data integrity of our payroll system. She also assists affiliates with general accounting. Jenn lives in St. Louis.

Bridget supports the Finance & Accounting team in bookkeeping, reporting, reconciling, and other miscellaneous functions for Network Headquarters. She also assists affiliates with accounting support as needed. She lives in St. Louis with her busy young family.

Debbie provides administrative and general office support to the Network Headquarters leadership team and serves as a backup to the new team member onboarding process. Debbie lives in St. Louis with her husband and is a proud mother and grandmother.

Julie supports the administration of benefits for the Hope Ignites network-wide team. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and is a proud mother and grandmother.

Will works with Hope Ignites affiliates and their bookkeeping and accounting needs, as well as assisting as needed at Network Headquarters. Will resides locally in St. Louis and is an avid board game enthusiast.