Our team

Soolmaz Abooali, Ph.D. is a professor, author and practitioner working at the intersection of sport, diplomacy and conflict resolution. In this capacity, she designs and implements sport-based programs for a diverse group of actors such as government, non-governmental organizations and philanthropic figures seeking to address social and political conflict through soft power methods. Dr. Abooali is also a world champion and 15-time US national champion in Traditional Karate.

Megumi Aoyama serves with the UN Refugee Agency’s External Engagement team in the Country Office in Ukraine. She has been working on the emergency response since the start of the war against Ukraine in February 2022. Prior to her current role, she worked with the Refugee Sports Coordination Team at Headquarters on sports partnerships and sport for protection programming with the aim of achieving better outcomes for displaced and stateless children and youth through sport. Megumi worked with the International Paralympic Committee as UNHCR liaison in bringing the Refugee Paralympic Team to the Tokyo Games 2020.

Kat Craig is an award-winning international human rights lawyer who has worked on issues of inclusion and social justice across five continents. She is a strategic advisor to numerous major funders and UN agencies on sport and human rights and has worked directly to support people with refugee experiences for over 20 years. Kat’s work has seen her travel the world and advocate for displaced people in conflict zones including Colombia, Palestine and Yemen. Most recently, Kat’s role in the evacuation of the Afghanistan Women’s National Football Team was recognised when she was awarded the prestigious Impact and Integrity Award. Kat is CEO of sport and human rights consultancy Athlead, and in her spare time helps run Camden & Islington United, a community-owned football club in London.

Adnan Abdul Ghani is a migration thematic expert at Save The Children Sweden, where he developed the Re-Act Model for refugees’ empowerment, self-organization and strategic cooperation. As a refugee from Syria, he started a movement to train refugees and migrants to lead community activities and initiated the Support Group Network (SGN), the first refugee-led organization in Sweden. He is also a thematic adviser for Region Västra Götaland for its regional development strategy 2020 to 2030 and a member of EU Commission Expert Group on migration, asylum and integration.

Matthew Lam Joar is originally from South Sudan, which he fled at the age of 15, and became a refugee in Kenya. He is passionate about sports and was a professional athlete. He was selected among the first group of the Refugee Olympics in 2015. After the 2016 Olympics, Lam decided to focus on his higher education and transitioned to working for the Refugee team through the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation and became the Camp Coordinator for the Refugee Olympics Team. He was the team Assistant for the Refugee Olympics Team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He graduated with a master’s degree in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford, class of 2022. His master’s research focuses on “How Participation in Elite Sport Shape Refugees’ Integration and Belonging”, a case study for the refugee Olympics Team.

Gerald Mballe is Special Olympics’ first-ever Advisor for the Unified with Refugees program, supporting its expansion and impact. His commitment to inclusive sports and social inclusion worldwide has led Gerald to take part in global convenings to promote the message of inclusion, from the FIGC Press Conference during the European Football week to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, to being awarded the title of Role Model for the integration of refugees through sports in schools, Sports clubs and workplace in the ISCA awards citizen choice in 2021.

Amina Moustafa is a Programme Manager for the Women’s Leadership Programme at the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation. She is on the Board of Directors for Sport Against Racism Ireland, a non-for-profit that uses sport as a non-formal learning tool to challenge racism and discrimination and to promote cultural diversity. She has also taught ‘Sport, Culture and Society’ at Nottingham Trent University and has worked with sports organisations in Ireland and abroad such as FIFA Foundation, the Special Olympics, Michael Johnson Performance, and the Global Goals World Cup on promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

Carine is based in Switzerland and leads UEFA Foundation for Children projects in areas of supervision, monitoring and evaluation. As a former athlete (track and field on the Swiss national team), Carine has always seen and experienced the power of sport for good. It was the reason why, after graduating from university with a master’s in Economics and postgraduate degree in Sport Management AISTS, she oriented her career towards implementing projects that improve children’s lives. Her work has taken her to many diverse contexts and countries, from townships in South Africa to refugee camps in Jordan.

Fereshteh Rafat is a women’s rights activist and journalist from Afghanistan. She worked as a program officer, community organizer, and media and communications practitioner with different NGOs in Afghanistan, and is one of the co-founders of #Whereismyname campaign in 2017. Due to her professional work and vocal stance against the Taliban regime, Fereshteh moved to Barcelona under the refugee protection scheme in August 2021. She is now studying Spanish, learning coding, playing football and committed to building a meaningful life and career in her new home, while continuing to fight for those left behind in Afghanistan.

Esther Jones Russell has almost a decade of experience working at the intersection of sports and social justice. She is currently Head of Policy at Fare network – football’s global anti-discrimination body – where she focuses on refugee inclusion, LGBTIQ+ issues and gender equality. She is a trustee at Refugee Legal Support, an international charity providing frontline legal services to asylum seekers. Previously, Esther oversaw global projects in access and inclusion for disabled football fans and was co-chair of the award-winning Festival of Football, promoting women and non-binary people’s participation in sport. Esther also contributes to several academic papers on social inclusion and sport policy.

Nick Sore heads the Sport Section at the UN Refugee Agency’s headquarters in Geneva. His team works with sport and non-sport actors to leverage the potential of the sport eco-system for people who have been forced to flee. He has more than 20 years’ experience developing partnerships for and working with children and youth in Global North, Global South, development and humanitarian contexts. He worked previously as UNHCR’s Global Adolescent and Youth Advisor and as a Child Protection Officer in the field. Nick has a degree in International Development and Food Policy and a Masters in International Human Rights Law and Public Policy.

Megan wants every coach and youth development practitioner (fine, every human) to learn about the brain so that they understand the unique ability that sport has to help kids heal, grow and thrive. Happiest when she’s in a room full of coaches, Megan designs and delivers training experiences, creates toolkits and resources, and provides support to organizations committed to ensuring that all sports experiences are healing experiences. She is part of the faculty for NM Sport, speaks regularly on the power of sport for good, and is the author of two books: “A Kids Book About Trauma” and “Redesigning Youth Sports- Change the Game.”

David joined Doc Wayne in August 2011 as the organization’s first CEO. He is responsible for managing and overseeing Doc Wayne operations while exploring ways to broaden the organization’s reach. He has over 25 years of experience in the business and non-profit sectors – specializing in building partner relationships, while sharpening organizational outreach. David is a former college soccer player and has been involved in sport-based youth development since 2008.

Under David’s leadership, Doc Wayne has gained national and international recognition including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award and Beyond Sport’s global Sports for Health Award. In 2012 and 2018, David was nominated as the Major League Soccer (MLS W.O.R.K.S.) New England Community MVP. In 2014, he was selected as a Social Innovator by the Social Innovation Forum in the category of Breaking Down Barriers to Effective Mental Health Services. The organization was also selected as the 2014 Innovator of the Year from the Massachusetts Providers’ Council. In 2015, he was selected as a Carmax ‘Bright Side of Game Day’ Community Hero. He earned his B.S. from Babson College and his MBA from the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University.

Tom is founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, the mission of which is to convene leaders, facilitate dialogue, and inspire solutions that can help sports serve the public interest. Since 2011, the program has provided thought leadership on topics including the future of college sports, athlete advocacy, the legacy of Title IX, and the role of sports in addressing climate change. The program’s signature initiative is Project Play, which develops, applies and shares knowledge to build healthy children and communities through sports. Since 2013, strategies advanced through Project Play have inspired hundreds of organizations to take mutually reinforcing actions, governments from the federal to county levels to introduce new policies, and foundations to unlock shape more than $60 million in grants for grassroots programs.

The initiative’s #DontRETIREKid media campaign in 2020 won 37 international awards including Clios, Cannes Lions and a Halo Award. Inspired by Project Play, other countries including Mexico and Romania have launched related initiatives. The New York Times describes Tom as a leader dedicated to improving the world through sports. Over four decades, working with trailblazing organizations in media and sports, he has been a builder – of breakthrough frameworks, ideas, tools and stories. Tom came to Aspen from ESPN where his work as a journalist was recognized for its innovation and excellence. In 1996, he joined the internet startup Starwave as deputy editor, helping develop the website that later became ESPN.com. He then became the first reporter to produce cross-platform enterprise reports. His investigations over two decades helped grow the reputation of the television show Outside the Lines and won many national honors including two Sports Journalism Emmys, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a 2014 Alfred I. duPont/Columbia University Award – ESPN’s first.

Melissa Harper has been the Chief Executive Officer of Good Sports, Inc. since it was founded in 2003.  During that time Good Sports has grown from distributing equipment to impact 2,500 kids to supporting millions of kids today.

In addition to roles in nonprofit fundraising and consulting, she also spent nearly 5 years in the management consulting business with Gemini Consulting and Treacy & Company. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Melissa is also a lifelong athlete participating in road races and marathons as well as playing and coaching sports for her four children.

As a scholar activist, Dr. Ponder PhD, MS, MSPH has led many successful public health initiatives including advocating for the establishment of lactation rooms (pods) at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – the world’s busiest airport, as well as leading plans for lactation support services for the 2017 National Women’s March (Washington, DC).

As a lifelong learner and practitioner, Dr. Ponder leverages, in her teaching, her 10+ year career in health communication at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Ponder views the classroom as a safe space and hopes that, through this process, students become aware of their own power as scholar activists, empowered learners, and as emerging public health change-makers. Dr. Ponder holds BS and MS degrees in Chemistry from Clark Atlanta University, a MSPH in Epidemiology from Emory University and a PhD in Communication from Georgia State University.

Frank Sanchez, Jr., is a 51-year veteran of the Boys & Girls Club Movement with more than 35 years of professional experience. As the National Vice President of Business and Community Affairs, his responsibilities include the development and implementation of a National Alumni Strategy in addition to managing corporate, sports, celebrity and alumni relationships, highlighted by BGCA’s annual Alumni Hall of Fame induction and BGCA’s National Conference. Prior to this, Mr. Sanchez was Vice President of Corporate & Partner Relationships where he ensured that BGCA was exceeding the expectations and outcomes of its many corporate partners.

Mr. Sanchez also held the position of Senior Director of Strategic Outreach where he was responsible for educating the Boys & Girls Club Movement in all new strategies, programs and initiatives relevant to fundraising, marketing and communications. These programs included Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) 2006 Centennial Celebration, BGCA Latino Outreach strategy, and all material impacting the BGCA brand.

From 1993 to 2003, Mr. Sanchez managed the BGCA Targeted Outreach initiative, a national project focused on creating customized community strategies to lure youth away from the negative influences of gangs. He also developed outreach strategies to serve delinquent youth, youth-at-risk of gang involvement and BGCA’s newest strategy, targeted re-entry. This approach provides juvenile offenders with an opportunity to transition from incarceration back into their community using the Boys & Girls Club as an after-care service provider.

Mr. Sanchez is considered a national expert in the area of youth gangs; he was invited to sit on President Clinton’s task force on “School Violence”, and Mrs. Clinton’s task force on “Advancing Education in the Hispanic Community”.

Prior to joining BGCA, he spent 11 years as a member of the professional staff at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in Bronx, NY. His responsibilities as unit director included outreach training and professional staff development for 12 full-time staff. In fact, Sanchez grew up at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, joining when he was only six years old.

According to Sanchez, “The Club had the most profound impact on my life, it helped me overcome the lure of street gangs by providing me with a different sort of gang, one where I could become involved in positive activities supervised by caring adults.”

Mr. Sanchez’s vision and passion for youth service is best described by Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Mr. Sanchez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from St. John’s University in New York. He is the recipient of a 35-year service award from BGCA and a graduate of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America management program.

Lauren Sauer is an Associate Professor in the College of Public Health, Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a Scholar of the UNMC Global Center for Health Security. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, department of International Health. She is also an adjunct faculty member of the Boston University Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research.

Lauren has been working in the field of disaster and public health emergency research and education for almost two decades and has deployed for over a dozen disaster and emergency responses, and on the US Navy’s humanitarian assistance missions Continuing Promise, and Pacific Partnership. For almost a decade, Lauren served as the Assistant Director of Operations for the Johns Hopkins Go Team, a deployable Medical Asset and has worked remotely and on the ground on several disaster responses for them including Hurricane Katrina, the 2009 California Wildfires, the Haiti earthquake, the Pakistan floods, and Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the US Virgin Islands. Lauren has advised national governments, research and response networks, and nonprofit organizations on preparedness and response efforts. She has authored over 60 journal articles in the fields of bioemergencies and disaster preparedness and response.

She is the Director of the Special Pathogens Research Network, the research arm of the National Ebola Training and Education Center and is an alumnus of the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity program at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, where she is a contributing scholar. She also serves on the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Committee where she sits on the Disaster Preparedness Sub Committee, supporting the Red Cross’ operations with a scientifically sound evidence base. She previously served as Director of Operations for the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response and the Director of Research for the Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit where she ran the inpatient COVID19 biobank and served on the COVID-19 research steering committee for JHU. She also previously served as the JHU focal point for their partnership with the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak and Alert Response Network.

Renata Simril is the President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation, the youth-serving organization committed to transforming the lives of youth in Southern California through sports and play programs, as well as through ongoing investments in infrastructure, research and education as a legacy of the 1984 Summer Olympics. Since her appointment in 2016, she has elevated the LA84 Foundation into a national leader in the role that sports have in positive youth development. She has expanded the Foundation’s mission in vital ways by focusing its work on supporting childhood health, the socio-emotional development of young people and community well-being.

By collaborating with corporate partners, sports organizations, civic institutions and philanthropy, Simril has brought new resources to communities to remove barriers to access to sports and play for children. Inspired by the many organizations working to improve the lives of youth, Simril founded the play equity movement to drive meaningful change. This gave rise to the Play Equity Fund – the LA84 Foundation’s charitable partner focused nationally on play equity as a social justice issue. The organization builds opportunities for kids from all backgrounds to play, works to create systems change, and increases awareness about how issues of access significantly impact future generations.

Simril has a longstanding commitment to leadership and service, with more than 25 years of diverse experience – including a background in government, business, pro sports, and publishing. Prior to the LA84 Foundation, Simril served as Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff of the Los Angeles Times, overseeing 900 staff members. Previously she was also the Senior Vice President of External Affairs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, with responsibilities that included the team’s community affairs and charitable foundation. For over a decade Simril was in mixed-use real estate development with Jones Lang LaSalle, Forest City Development and LCOR, Inc.

As Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Housing in the Hahn Administration, she worked to expand rental, affordable housing and economic policies. As Development Deputy to an LA City Councilman, Simril worked to rebuild communities in South Los Angeles after the 1992 civil unrest. She began her career in the U.S. Army, serving as a Military Police Officer in Germany and domestically.

In 2022, Simril was appointed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being, which is exploring strategies to promote health and wellness among Californians of all ages. As well as serving as an advisor to national task forces, boards and commissions, Simril’s writing as an advocate for childhood health has appeared in Authority Magazine, EdSource.org, Forbes, the Los Angeles Business Journal, the Los Angeles Daily News and The Sacramento Observer. Simril was invited to serve as a Regents’ Lecturer in the UCLA Department of Sociology, a program where distinguished leaders from outside of traditional academics enrich instruction. She was also invited recently to speak to the Board of Councilors at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Under her leadership, the LA84 Foundation and the Play Equity Fund have engaged new stakeholders to improve the social, academic and health outcomes for youth. Simril was instrumental in forging a unique collaboration with the 12 pro sports teams across the region to form The Alliance: Los Angeles to advance social justice, workforce development and leadership with local students. She developed the Super Bowl LVI Legacy Program, “Champions Live Here” – which provided funding for a mobile vehicle that brings healthy activities to communities without playgrounds – in addition to support for 56 nonprofits. As a legacy of the 2023 College Football Championship, the “Champions Educate Here” program awarded 46 local educators with up to $20,000 who utilize play to help students recover from the pandemic.

A third generation Angeleno who grew up in Carson, Simril is actively engaged in civic and community service, including serving on the boards of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, and the ESPN Return to Play Advisory Council. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Loyola Marymount University and a Master’s in Real Estate Development from USC. Simril lives in Studio City with her husband and two sons.

With a relentless dedication to improving the lives of others, Nichol Whiteman is the Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF). Under Nichol’s leadership, LADF tackles the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness and social justice for all Angelenos. During Nichol’s tenure, LADF launched incredibly impactful programming including Dodgers RBI, a youth development initiative serving more than 10,000 youth today.

As part of LADF’s commitment to Southern California communities, the Foundation completed its 50th Dodgers Dreamfield, created a benefit gala, and increased fundraising by 1,000% with Nichol at the helm. Direct programming is only the beginning. Whiteman also advocates for LADF to be a strong charitable partner for nonprofits within the Los Angeles community through strategic grant making that builds capacity and reach. Collectively, Whiteman has cultivated partnerships that have resulted in more than $32 million in community investment in the form of direct programs and grant making, impacting over 2.3 million children.

With a degree in Economics from Spelman College, Nichol was the first in her family to graduate from college and has a passion for education, equity, and diversity. Her unwavering dedication resulted in positions in investment management and publishing before beginning a philanthropic career as VP, Western Region of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. As a child of Jamaican immigrants “in search of a dream,” she frequently highlights the power of diversity in advocating for resources and opportunities for marginalized populations.

As a Black woman in Major League Baseball, Nichol understands the importance of access. She uses her resources to open doors and opportunities for youth from all backgrounds. In addition to her professional achievements, she mentors countless men and women. With a mighty team that shares her commitment to advocacy, Whiteman aims to deepen the impact of LADF programs and enhance the Foundation’s visibility and philanthropic influence across Los Angeles.