Our Team
Find out what's on our minds and what's going on behind the scenes: check out the DoSomething.org blog
Staff
Amanda Ashton, Grants Associate
Amanda couldn’t imagine a better job than working with awesome kids who rock amazingly important and impassioned causes! Originally from Acton, MA her passion for activism and volunteering began as a living history interpreter in historic Concord. Amanda continued her passion for history and graduated from NYU with a BA in History, where she was an active member of the student government and created a new series of fundraisers based around causes like disaster relief response and humanitarian crisis in Darfur. While studying abroad in Paris, she developed her global perspective and a desire to keep traveling the world. Amanda is the reigning bake-off champ for her peanut butter chocolate chip brownies, and is hoping for a second summer of undefeated kickball. Although a Boston girl at heart, Amanda feels most at home in New York where she proudly walks just as fast as a typical New Yorker, but with the true attitude of a Bostonian.
John Cassidy, Digital Media Associate
John, a recent graduate from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Economics and Visual Studies, handles all video work in the office, so George doesn't have to. He also dabbles in graphic and web design when needed. Commuting from Staten Island every morning (car to bus to ferry to subway), he has just about enough time to listen to "Africa" by Toto 16 times. Outside of work, he enjoys running...a lot. He would like it duly noted that while George may run "4 mile races faster than every intern at Do Something [when he gets a head start after a certain intern's shoe gets knocked off at the starting line]," he would like to remind George that the head-to-head matchup still stands at 2-1, and doesn't appear to be threatened anytime in the foreseeable future.
Mike Fantini, Clubs Associate
Mike is yet another recent NYU graduate to join the Do Something team. He earned a double major in finance and accounting (but usually only likes to admit to that when pressed about it). He was proudly born and raised in New Jersey, but when junior year of college came around he realized he needed to get as far away from the northeast as possible so he spent a life-changing semester in Melbourne, Australia. In Melbourne, his true love for hiking and the outdoors was unleashed and he has since spent many a day hiking up and down mountains, in and out of canyons, and up- and down-stream through waist-high rivers. Mike has a personal goal to see as many National Parks as he can before his Annual Parks Pass runs up in August! Mike is so excited to be working at Do Something and can’t wait to collaborate with all of the amazing Do Something Clubs and YACers!
Aria Finger, CMO
Aria graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in Economics and Political Science and loves being back home in New York. Her prior experience includes teaching Spanish and math as well as working in microeconomic consulting. Her expertise lies in baking brownies and blondies, but she also has a serious weakness for vanilla cupcakes. Aria reads economic theory for fun and thinks that "After Innocence" should be required movie-watching for anyone interested in social justice.
Aria oversees the "Do Something about" stuff, Karma Tycoon, and a lot of the corporate relationships-because she is super fun and friendly. She hopes to use her energy and enthusiasm to reach even more young people who want to change our world.
Jade Gardener, Executive Assistant
A Jamaican native who grew up in the Bronx, Jade has the hardest and most demanding job in the office: Nancy’s assistant! Jade graduated from Binghamton University with a double degree in Sociology and Human Development with a Minor in International Studies focusing on International Development. One little known fact about Jade is that she is an avid basketball player and will take on anyone at anytime. She is always trying to find new ways to keep herself energized in order to keep up with Nancy – not such an easy task! Jade can often be seen sitting at the sidecar desk inside Nancy’s office, organizing a mailing to over 40,000 teens or juggling two computers and three phones at once.
Kevin Hager, Director of Development
Kevin is the person who is responsible for raising 8 million dollars (by the end of next week). He is so happy to be in New York, where he is thiiiiis close to his idol, Audra McDonald. If you know who she is, then you’re probably a big musical theatre fan, too. That being said, he is proud to call Shawnee Mission, Kansas his first home. He studied Art History and Sociology at the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk Jayhawk!) and was active in promoting volunteerism and service learning at the Center for Community Outreach and the Center for Service Learning. He has worked on several political campaigns in the Midwest and continues to be involved in the movement for LGBTQ equality.
Nancy Lublin, CEO & Chief Old Person
Since August 2003, CEO and Chief Old Person Nancy Lublin has overseen Do Something's growth and led the effort to begin awarding more grant money to young people who want to make a difference. She turned the organization from a debt-ridden, "old school" not-for-profit with offices in multiple cities nationwide, to a fast-moving internet-y company capturing the attention of a generation of doers.
Nancy is deeply passionate about Do Something and the activist mission behind the organization. She says her first activist campaign was liberating the purple crayons in pre-school after one loud boy had declared them "not allowed for girls." Armed with a $5,000 inheritance from her immigrant great grandfather at the age of 23, Nancy founded the organization Dress for Success, which to this day provides women with interview suits, career development training, and boosts in their self-confidence in more than 70 cities in four countries.
Nancy graduated from Brown University, Oxford University (where she was a Marshall Scholar), and New York University School of Law. She is married to entrepreneur Jason Diaz and they have two children, Sydney (named after the city) and Houston (not named after the city—or the street).
Follow Nancy on Twitter @DoSomething
Nancy with Michael Seltzer of The Foundation Center
Watch Nancy's tips on getting your foot in the corporate door.
Watch Nancy's tips on getting your foot in the corporate door.
Vanessa Martir, Content Editor
Vanessa oversees the collection of information and creation of articles and tipsheets for this magnificent site... and she absolutely loves doing it! V is a published writer who just completed her second novel and is working on the first of a pentagonia of memoirs. She graduated from Columbia University and is a Brooklyn (Bushwick baby!) native. She's a proud mommy of a 4 year old little chica who is fearless and bound to be the next Shakira. In her free time, V loves to write (duh!), read, work out, rollerblade, and venture around the city with her nena and peeps in tow.
Jonathan Schilit, Marketing
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in History and American Studies, Jonathan ventured out to sunny California to check out life in the movie biz. Not to mention, he wanted to expand his knowledge of useless movie trivia. While LA has more substance than US Weekly would suggest, and the beaches are in fact beautiful, he realized there is only one New York – and only one Do Something.
Lauren Singer Katz, Office Manager
It is Lauren’s job to make sure our office is running smoothly and efficiently – all while keeping the energy and momentum going! She tries to maintain this liveliness with diet coke, freaking out over celeb sightings, and lots of smiles. Lauren also oversees the intern program for both college and high school students. After being an intern for three years around the city, she is a pro at how to make their experience the best ever. She is a proud graduate of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU where she focused on woman and gender studies, family and parenting styles, alternative ways of thinking about mental health and truth and fiction in memoir. WOW, that is a mouthful. She is always up for discussing her concentration, her love of camp, her favorite NYC spots, and of course – Do Something!
Julia Steers, Content Writer
If you’ve checked out our website, chances are you’ve read some of Julia’s writing. She’s a content writer for the site and oversees Celebs Gone Good too. She’s the Jo Bros newest biggest fan because she writes content for their charity website, Change for the Children Foundation too (and is a Nick fan for the record).
Julia grew up in Rye, NY (which is not Connecticut) and graduated from Georgetown, where she studied Government and English. She’s a news junkie and is passionate about human rights issues, especially Darfur and human trafficking. She’s also eagerly anticipating Do Something’s next kickball season.
Melanie Stevenson, Business Development
First and foremost, Melanie would like to thank you for scrolling all the way down to "S" to read about her. Melanie connects DoSomething.org with awesome brands and turns those partnerships into national cause campaigns.
She joined DoSomething.org after working with Portraits of Hope and the Garden in Transit project, plastering NYC's taxi fleet with flowers painted by 23,000 kids and volunteers. After the project, she sent the artwork to New Orleans to beautify schools and homes.
Melanie studied Spanish and Bioethics at Davidson College in NC where she volunteered with Girls on the Run and the Florence Crittenton Center. Melanie actively volunteers with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans. If she were a Disney princess, Melanie would be Ariel.
Miles Ulrich, Lead Developer
Miles hails from Minnesota and is a super talented programmer. He has also spent time volunteering with the Peace Corps in Armenia.
Fast Facts about Miles:
- He is not single
- He is a little shy
- He is a fan of the World Series of Chess
- He is unusually into Karaoke
- He likes soup
- He takes a weekly running class
- He wears glasses
George Weiner, CTO
George manages all the internet, computer, and online communication stuff for Do Something. George votes early and often and is probably having PB&J for lunch today.
Originally from Brooklyn, George holds a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania (but he did take one class in Business Ethics from the Wharton School. He got a gentleman's B+). Aside from working diligently at Do Something, he is a coach for the New York Road Runner's Club and coaches a City Sports for Kids program in the Bronx. He would like it noted that he runs marathons faster than Lance Armstrong and 4 mile races faster than every intern at Do Something.
Check out the project he created for his volunteer trip in Mozambique. Watch a really long interview from the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. Watch the Google Adwords talk given at the August 2009 Google Grants Conference.
Jordyn Wells, Grants
Jordyn has the awesome job of giving out money to teens…to fund their community action ideas and projects. This Vermont native cares greatly about the environment, social issues and the strength of her daily AM coffee.
Jordyn graduated from Bard College with a degree in Anthropology and Studio Art (and a minor in Africana studies). Addicted to traveling since a trip to Ghana at the age of sixteen, Jordyn has traveled to 19 countries (she is trying to hit 30 by 30). Having been back five times, Ghana is her number one travel destination. It's not just the sun and sand that keeps her going back, but her involvement with JAC, an art organization that targets kids living in Accra's (Ghana's capital) urban slums. Basically, we envy her "jet-setting travel the world and help out" style….and natural blonde hair.
Chad Wolbrink, CFO
Chad is the keeper of all things money related: he writes the checks, counts the money, and keeps these really nice spreadsheets that only a few people actually read.
He came to Do Something following finance positions with other nice NYC orgs StoryCorps and the lower Manhattan Cultural Council, but Chad is a native of one of those states way out west that your cousins visited once in an RV during Summer vacation.
Chad is an avid cyclist—even on really hot Summer days. He has completed several AIDS rides, raising thousands of dollars for research.
