We’re Champions of Youth-Led Change

Nibal has over a decade of experience in development and community engagement. In her previous role, she served as St. John’s Prep’s Managing Director of Alumni Engagement and Giving during the institution’s most extensive seven-year capital campaign. Nibal joined Positive Tracks as the Director of Social Impact and Giving in May of 2021. With a particular focus on engaging a broad spectrum of Positive Tracks supporters, she is motivated by the powerful role individuals and organizations can have in creating change through PT’s mission. A proud alumna of Roger Williams University, Nibal serves as President Emeritus of the Alumni Association and volunteers as an alumni mentor. She’s deeply committed to providing youth, from all backgrounds, with opportunities and access to education and leadership. Nibal especially enjoys mentoring first-generation students and supporting them throughout their college and post-college careers. She holds a M.Ed. in Organizational Management and enjoys traveling, gardening, and is a self-proclaimed foodie and beach bum. Nibal loves spending time with her brilliant husband and two dogs, Brody and Phoebe on the North Shore of MA where she grew up and still resides.

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.

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.

Sarah grew up in Norwich, VT, returned to her hometown in 2020, and has loved reconnecting with the Upper Valley community. 

Sarah graduated from St. Lawrence University, and her neverending curiosity has helped steer her career toward working at various organizations focused on population health, wellness, and consulting. Most recently, her work has been focused on well-being, mental health, and social media, serving as a creative agent to speakers, creatives, and authors in the Upper Valley and across the country. 

In addition to her professional experience, Sarah is passionate about social causes at both the local and global levels and has volunteered for numerous organizations in the Upper Valley. She is delighted to use this passion as a member of the Positive Tracks team. 

Sarah enjoys playing and watching sports, curling up with a good book, cooking, a good belly laugh, and spending time with friends and family.

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 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 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 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 is Founder & CEO at Positive Tracks where she supports younger generations in building healthy futures through sport activism. Rooted in hands-on leadership training, team building, inclusion and connection, Positive Tracks helps young adults build and lead athletic events to champion the causes they care about most. Nini grew up in Lyme, NH, and returned to New Hampshire in her mid-twenties to raise two sons and many dogs. Nini enjoys endurance sports and the outdoors. She has served as a Board Trustee of Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth; The Hopkins Center for The Arts at Dartmouth; of the Jane B. Cook Charitable Trusts, The Lyme Foundation; Hypertherm HOPE Foundation, and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

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.

Heather grew up on a farm in upstate New York (the real “upstate” – north of Albany). She learned many of her core values and life lessons in this setting, most notably her ability to think she can repair just about anything and how to identify a variety of flora and fauna. Most recently she worked in higher education managing a program of 34 club sports, 200+ student leaders and 1,600 student participants. She is thrilled to be a part of Positive Tracks whose mission aligns perfectly with her personal mantra of “do more good”. Heather is a fan of almost anything made with chocolate, loves being outdoors and could survive on a deserted island with an endless supply of Cheerios and milk. Heather, her partner Chrissy, and their son enjoy exploring all the Upper Valley has to offer and are grateful to call it home.

Valerie Wilson grew up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, around the block from the Canadian border. Since getting her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Franklin Pierce College, her career has spanned the travel, hospitality, fitness and restaurant industries. The common thread has been a love of collaboration, creation, and the customer experience. She loves sunbeams, long conversations with friends on porches, spa days, and carbohydrates. She can also run a 5K from the couch with a 90’s hip hop playlist. She calls the Upper Valley home and lives in White River Junction, Vermont with her two sons and dog.

Stephanie is a first year medical student at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Medicine. She completed her undergraduate education at UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2021 where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Physiology and Neurobiology. Stephanie is passionate about pediatrics, advocating for youth, and supporting her community. She began volunteering with the patients at Connecticut Children’s, her local children’s hospital, in high school. After four summers of being a summer volunteer, she became involved in HuskyTHON during her junior year at UConn. HuskyTHON is a student-led year-round philanthropic effort run through UConn in partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to raise money for Connecticut Children’s. It was through this program that Stephanie became involved with Positive Tracks. She hosted her own set of Positive Tracks Challenges ranging from burpees, to pull-ups, to running weekly 5Ks.

During Stephanie’s final year as an undergraduate, she joined the HuskyTHON’s Management Team as the Director Strategic Fundraising. In this role, she created fundraising initiatives and acted as the liaison between HuskyTHON and Positive Tracks, increasing partnerships with Positive Tracks within the organization. During Stephanie’s undergraduate years, she also co-founded Knit for NICU. Through this organization, she worked with her peers to knit and crochet hats, blankets, and more for babies in local neonatal intensive care units. The group also raises money for The Loveland Foundation, an organization that provides free therapy to women of color, with a particular focus on Black women. In Stephanie’s free time, she likes to pursue her other interests. She appreciates weekly walks and runs, can always be found singing, and loves catching up on the latest Marvel movies.

David Bartlett founded Winrock Advisors Limited in Hong Kong in 2013 as a specialized advisory firm focused on arranging private lending facilities and other special situations debt transactions for a global client base.

Since 2006 David has also been Director of Pacific Harbor Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong SFC-licensed asset manager, and the Managing Director and Office Head of Pacific Harbor Advisors. David has over 24 years of experience in handling financial transactions in global markets. Prior to forming Pacific Harbor, the key principals established and managed Amroc Asia, a TPG / Avenue Capital affiliate – trading, advising and originating stressed and distressed debt transactions.

David was the Executive Director in Amroc Asia’s Hong Kong office from 2002 until 2006, generating transactions in China, Thailand and the Philippines. From 2000 to 2001, David was the COO of HNH Group Limited in Hong Kong. From 1998 to 2000, he was Project Manager of Corporate Banking & Investment Research at Asia Market Intelligence Group in Hong Kong. In 1997, David served for a year as Manager of Indonesian Equity Research at PT Samuel Sekuritas Indonesia in Jakarta, and from 1991 to 1994, he was the Program Manager at Africare based in Burkina Faso working with World Bank grantees and Project Manager at Associates in Rural Development in Burlington, Vermont implementing USAID financings.

David was awarded a B.A. from the University of Vermont in 1990 and an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 1997. David lives with his family in his childhood hometown of Norwich Vermont and is a Hong Kong Permanent Resident.

Sarah is a 2007 United States Military Academy graduate who served 13 years as an Army intelligence officer, including three years in the Army’s only Special Operations Aviation unit. After multiple deployments to Afghanistan, she pursued a life of peace in California becoming a top fine wine sales consultant based out of San Diego. Ready for the next adventure, Sarah and her family moved east so she could attend the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. She graduated in June 2021 and joined McKinsey & Company. She lives in Hanover, NH with her husband and young daughter, is fiercely passionate about supporting veterans, and adores champagne. A collegiate volleyball player turned runner and HIIT enthusiast, she loves to explore the Upper Valley, kayak the Connecticut River, ski, and play backyard soccer with her family.

Esme is an advocate for youth health and happiness. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont, and currently serves as a member of the House of Representatives in the Vermont Legislature. Prior to politics, she dedicated her professional career to a variety of nonprofits, including an early childhood education center and a music/activism organization. Esme first became deeply involved with Positive Tracks when she captained her own event to raise money for The Sidewalk School, an NGO which supports the health and education needs of asylum-seeking children on the U.S./Mexico border.

A 2019 graduate of Kenyon College, Esme majored in International Studies with a focus on Latin America. She volunteered as a translator at a free health clinic for asylum seekers in Matamoros, Mexico in 2021, and hopes to continue on a professional trajectory which allows her to support refugees. She is also passionate about food justice—whether it comes to sustainable farming practices, food security, or equitable access to healthy food.

She has played, coached, and refereed field hockey and lacrosse, but is up for trying any new form of physical activity. She hopes to see you at the next Positive Tracks challenge!

Walt Cunningham Jr. attended West Point Academy, making him one of only a thousand plus black Americans to graduate from the distinguished military academy, where he continued to serve as a national spokesperson. He further honed those skills in the business sector working for corporate giants Pfizer, Inc. and Wilson Learning, earning many awards including top national salesman for the launch of Viagra. Walt, a beloved force at Dartmouth College and its student and Upper Valley community, is an accomplished pianist, director and producer. He currently serves as the Producer/Creator of Dartmouth Idol, Dartmouth Pop Music Ensemble, and the Gospel Ensemble where he writes, arranges, produces and conducts concerts, tours and special events. Walt is also the Founder and CEO of One Soul In Prosperity (OSIP) Productions, LLC, a full service live and recorded music production and publishing company established in 2005 and located in Chicago, IL.

Walt’s influence and voice extends far beyond the Dartmouth campus and Chicago. He has ignited audiences at the World Bank and the White House. He has developed productions and performed for the Venite Festival in Lucern Switzerland, Unity in Chicago Charity Concerts, Harpo Entertainment, Roadhouse Jam Benefit Concert for Hurricane Katrina, and Obama’s inaugural brunch with Carole King, Yolanda Adams and Bebe Winans. And much more.

Walt spends much of his life working with students in leadership development and mentorship, ranging from empowerment to effective communication, delegating and directing, team decision making, conflict and budget management. He has created multiple curricula and learning systems for Dartmouth with an emphasis on real world application and organization. He also plays a key role on campus in MLK Day, Baccalaureate, Dimensions, Reunions, and the Call to Lead Capital Campaign.

Ted Fischer Serves as President of the Positive Tracks Board. A life-long Rhode Islander, Ted is Co-Founder and CEO of Ageless Innovation and the Joy for All brand. Ageless Innovation is focused on re-imagining how we live and age by unleashing the power of play. Ted has spent his career building, working with and leading collaborative teams that strive to achieve meaningful financial and social impact. In 2015, After a 25 year career founding or working with early stage companies, he joined Hasbro as VP of Business Development, and led the launch of the Joy for All brand, as well as the launch of Nerf Energy, a UnitedHealthcare co-branded mobile app and kid’s activity tracker that promotes healthy active play for underserved children. Ted holds a BA degree from Boston College double majoring in Economics and Philosophy, and is a graduate of the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School. After graduating he served on the Harvard Business School Global Alumni Board for 10 years, including two years as President. Ted serves as Board Chair of Year Up RI and on numerous nonprofit boards, including the BCA Mezzanine Fund, LLC Advisory Board, and as Campaign Vice-Chair for Moses Brown School’s $60MM capital campaign where he served on the Board of Trustees for more than a decade.

Peter is a current 2nd year MBA student at Tuck and serves as one of three 2023-2024 Non-Profit Board Fellows. He is most recently a New York resident, but has spent time in London, Los Angeles, and Chicago before coming to the Upper Valley.

Prior to Tuck, he ran the grant-giving programs for Beyond Sport, a foundation dedicated to supporting non-profits (like Positive Tracks!) that harness the power of sport to do good. Before that, he served in the Peace Corps as an education volunteer in Burkina Faso. Peter holds a B.A. from the University of Southern California and loves running, horror movies, and Arsenal Football Club.

Arielle is an environmental justice advocate, environmental educator, and digital content creator. Originally from Albany, New York Arielle currently resides in the Washington DC area, where she works as the Environmental Justice Staff Attorney at the Environmental Law Institute. She also works for a digital-based climate justice resource hub called Intersectional Environmentalist, where she creates Tik Tok content and hosts a podcast focused on environmental justice updates and climate optimism called “The Joy Report”.

Arielle ran track and field from 3rd-10th grade, running on her high school’s varsity team since 8th grade as a mid-distance runner. After a series of injuries prevented her from competing anymore, Arielle continued her running career as a coach for the Albany Police Athletic League (PAL) summer track program for several years. Arielle trained in Budokai and Shotokan Karate for 8 years and performed tap and jazz dance for 7 years. She has coordinated and led community service projects since she was in the fourth grade. As a singer, Arielle has performed at naturalization ceremonies, grand openings, weddings, sports events, and more, from the time she was 11. She sang in her church choir growing up and was a member of chorus ensembles at school from 4th grade until her sophomore year of college.

Arielle holds a Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy and a JD from a law school in New England, and a Bachelors of Arts in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with a concentration in Political Ecology from Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

Amy is an east coaster living in Seattle for the weather. She’s a consultant passionate about public health working for McKinsey and Company. Previously, she worked in West Africa for the Clinton Health Access Initiative supporting a national government’s health care system, and in New York as a financial services consultant. Her love for the Upper Valley brought her to Dartmouth to earn her Master’s in Business Administration, Master’s in Public Health, and B.A. in economics. In her free time, Amy enjoys listening to crime podcasts, trying new hot sauces, and hiking for views.

Nini Meyer is Founder & CEO at Positive Tracks where she supports younger generations in building healthy futures through sport activism. Rooted in hands-on leadership training, team building, inclusion and connection, Positive Tracks helps young adults build and lead athletic events to champion the causes they care about most. Nini grew up in Lyme, NH, and returned to New Hampshire in her mid-twenties to raise two sons and many dogs. Nini enjoys endurance sports and the outdoors. She has served as a Board Trustee of Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth; The Hopkins Center for The Arts at Dartmouth; of the Jane B. Cook Charitable Trusts, The Lyme Foundation; Hypertherm HOPE Foundation, and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

Jasper is a senior at Dartmouth College where he studies philosophy and government. He has specific academic interests in applied ethics, ethical theory, and philosophy of philanthropy. After he graduates, Jasper will work as an analyst at Innosight, a growth strategy consulting firm based in Lexington, MA. He has been involved with Positive Tracks for over a decade, both as a captain of several challenges and as an internal resource for communications, strategic, and programmatic decisions. He now sits on the Diversity & Inclusion and Program Expansion committees, as well as serving as the Secretary of the Board.

John Pepper serves as Treasurer of the Positive Tracks Board. John is the co-founder and Chief Worker Advocate (and reluctant CEO) of Boloco, a Certified B Corporation, a 6-unit restaurant chain that he started as a Tuck student in 1997. He is also a co-founder of B.Good, a 70+ unit restaurant chain and Worthee, a technology platform built to dramatically improve the futures and elevate the voice of hourly and low-income workers. John has advised and made early investments in more than 30 start-ups in consumer businesses and tech platforms that empower the workforce and/or support small businesses. John graduated from Dartmouth College in 1991 and received his MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 1997. John lives in Hanover, NH with his wife Maggie and their three children.

Gioia Perugini serves as Vice President of the Positive Tracks Board. Gioia is the Director of Philanthropic Services at Hemenway & Barnes, LLP, a Boston-based legal and fiduciary firm. She works with individuals, families, advisors, charitable trusts, and foundations to provide a range of philanthropic advisory and client services. She works with clients to design and implement charitable giving strategies, research particular charities, negotiate gifts of cash and/or tangible assets (with a specialty in gifts of fine art), and coordinate family meetings. Gioia oversees grant making for the CHT Foundation, Jane B. Cook Charitable Trusts, George B. Henderson Foundation, Jane’s Trust Foundation, the Rosalie Thorne McKenna Foundation, the Lydon Paul Lorusso Foundation, the AV Roy Foundation, and the Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust. Gioia is a frequent speaker, writer, panelist and blogger on issues relevant to philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. She is the Vice President of the Board of the Brookline Community Foundation, where she also Chairs the Program and Grants Committee. She also serves on the Board of the Maine Philanthropy Center, as well as the Steering Committee of the Maine Environmental Funders Network. When not working in philanthropy and volunteering, she can be found running, biking, or on the sidelines of her teenager’s soccer and baseball games.

Renna is a mechanical engineer hailing from Canada. She grew up in Calgary, moved to Kingston, Ontario for university and ended up in Toronto where she worked in engineering consulting for four years. During her time in Toronto, she actively contributed to various projects spanning nuclear energy to infrastructure, and everything in between. Renna is now a second year MBA student at Tuck and serves as our 2023-2024 Non-Profit Board Fellow. Renna wanted to join Positive Tracks because she has an enthusiasm for physical
activity. She is an avid runner and has successfully completed a marathon and multiple half-marathons. Her passion for fitness and personal well-being serves as a testament to her commitment to maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Julie Von Bargen Thom, with her husband Jason, is the second generation owner of Von Bargen’s Jewelry. Von Bargen’s is a fine diamond and artisan jewelry business with stores in Burlington, Stowe, Stratton, VT and Hanover NH as well as a jewelry studio in Quechee, VT.

As a small business owner, Julie assumes a multitude of responsibilities but her primary ones include: jewelry curation – establishing Von Bargen’s as one of the finest artisan jewelry stores in the US, designer partnerships – establishing strong and long lasting relationships with the artists represented at Von Bargen’s, people development – attracting, cultivating and sustaining an exceptional team of passionate and motivated individuals, and, of course marketing and client development.

Julie is local to the Upper Valley, a mom of an 11 year old daughter, and an active community participant. She is on the Montshire Museum of Science Board of Trustees, and President of the Montshire Corporation.

Katherine is a second-year student at Tuck and serves as one of our 2023-2024 Non-Profit Board Fellows. Prior to pursuing her MBA, Katherine spent five years as an economic consultant in Boston, where she provided analytical support for expert witnesses in complex litigation matters.Katherine grew up in Maine and earned her B.A. from Colby College, where she played softball and served as a captain her senior year. She tries to stay active, attend fitness classes, and play sports as much as she can. Most recently she has learned how to ski and play ice hockey.