Founders
Steve Mesler, Olympic Gold Medalist
Co-founder, Executive Director
I consider myself fortunate to have had the benefit of a strong network of family, friends, coaches and mentors. My dreams culminated in winning the first Bobsled Gold Medal in 62 years for the U.S. at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. It was then time for me to give back. After being raised by two school teachers and earning a B.Sc. with honors in Exercise and Sport Sciences from the University of Florida in 2000, education and motivating students is very important to me. I felt it would be irresponsible of me to not do all that I can to inspire and support the next generation of dreams – whatever they may be.
Leigh Mesler Parise, Ph.D.
Co-founder, Director of Education
I followed our parents into the teaching profession, earning a B.A. from The University of Pennsylvania and then a Masters of Education at Pace University. I completed my PhD in Educational Policy from Northwestern University in the fall of 2011 and have spent nearly ten years working in public school systems and researching educational policy, teacher professional development and school leadership. Working with Steve on our 2010 Pilot Program, I’ve seen first-hand how kids, especially those in high-need environments, respond to positive role models and to the Olympic ideals. We just knew we had to continue and expand the program.
I am excited to work with teachers from around the country to bring this inspirational program to as many classrooms as we can.
Board of Directors
Steve Mesler more info
Leigh Mesler Parise more info
Ed Zylka, JQuest Ventures, Myriad Group AG more info
Joel Feldman, Greenberg Traurig LLP more info
Peter Shanley more info
Elizabeth DeStephens, P.E more info
Lisa Monarski, Senior Manager, Deloitte LLP more info
Advisory Board
Dr. Jay Hoffman, President NSCA, Univ. of Central Florida
Dr. John Berardi, Owner, Precision Nutrition
Dani Petrie
Rachel Barkan, Marketing, U.S. Olympic Committee
David Epstein, Staff Writer, Sports Illustrated
Kristina Simmons, Manager of Social Media, lululemon
Amanda Bird, Media Director, USA Bobsled & Skeleton
Colin Troughton
Kyle Davidson, Content & New Media, U.S. Olympic Committee
Mallika Pereira, Marketing, U.S. Olympic Committee