Metro Boston Staff
The key to our success is the incredible enthusiasm and dedication of the Playworks staff. Please note: Our direct school programs are led by the efforts of our program coordinators in each school in each of the cities we serve. While they are too numerous to list here, they are essential to the success of the program.
Meet some of the people who are bringing play to Boston:
Max Fripp
Max is entering his fourth year as executive director in Metro Boston. In this time, we have grown from 14 to 32 schools, doubled our local budget, and were recognized as a Social Innovator by Root Cause's Social Innovation Forum. Prior to Playworks, Max spent four years at Citizen Schools where he focused on national growth and partnership development. Max's three year old son Xavier continually reminds him of the importance and benefits of daily play for kids and adults!
Laryssa Calhoun
Laryssa brings a strong sales background and entrepreneurial spirit to Playworks. After a successful tenure in the corporate world, Laryssa still felt the strong desire to give back and “make a difference”. As a parent of two amazing boys, one being special needs; inclusion and having a healthy and active lifestyle has always been paramount to her. Playworks allows her to indulge in all her passions: children, health and fitness, and making a difference personally.
Amanda Drasny
Amanda Drasny started in the Boston office in July after working for two years with Playworks Silicon Valley. In California, she worked for one year as a program coordinator at Hammer and Galarza Elementary Schools and another year as a program manager in East San Jose. She is excited to live on the East Coast and work with an amazing team to spread the power of play to thousands of children throughout the Metro Boston area. When not dominating four square on the playground, you can find Amanda playing soccer, day dreaming about playing Quidditch with Harry Potter, watching The Office, or trying a new flavor of ice cream at JP Licks.
Jon Gay
Jonathan Gay was a program coordinator and program manager for four years before moving into the development manager position. He is directly responsible for identifying and attracting multiple funding sources to support Metro Boston’s strategic growth. Prior to joining Playworks, he worked for Fenway Sports Group selling sports sponsorships and overseeing client relations on their Boston College Athletics account. As a member of the inaugural Playworks Metro Boston team, Jonathan recognizes the power of play and the true impact it has on the youth of Massachusetts.
Glenn Goodrich
Glenn Goodrich is entering his second year as a program manager in Metro Boston after serving three years as a program coordinator. Glenn looks forward to showcasing the soccer skills he learned in East Boston across the city this fall. He plans to use his three decades of experience not taking anything too seriously to help support the five schools he is supervising this year.
Rebeca Pazo
Pazo was a program coordinator at the Amigos school in Cambridge for three years before becoming a program manager this year. When not on the volleyball court, you can find her supporting her nine program coordinators around Boston and teaching the game of “bubbles” to kids across the city.
CJ Strauss
CJ Strauss is entering his second year as the program associate after spending two years as a program coordinator in Boston elementary schools. He moved to Boston from his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, otherwise known as “The City of Champions”, in the summer of 2007. As a program associate, CJ is responsible for managing all facets of Playworks' AmeriCorps program and helping the program coordinators successfully complete their term as a member. CJ tries to incorporate play into his life every day, and dreams of playing four square with Sidney Crosby, Bob Dylan, and Barack Obama.
Deb Sugerman
Deb Sugerman comes with 20 years of experience teaching in higher education, where she trained educators to design youth programs and lead activities with elementary and middle school students. She also ran a consulting business where she trained adults in group facilitation skills. She has a background in program evaluation, most recently evaluating the impact of activity-based programs on youth participants.
Deb believes that youth workers who value the power of play have the ability to positively impact children and organizations. Deb is an avid outdoors person and spends her free time hiking and kayaking.
Kim Webster
Kim Webster is entering her third year as program director in the Playworks Metro Boston office. She is responsible for Playworks' direct service and training programs in the local region, including staff supervision and training, data-collection and evaluation, and program quality, growth and strategy.
Before coming to Playworks, Kim managed several programs to support learning in low-income urban schools in New York City. These included college access, after-school enrichment, tutoring, and mentoring programs for high schoolers, urban environmental education programs for K-12, and career exploration and leadership development for middle-schoolers. She moved from Brooklyn to Boston to pursue her desire to help build urban schools into safe, inclusive, and, most importantly, fun environments for every child.
Dominique Wilkins
Hailing from the grassy suburbs of Washington D.C., Dominique worked as a program coordinator at two BPS schools, the Donald McKay School and the Josiah Quincy School, before joining the office staff as a program manager. Dominique loves cows, burritos, and four square and is excited to spread her passions to every kid in the nine schools she will help support next year.
