Sam Intrator, Co-Project Director, has a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He became a professor of Education and Child Study at Smith in 1999 after more than a decade of teaching and administrative service in public schools in New York, Vermont, and California. Over the years he has coached high school and youth sports. He founded the Smith College Urban Education Initiative—an educational outreach program that engages students in intensive service-learning experience by placing them in urban school settings during their winter term. The author of four books, including Tuned in and Fired, which was a finalist for the Grawemeyer Award in Education, Intrator has been awarded a Kellogg National Leadership Fellowship and an Ella Baker Fellowship.
Don Siegel, Co-Project Director, has an Ed.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is in his 35th year as a professor of Exercise and Sport Studies (ESS). He helped develop and also served as the director of Smith’s ESS graduate program that specializes in training college coaches. It is the only program in the country accredited at Level IV by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education. He has also been an urban youth sports program consultant for the Barr Foundation and was instrumental in developing several youth sports initiatives in Boston and Northampton. He has published widely in the areas of sport psychology, motor learning, exercise physiology, sport sociology, computing, and professional aspects of sport and physical education.
Andy Wood, Program Director, graduated from The University of Durham in 2003 with a BA in history. Before continuing graduate studies at Smith College in 2005, he represented Durham and the North East England regional rugby teams during his time in college, and later coached at Smith (2005-7). Andy served Project Coach initially as a Graduate Assistant during the first two years of the program, before rejoining the organization as Program Director in July 2009. He received his MED in 2007, and taught history in high school from 2007-2009. He hopes to spearhead the expansion of Project Coach as the organization continues to expand and attract increased numbers of coaches and participants. Andy is currently working closely with the New North Campus Coalition in Springfield to integrate Project Coach further into the local community and build connections with other local agencies. Andy is also an avid golfer and still continues to play rugby in the New England Rugby Football Conference.
Greg Rosnick is the Assistant Director and Academic Coordinator at Project Coach. He graduated from Haverford College in 2009 with a bachelor degree in Political Science. While at Haverford College, Greg was a four-year letter winner on the men's basketball team, where he was a two-time team captain and all-conference selection. During his sophomore year, he also co-founded the non-profit organization DiverseCity Hoops, a summer basketball camp aimed at fostering a stronger Philadelphia community through the elimination of racism and the celebration of diversity. He was a graduate fellow at Project Coach during the 2009-2010 academic year, when he received his masters in teaching from Smith College. After graduating from Smith in 2010, he went to Athens, Greece, where he taught English to Greek students between first and sixth grades and also coached the 6th grade club basketball team. He returns to Project Coach this year to help spearhead a new literacy initiative that uses sports-themed children's books to help foster a love and appreciation for reading in the elementary school children enrolled in Project Coach.
Kym Kendall is a physical education teacher at Gerena Community School where she has taught for eleven years. She is a graduate of Florida International University. She played Division I soccer, was involved with the United States Olympic Development Team, and was an all-American. In addition to teaching, she has coached numerous sports and age groups, and has worked with the Special Olympics. She has been with Project Coach since 2003, and directs on-field/court activities.
Dennis Nelson is currently teaching at Homer Street Elementary School in Springfield, MA as the Physical Education/ Health Teacher. In 2005, he received his bachelors degree in Physical Education from Springfield College and is currently working towards his masters in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) at Emporia State University. During his first year teaching he created a "play for the grade" basketball and dance program that provided an incentive for students to excel and try their best in the classroom. Students in this program got a firsthand look at what being a student-athlete is all about. Coaching is a passion of his and he is very excited to work with Project Coach because he believes it is a positive and fulfilling experience for the young players, the adolescent coaching staff, and the adults overseeing the program.
Jason Anderson graduated from Lewis & Clark College in 1999 with a BA in Theatre. After spending five years touring the world as a professional musician, he has spent the last four teaching music for the Children's Aid Society in New York City. As passionate about social justice as he is about education, Jason has also been a weekly volunteer at Democracy Now! for the past year-and-a-half. Now a MAT graduate student at Smith, Jason is excited--and honored--to be a part of Project Coach.
Katie Joyce enjoys being a part of a dedicated group of people who are working towards bettering their community. After graduating from UMass Amherst in 2006 with a BA in Spanish, she bicycled across the country with Bike and Build to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. She later served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador where she led several community development projects including the formation of a community bank and the construction of a school library. Upon careful reflection and contemplation, Katie decided to pursue a career in education. She hopes to use her knowledge and experiences to become a successful elementary school teacher.
Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Taylor Stevens graduated from Williams College in the spring of 2011 with a BA in Psychology and Spanish. During her time there, she was a member and captain of the Varsity Swim and Dive Team, director of an all-female a cappella group, and spent a semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has always had a passion for working with kids, especially through athletics. As a summer league dive coach for 5-18 year olds for 4 years, Taylor saw the impact that sports can have on kids and the strength of the relationships that form between coaches and players. She is looking forward to pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching for secondary Spanish.
Caitlin Scudder recently graduated from Amherst College with a BA in English and Spanish. During her undergraduate years, she lived and worked extensively in Costa Rica, spearheading a literacy program for youth and adults in a rural village located in the central mountains. The public library opened in July of 2010 and currently holds over 1,000 volumes; it has become a vital center for after-school youth programs and other community activities. Cait has also worked as a reading mentor for at-risk students and an adult basic literacy tutor. A former basketball and volleyball player, Cait continues to fuel her athletic spirit by hiking and spending time outdoors. As an active reader and writer, she hopes to bring her passion for the development of the creative self to her students as a high school English teacher, inspiring their endeavors both in the classroom and beyond.
Elyse Quadrozzi is a May 2010 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelors in History and an Honors certificate in International Relations and Political Science. She is currently enrolled in the Masters in the Art of Teaching Masters program at Smith College. An avid soccer player, runner, and martial artist - Elyse hopes to bring her enthusiasm and discipline to the field of education in hopes of being able to relate sports and academics in a fun and innovative way to kids. Once certified in secondary education, Elyse hopes to teach in an urban school district in Boston, New York, or Philadelphia.
Tom Messinger graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Marketing Communication. Tom minored in Psychology and also in Entrepreneurial Studies, a program in which he created the groundwork for a not-for-profit basketball academy that aims to prepare student athletes for success at the next level, both in the classroom and on the court. Having been involved in basketball his whole life, Tom was a four year letter winner, team captain, and an all-conference selection during his playing career at Emerson College. He remains passionate about fostering life skills through sport by working as a coach and mentor with youth. Through his pursuit of a Master of Arts in Teaching and his involvement in Project Coach, Tom looks forward to continuing his commitment to working with youth and connecting ideas about teaching, learning, and coaching.
After graduating from Smith College as an Ada Comstock Scholar in 2010, Ashley Niles is thrilled to be returning to Smith College to pursue a Masters in Teaching at the elementary level. Before finishing her undergraduate degree at Smith College, Ashley attended the Outdoor Leadership Program at Greenfield Community Collge, leading her to a certification in Outdoor Leadership. After graduating from the Outdoor Leadership Program, Ashley spent two seasons leading 20-day wilderness trips with at-risk adolescents at the Wilderness School in East Hartland, CT. Ashley has spent this last year serving as an AmeriCorps member at the DIAL/SELF Step Program, a transitional living program for youth at-risk of homelessness, in Turners Falls, MA. After all of these experiences, Ashley has realized that her true passion is to help in the process of creating opportunities for young people.
