Penny Austen is co-founder and Executive Director of ThinkGive. A native Canadian, Penny holds a deep belief that she has been the most fundamentally impacted by a handful of kind and compassionate people. She is passionate about elevating the importance of kindness and empowering young people to discover their capacity to affect change through the strong (not soft) skills of kindness and compassion. Skills that can help the world reconnect and heal.

Penny spent two decades working in technology and nonprofit management, then co-founded ThinkGive as a platform to shine the light on character. She received her bachelor’s degree from McGill University and her MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. She lives in Concord, MA, with her husband, three children, and three dogs. When she’s not working, you can find her watching her kids play sports, climbing a mountain, or struggling to stick to meditation practice.

Ginger believes that kindness and empathy are skills that must be continually taught and are just as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic. We live in an interconnected world where every interaction has the power to change another person’s life. Ginger’s experience working for Autism Speaks as a fundraiser and event planner 15 years ago made this clear, and inspired her to run her own business doing the same for health and education non-profit organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Vibrant Emotional Health, and the Kidsbridge Center. Ginger is enthusiastic about building relationships to grow ThinkGive’s experiential social and emotional learning program.

Ginger is pursuing her graduate degree at Johns Hopkins University and, in her spare time, coordinates the volunteer food service at her son’s elementary school. She lives in New Jersey with her spouse, two children, and cat, and enjoys singing at the top of her lungs when no one is home.

Scott sees the remarkable power of kindness through the actions of his fifth-grade son, who is beloved by fellow students, teachers, parents, and coaches for his generosity of spirit. Seeing the profound difference one child’s kindness can make in their community is why Scott wants to help bring ThinkGive to more classrooms.

Prior to ThinkGive, Scott worked in a number of marketing roles, mostly in higher education and publishing. Most recently he led marketing at an executive search firm focused on nonprofits. Before that, he worked at Northeastern University, where a highlight was being the lead marketer on partnerships with Major League Baseball, Google, and General Electric.

Scott lives in Southborough, MA, with his wife, their son, and two rescue dogs. He cherishes going on family hikes with the dogs, trying new recipes while cooking, watching his son play sports and the violin, endlessly writing and rewriting a screenplay, and spending summer days on any body of water.

Lisa believes the key to a meaningful life is the connections you form with people and the world around you. She has a passion for enriching the lives of youth and teaching them the importance of helping others.

Prior to joining ThinkGive, Lisa began her career practicing law. After becoming a mom of three kids, she shifted her focus to teaching youth. Lisa co-founded a financial literacy program for children. She also authored and published children’s books about empathy and kindness with the purpose of donating the books to children’s charities and raising awareness about various causes.

Lisa was drawn to ThinkGive because she strongly believes that youth benefit from learning that acts of kindness connect us to others and help strengthen our communities. She plans to bring her creativity and teaching background to ThinkGive to expand the reach of the organization.

Anum is a passionate advocate for equity in education and believes strongly in the inherent learning potential of every child. She holds a law degree and briefly practiced in the corporate sector before finding her heart in the non-profit world. Prior to joining ThinkGive, Anum worked in under-resourced classroom settings in Pakistan to improve access to quality education. Her subsequent work on standardized testing in the United States assessing student responses further reinforced her belief that disparities in education is a global concern and only immense hard work and an uncompromising vision at both the individual and systemic level is going to instigate change.

Becoming a parent broadened her perspective even more as she delved into the social emotional realm of education with her children and saw the importance of formally integrating SEL into the curriculum in schools. She is excited to work for ThinkGive's inspiring mission and help spread kindness and empathy in the world – one lesson, one child at a time.

When she is not busy working and being a mom, you can find Anum going on family hikes, running while listening to her favorite podcast, picking up books from the library, and doing the occasional jigsaw puzzle.

Minna is a big believer of a people-centered approach through collaborative and creative integration of meaningful small habits that lead to powerful shifts. She is honored to be a part of stewarding ThinkGive’s vision and mission for transformation through small acts of empathy and kindness.

She has recently transitioned out of elementary education classroom facilitation and instruction after 11 years and is moving towards work that prioritizes elevating content and humanizing spaces. She has had the honor of co-creating with beautiful humans of all ages, ranging from elementary school students to our elderly through various modalities, from reflective processes, somatic practices, conflict resolution, and play! She is grateful for the skills and wisdom she continues to nurture through YES! Jams, FuelEd, and Questabox and is looking forward to weaving in her experiences at ThinkGive.

Minna nourishes her mind, body, and spirit through yoga, rock climbing, reading multiple books at a time while struggling to finish even one, solo-karaoke in the car, forest baths, and connecting to her ancestry through Korean folk dance.

Embedded in Sean’s earliest learning was his school’s motto, “Sua Sponte” or “It’s in your hands.” Students experience the most impactful learning when they understand that they have the power to make a difference in their community. ThinkGive’s call to action, embedded in each lesson, is what drew Sean to ThinkGive, as it helps students learn that kindness and empathy are in their hands each and every day.

Prior to joining ThinkGive, Sean taught for 13 years at Shore Country Day School in Beverly, MA--8 years as a lead fourth grade teacher, then as a 6th grade English teacher and Dean of Students. He believes a community built on gratitude and kindness is a community that leaves every member feeling fulfilled. He is excited about bringing the positive vibes of ThinkGive to as many classrooms as possible because he believes giving is, and always has been, cool.

Sean lives in Boston, MA with his wife where he enjoys long city walks, running along the Charles River, and writing in coffee shops. He’s also on a perpetual hunt for the best cheeseburger in town.

Julie-Ann Destine (Smith College '21) is majoring in Education & Child Study and minoring in Psychology. From South Orange, NJ, Julie has seen the benefits of school counseling and hopes to work in that capacity in the future. Julie has a passion for social-emotional learning, making ThinkGive a wonderful fit for her. Julie currently works for ThinkGive, where she edits lesson plans and implements multicultural resources in the units. Julie is excited to be part of the Junior Advisory Board to help ThinkGive provide curricula that is beneficial to any community that uses it.

Alex Giles is currently a senior at Williams College. She is a Psychology major, with a specific focus on social, developmental, and educational psych. This interest in learning about the psychology of children, and the profound impacts of education on their development, is what led her to ThinkGive. She has always had a passion for working with students, and hopes to continue her involvement in the education nonprofit world next year!

Cherry is a junior at Smith College majoring in Psychology and Sociology. Her passion for social justice in education and past experiences working with adolescents in academic settings led her to join ThinkGive. She strives to continue to live by and spread ThinkGive’s values of empathy, equity, and inclusion.

Shoshi Gordon is from Newton, MA. A first-year student at Bowdoin College, she’s interested in education, history, and religion. At ThinkGive Shoshi helps with curriculum development and is a member of the Junior Advisory Board. She plans to be a high school history teacher and was drawn to ThinkGive because of her interest in curriculum development and her belief in the power of giving.

Chalyssa Robinson is a senior at Smith College and majors in Education and Child Study. She is from Boston, MA, and plans to work as an elementary teacher in Boston after graduation. Chalyssa supports ThinkGive's curriculum development team by gathering multicultural resources that represent an array of identities, cultures, and abilities. She also implemented several ThinkGive lessons with a group of middle schoolers. Chalyssa is a member of the Junior Advisory Board where she provides her perspective as a woman of color to ensure all identities and backgrounds are considered at ThinkGive.

Katie is a senior at Colby College, pursuing majors in education and music. She has experience working with youth in schools in addition to summer programs. She is passionate about advocating for a more equitable education system and is currently working to develop curriculum that help students navigate their mental health and feel more safe in the classroom. Katie was drawn to ThinkGive because of its mission and dedication to empowering youth to choose kindness. In addition to the Junior Advisory Board, she is involved with the curriculum committee and has helped out with creating the Spotlight Scope + Sequences.