Who We Are

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.

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.

Hannah’s fondest memories from her childhood education involve kindness and empathy; indeed, these essential experiences led her to choosing a career in education. She believes that social and emotional learning (SEL) is an essential part of any successful and joyful school experience, and equally as important as any subject area. Students deserve to be empowered to spread kindness within their school communities and beyond.

Prior to joining ThinkGive, Hannah taught elementary school for 11 years—one year in kindergarten, five years in third grade, and five years in fourth grade. In her classrooms, Hannah sought to form meaningful connections with each and every student and to create an atmosphere of kind-heartedness and generosity. And, of course, plenty of laughter!

Hannah lives with her husband and two children in Woburn, MA. As a family, they love to explore the woods, sing and dance, and draw silly pictures. Some of Hannah’s favorite activities include mountain biking, reading, embroidery, gardening, and visiting historical sites.

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.

Christina believes that giving and receiving kindness can change how a child feels about themselves and how they interact with the world. Especially now, after the isolation of COVID, social and emotional learning is so important in that it teaches skills that lead to healthy and resilient kids.

Born and raised in the Finger Lakes of New York, Christina received her Bachelor's in Political Science from the University of Vermont and a Master's in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In Chicago, she spent years in sales before pivoting to the nonprofit world after meaningful volunteer work changed her focus. Now in Boston, Christina has worked and volunteered with the Network for Social Justice, Winchester Federation for Educational Excellence, and Winchester A Better Chance.

Christina moved to Jamaica Plain in Boston in 2012 and now lives with her three young boys in Winchester, MA. As a family, they enjoy snowboarding, hiking, being on the lake, and traveling to visit family and friends. When not working, you can find Christina walking with friends, playing tennis, reading, or spending time with family in Vermont or NY.

Shayna graduated from Northeastern University, where she studied Communications and International Affairs. For the past seven years, she has worked in education—as an early education teacher, in professional development, and currently as an administrative assistant at a PreK-8th grade independent school. Throughout her career in education, SEL has always been at the forefront, leading to her getting a Social Emotional Learning Facilitator certificate and Yoga Teacher certified in 2021. Shayna is thrilled to be joining the ThinkGive team to help support SEL programs in classrooms. When not working, Shayna loves traveling, especially to the beach, trying a new crafting project, and hanging out with her cat.

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.

Suzi’s eclectic, thoughtful and sensitive approach to curriculum design produces meaningful experiences for a wide range of learners. From early work as a graduate assistant in the Eliot-Pearson Curriculum Resource Lab at Tufts, to teaching at The Meadowbrook School of Weston, and more recently exploring best virtual teaching practices, Suzi’s calling remains: to discover, define or concoct the “secret ingredient” that makes individual lessons truly impactful. Her definition of success is when students take concepts/skills explored in the classroom, make them their own, and spontaneously apply them in their own unique ways.

In over 30 years as a teacher, Suzi has witnessed the important role that social emotional learning, community, respect, and trust play in empowering students to fully engage in learning experiences with confidence and to interact socially with genuine kindness.

Collaborating with colleagues energizes Suzi. She likens the process to making a great lasagna! Each person adds layers with their own unique contributions, and the result is a magnificent creation that could only be achieved by working together. Suzi believes that students are luckiest when they can benefit from this type of professional planning and collaboration.

Suzi lives in Waltham with her husband and two whippets. She is the proud mother of a sports TV producer. She can often be found outdoors: gardening, beach combing, walking trails, collecting heart shaped rocks, or swimming in ponds, lakes and the ocean in all four seasons.

Melissa believes in the power we all have to positively impact the lives of those around us every day. In our complex world, teaching young people the simple value of kindness towards others helps them understand how their actions have positive ripple effects on themselves and those around them. For as long as she can remember, Melissa learned the importance of serving others and being a positive part of a community. This foundation provided the backdrop for Melissa’s involvement in community service and fundraising efforts in her hometown of Concord since 2015. She has been an active volunteer for ThinkGive since 2022 and served on the Board of Directors for a year before moving into the development role. Melissa is enthusiastic about building relationships to expand ThinkGive’s experiential social and emotional learning program.

Melissa earned her degree in Economics from the University of Colorado and her law degree from Chicago Kent College of Law. She worked as an Attorney in Chicago and volunteered with the Auxiliary Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In 2015, she moved to Concord with her husband and three boys and feels lucky to call New England home.

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.

My name is Alicia Augustin and I am a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania studying Political Science and Urban Education. As a passionate advocate for education equity in America, I dedicate my studies and career work to researching education disparities and shortcomings. I hope to improve the education system through policy work. I am excited to intern at ThinkGive to explore the mental and emotional health aspects within the field of education. At ThinkGive, I am particularly looking forward to developing programs that allow children to grow self-aware of the abilities they possess to engage with the world in a positive manner.

Sarah is a senior at Concord Carlisle High School who has a lot of passion for helping her community. This passion has led her to volunteering as a tutor and to volunteering at multiple summer camps. She was drawn to ThinkGive because of their mission of teaching kindness and believes that it can make the world a better place.

My name is Alicia Augustin and I am a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania studying Political Science and Urban Education. As a passionate advocate for education equity in America, I dedicate my studies and career work to researching education disparities and shortcomings. I hope to improve the education system through policy work. I am excited to intern at ThinkGive to explore the mental and emotional health aspects within the field of education. At ThinkGive, I am particularly looking forward to developing programs that allow children to grow self-aware of the abilities they possess to engage with the world in a positive manner.

Hi! My name is Audrey Elmes and I live in Williamsburg, Virginia. I am a rising sophomore at Hampton Roads Academy. I am a field hockey and track athlete and I play flute in my school band. I enjoy volunteering at children’s fairs and food banks, helping out at my school library, and working with animals. I am interested in ThinkGive because I love working with children and helping teachers out. I’m also looking to get more involved in my school, especially with a mental health or kindness project.

Nate is a senior at Concord-Carlisle High School. He enjoys activities outdoor activities like swimming and running. He started working with youth through a club that volunteers at local elementary schools. He was interested in ThinkGive because he resonated strongly with the program's message. Nate previously completed the program and he thinks ThinkGive's mission to help educate more schools across the country is very meaningful because he experienced the program's impact first-hand.

Grant Morishita is a sophomore at Milton Academy in Massachusetts. He enjoys activities involving oral and visual communication of ideas and humor, including debate and improv, and volunteering his time as an academic tutor and speech judge for middle school students. He was drawn to ThinkGive as he believes that thoughtful communication can enhance expressions of kindness to build community. Grant looks forward to developing these ideas as part of the ThinkGive Student Advisory Board.

My name is Rachel Starr, and I am a junior at Boston Latin School in Boston, MA. I have always enjoyed community organizing for social justice driven events, especially climate-focused ones, as well as volunteering and tutoring. I have been interested in ThinkGive's community based work since I participated in fourth grade, when it changed my view about kindness and making a difference.

Helen Sutton is a junior at Concord Carlisle High School in Massachusetts. She loves encouraging young children through volunteering and babysitting. She was inspired to join ThinkGive after participating in the program as a fifth grader. Helen looks forward to increasing student engagement with ThinkGive through various marketing and community building initiatives.

My name is Layli White and I live in Concord Massachusetts. I am a Sophomore at Concord Carlisle High School. I am interested in ThinkGive because I have been working with and teaching children for a few years now and can see their potential and innate desire to do good! I am so excited to try to create kinder and more inclusive environments!