Cato joined the board of directors at ThinkGive because he believes that showing kindness is a choice we make each day, and that the social emotional skills ThinkGive prioritizes are key to success: in life, in business, and beyond. Cato is committed to giving back to his community and is thrilled to join ThinkGive as a volunteer board member.

Cato is a managing partner at the McWalter Volunteer Insurance agency in Concord, an alumni of the Fenn School and Concord-Carlisle high school, as well as Rollins College in Florida. He lives in Concord with his wife (a life-long Concordian like him), his three children, and Chewie the dog. In his free time, he plays (too much) golf, coaches his children’s baseball, softball and flag football teams, and moonlights as a woodworker and amateur bird watcher.

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.

Amy was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She studied at Loyola University in Baltimore where she received her Bachelors and Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology. Post college, Amy moved to Boston with the plan of being there for a year. Twenty plus years later, she has made a suburb of Boston her home. Amy has worked in the education or mental health field for the past 20 years. She returned to school at the University of Massachusetts, Boston to earn her degree in School Psychology. She currently works as a school psychologist for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District.

Amy’s commitment to the social and emotional wellness of children attracted her to the board of directors at ThinkGive. She believes children have the power to change their world and make it a better place. She values a child’s intrinsic desire to connect to those in their world. Amy lives in Concord, MA with her husband and two sons. Amy enjoys traveling, discovering new beaches, skiing with her family, and connecting with family and friends.

Adam comes from a professional background in pedagogy and non-profit management. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he knows the value of educating young minds to imagine a better tomorrow. Adam worked as a languages teacher for several years in Germany, mostly helping migrants and refugees adapt to a new culture, before attaining his Public Policy Masters and working for several small non-profits there and in the U.S. The thread going through his career is his passion for countering otherization across society and cultures. ThinkGive’s mission of fostering empathy and compassion in youth locally and internationally therefore holds great appeal for him.

Adam supports ThinkGive as a volunteer board member, and he is excited to be joining at a time when the organization is about to move into a new phase of growth and development. An avid hiker and cyclist, the great outdoors is Adam’s happy place. He made the move over the pond to support his wife in her studies at Harvard, and greatly enjoys their new life together in Cambridge, MA.

Jennifer brings over 20 years of marketing, fundraising, and community relations experience to the ThinkGive Board of Directors. A born and raised New Yorker, Jennifer currently lives in Concord, MA, since 2003 with her husband and two teenage children after working in a variety of communications positions across the country (El Paso, San Francisco, and Boston).

Jennifer is passionate about the power of developing social-emotional skills in youth as these skills are paramount to student achievement in school and beyond. ThinkGive combines an engaging curriculum with user-friendly technology so that youth can set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

When not working at the community food pantry coordinating food drives, you can find Jennifer on a tennis court, ski slope, or walking her dogs.

Desha spent her childhood in Trinidad and Tobago before relocating to Washington, DC to further her education. A proud graduate of Howard University, she earned her BBA in Marketing before dedicating the next 14 years to raising her young family in England.

The doctrine that “it takes a village” has always shaped Desha’s perspective on the value of community. Growing up in a diverse, multicultural society fostered a greater appreciation of varying cultures, the stories they tell, their differences and, above all, their similarities. In a complex world where kindness and compassion are often overlooked, she was encouraged and motivated by the simplicity of ThinkGive’s mission, and embraced the opportunity to have a meaningful impact through helping to grow the organization and spread the program.

The historic town of Concord, MA has been home to Desha, her husband, and their five children since 2009. As a successful Realtor, her background in marketing, and her understanding of the challenges families face through relocation has been instrumental to her career. She’s passionate about her family and community, enjoys traveling, and takes every opportunity to support her children from the sidelines at their sporting and dance events.

Christine has been an officer in the Development Office at Emerson Hospital for the past five years, where she has been involved with prospect and donor cultivation and stewardship, corporate relations and sponsorships, grant writing, event management, and volunteer management. She began her non-profit work as Associate Director of the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest, an agency that supports a broad range of human services organizations which advance the well-being of Concord and Carlisle residents.

Earlier in her career, Christine spent many years in the Financial Services industry. She earned her undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Virginia. Christine has volunteered with The Concord Public Schools, Nashoba Brooks School, Fenn School, National Charity League, Holy Family Parish, and Nashawtuc Country Club. She lives in Concord, MA with her family.

Dennis joined the board of directors at ThinkGive because he is passionate about helping teachers create a more supportive and caring learning environment to benefit all students emotionally and academically. Through his experience in school counseling and special education, he has seen how social emotional learning programs are an integral part to the success of a classroom and school. Dennis supports ThinkGive as the Program Committee Chair and the Treasurer. He is really excited to be part of ThinkGive at this time as it moves into the growth phase of the organization’s development.

Dennis graduated from Bryant College and received his MSW and MBA from Boston College. He lives in Concord, MA, with his wife, two teenagers, and Golden Retriever. In his free time, he enjoys playing pick-up basketball, having movie nights with his family, coaching high school girl’s basketball, and cheering on his daughter’s sports teams.

Kimone (she/her) is invested in creating equitable and enriching educational opportunities for students. Currently she serves as the Director of Auxiliary Programs at Inly School and has worked in independent schools for the past six years. Kimone started at ThinkGive as a part-time Business Development Associate before joining the board of directors. She brings experience leading diversity, equity, and belonging projects, and a passion for building relationships and improving the lives of students.

Kimone grew up in Jamaica before moving to the United States to further her education. She credits her island upbringing and elementary school teachers, particularly her third-grade teacher, for her entry into the field of education. Kimone earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Denison University and currently calls Boston home. She is an avid runner and reader who loves spending time in nature.

Cate joined the ThinkGive Board of Directors in 2021 because she believes current events like the COVID pandemic have made it more important than ever to teach children how helping others can change lives. Practicing acts of kindness can benefit an individual’s own mental health and sense of well-being by reducing feelings of isolation, providing a sense of purpose and control, and building connections. In turn, the actions themselves can improve the lives of the recipients and build stronger communities. Cate is eager to help ThinkGive make connections with new organizations so that more young people can experience kindness and compassion and share them with others.

Cate earned a BA in Environmental Studies from Brown University. Her past professional experience includes time as a program/policy director for a small nonprofit where she participated in everything from fundraising/grant writing to program development and implementation. She also spent time in a corporate learning group helping to design programs on topics ranging from leadership to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She currently lives in Concord, MA, with her husband, three children, and two rescue dogs. She volunteers with several local nonprofit organizations, and in her free time enjoys walking, biking, and spending time with friends and family.