Our People
Staff
Deborah Blicharz, Director of Development
Tracey Britton, Program Director
Marcus Craigwell, Assistant Program Manager
Michael Culver, Director of External Affairs
Emily Helm, President & CEO
Meghan D. Hely, Leadership Fellow
Carly Himmelstein, Program Manager
David E. Hoffman, Program Manager
Danielle Lacey, Project Manager
Michael Levin, Director of National Programs
Bismark Osei, Assistant Program Manager
Magali Ruiz, Director of Operations
Board of Directors
Matthew P. Dwyer (Chairman of the Board)
Jones Lang LaSalle – Principal
Milton Benjamin
Initiative For A New Economy – President and CEO
Susan Byrne
Harvard University Department of Athletics – Associate Athletic Director for Sales and Marketing
Bob Crowley
The Mustang Group – Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Brit Dewey
Harvard Business School – Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
Stephen Gardiner
Centerpoint Foundation – President
Vladimir Hyppolite
Public Consulting Group, Inc. – Consultant
Michael A. Krupka
Bain Capital Ventures – Managing Director
Kevin McCall
Paradigm Properties – President and CEO
Robert K. McConnaughey
Columbia Management Group – Managing Director
Jack Sebastian
Goldman Sachs – Managing Director
Leon Welch
Harvard University – Purchasing Assistant
Board of Advisors
Lauren Blanda
City Sports
Elizabeth Britt
Harvard Kennedy School of Government - Student
Megan Britt
Mass Mentoring Partnership
Christopher Davis
New Balance
William Daye
Lacrosse Unlimited
Ryan FitzGerald
City of Boston
Angela Francis
Young Achievers Science and Math School
Timothy Gosier
SuccessFactors
Anna Hitchner
Bain & Company
Peter Iwancio
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company
Erik Kaloyanides
Athletic Evolution
Mark Kastrud
Boston Cannons
Cliff Libby
Course Advisor
Edmund McCarthy
St. Sebastian's School
Lauren Nichols
Dey, L.P.
Jasmine Obhrai
Reebok
Michelle Perez
Jordan Boys & Girls Club, Chelsea
Dana Story
Deloitte Tax LLP
Corporate Counsel
Jason S. Pinney
Bingham McCutchen, LLP – Associate
Staff Biographies
Tracey Britton
Program Director
tbritton@metrolacrosse.com
Tracey manages all aspects of MetroLacrosse’s direct service program implementation and design; including community outreach, recruitment, youth development curriculum, evaluation, and leading MetroLacrosse’s five-person programming staff.
Prior to working at MetroLacrosse, Tracey was the Program Manager of Urban Youth Sports at the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University. She has coached soccer at Syracuse University, Hobart & William Smith Colleges and Ithaca College. Tracey is certified with the Boston Public Health Commission’s Community Health Education Certification (CHEC) Program and Project TEAMWORK, and facilitates workshops for The Institute for Sport Coaching, Mentors in Violence Prevention National, and Branded a Leader. Tracey is also a member of the Women’s Sports Foundation Grant Allocations Committee and is a member of the LeadBoston Class of 2010. Tracey earned a B.A. in Psychology and Health & Human Services with a concentration in Early Childhood Development and a minor in Sociology from the University at Buffalo. She earned an M.S. in Exercise & Sport Sciences, with a concentration in Sport Psychology, from Ithaca College. Tracey played soccer at the University at Buffalo, and was an Academic All American. After college, Tracey played semi-professional soccer in the United Soccer League’s “W” League for five years on the Rochester Ravens and Hampton Roads Piranhas. Tracey grew up in Brockport, New York, near Rochester, and currently resides in Jamaica Plain.
Marcus Craigwell
Assistant Program Manager
craigwellm@metrolacrosse.com
Marcus focuses on MetroLacrosse’s High School Program, Scholastic Placement Program, equipment management, and support of programming events. Marcus has experience serving as a camp counselor at six MetroLacrosse summer camps.
Marcus grew up in Boston, attended public school in Weston, MA, and spent a post graduate year at the Kent School in Connecticut. Marcus attended Hobart & William Smith College, pursuing a major in Psychology and minor in Cognition Logic and Language. Marcus played lacrosse in high school, at prep school, and at Hobart. Marcus and his team at Hobart were involved with the local community, coaching local elementary school students on healthy eating habits. Marcus has also started a media production company with his brothers called Beyond Measure Productions. He is an active member in the youth ministry at the Church of Christ in Roxbury, and currently resides in Dorchester.
Emily Helm
President & CEO
ehelm@metrolacrosse.com
Emily assumed the role of President & CEO of MetroLacrosse in 2007. Prior to this Emily served as MetroLacrosse's Managing Director for three years. Emily first joined the MetroLacrosse team in 2001 as a volunteer coach for the girls’ high school varsity team, the Boston Bulldogs.
Prior to becoming an employee of MetroLacrosse, Emily worked in product development, sales and account management at a web-based start-up company. Before her work in the business world, Emily was a college career counselor and lacrosse coach. Emily earned an undergraduate degree in American Studies from Hamilton College, and a Master of Education degree from The University of Vermont. Emily is also a graduate of the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Emily was a four-year Varsity soccer and lacrosse player at Hamilton College, earning All-American honors in lacrosse. Emily grew up outside of Boston and has been a resident of the City of Boston for more than 10 years.
Meghan D. Hely
Leadership Fellow
mhley@metrolacrosse.com
Meg joins MetroLacrosse to assist with governance, nonprofit collaborations, network expansion, and strategic planning. She is responsible for further developing relationships with MetroLacrosse’s volunteers and with education institutions through MetroLacrosse’s Scholastic Placement Program. Meg has been involved with MetroLacrosse as a volunteer since 2003, mainly as a coach of 7th & 8th grade girls at Franklin Field in Dorchester.
Meg has experience working as an attorney at Holland & Knight LLP on the firm’s corporate, education and nonprofit law teams. Before law school, Meg worked at Boston Millennia Partners, a venture capital firm, for three years as an Analyst & Associate. Meg also values work experiences at Community Action Program Legal Services, Inc. (CAPLAW) in Boston, Credit Suisse First Boston in New York, NY, and The Glenmede Trust Company in Philadelphia, PA. Meg has a B.A. in Political Science from Amherst College and a J.D. from Boston College Law School, where she focused on education and nonprofit corporate law. Meg grew up and went to public school in Westfield, NJ. With great help from her mom, who started the lacrosse team at Gettysburg College, Meg and some classmates launched the women’s lacrosse team their high school. Meg played at Amherst where her team competed in the NCAA Division III Final Four and National Championship games in 1999 and 2001. Meg moved to Boston after college, and has enjoyed living in several different neighborhoods around the city.
Carly Himmelstein
Program Manager
chimmelstein@metrolacrosse.com
Carly is the lead manager of MetroLacrosse’s summer programs. She also performs management of MetroLacrosse’s Intramural Program at various neighborhood sites, and assists with year-round program planning and execution.
Prior to MetroLacrosse, Carly worked at Cloz Companies, a summer camp and school uniform supply company in Chicago, Illinois. Carly was responsible for product management, research of potential product lines, vendor relationships, literature, catalogues and websites. Carly also has experience working at the law firm of Mandel, Lipton & Stevenson, LTD in Chicago. During college Carly worked at Camp Laurel in Readfield, Maine for four summers. Carly attended public school in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a graduate of DePauw University, where she majored in Sociology. Carly began running cross-country and track in 7th grade, placing 7th in the state in her junior year of high school. She went on to run cross-country and track at DePauw, where she was All-Conference in cross-country. Carly has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and been an after school tutor for Family Matters in Chicago. Carly moved to Boston in 2006 and currently resides in Chelsea.
David E. Hoffman
Program Manager
dhoffman@metrolacrosse.com
Dave’s major responsibilities at MetroLacrosse include year-round recruiting, event coordination and site management of MetroLacrosse’s Team and Intramural Programs.
Before joining MetroLacrosse, Dave worked as a Senior Training and Outreach Specialist at Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society. He facilitated leadership and violence prevention training with professional and collegiate athletes as well as local youth. Dave also served as a head coach and executive board member of the Bay State Jaguars Basketball Club. He coached the Bay State Jaguars high school team to the Massachusetts State Championships and a birth to the AAU National Championship. Dave grew up in Brookline, MA, attended the Beaver Country Day school in Chestnut Hill, MA, and is a graduate of Union College in Schenectady, NY where he majored in Political Science. Dave has also earned a Master’s Degree in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University. Dave was a member of the varsity basketball team at Union College, and currently serves as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Lasell College in Newton, MA. Dave currently resides in his hometown of Brookline.
Danielle Lacey
Project Manager
dlacey@metrolacrosse.com
Danielle serves as the Project Manager of MetroLacrosse. Her responsibilities involve communications, website management, and outreach, including alumni networking, marketing, social networking, and database management. Danielle has been a coach of the MetroLacrosse high school girls team, the Boston Bulldogs, for five seasons since the Fall of 2007. She has also coached at 13 MetroLacrosse summer camps.
Prior to joining MetroLacrosse, Danielle worked in Customer Service and Fraud Prevention at Shoebuy.com. Danielle also served as a MetroLacrosse Teen Ambassador from 2002-2004. Danielle grew up in Charlestown, and graduated from the Boston Latin School. Danielle started playing for the MetroLacrosse Boston Bulldogs in 2002, while playing Varsity Ice Hockey for Boston Latin. She then went on to study at the University of Vermont and UMass Boston. Danielle received the Teen Positive Image Award at the Mayor's Youth Summit 2004. She served as a tutor for the Charlestown Lacrosse & Learning Center from 2007-2008, and has volunteered with the Charlestown Recovery House and Charlestown Preservation Society. Danielle is also a member of the Boston Chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. Danielle currently resides in the North End of Boston.
Michael Levin
Director of National Programs
mlevin@metrolacrosse.com
Mike leads MetroLacrosse’s national initiative, exploring how lacrosse-based youth development programs can most effectively serve communities across the country. Previously, Mike served as Director of MetroLacrosse’s Middle and High School Programs and as the head coach of the MetroLacrosse high school boys team, the Boston Bulldogs.
Prior to joining MetroLacrosse, Mike coached the Boston College club lacrosse team, guiding them to an appearance in the national quarterfinals. Mike has served as the defensive coordinator for the men’s lacrosse team at the College of the Holy Cross, and as an assistant coach for the Harvard University men’s lacrosse team. Mike is a graduate of Brown University where he earned a B.A. in History. Mike also holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education, is certified to teach social studies in grades 5-12, and has experience as a classroom teacher in Newton and Quincy, Massachusetts. Mike grew up in Rochester, NY, played football and lacrosse, and was a high-school All-American in lacrosse. Mike went on to play lacrosse at Brown University. He earned All-American Honors in 2002 and 2004, was an All-Ivy League performer from 2002-2004, and was recognized as the New England Player of the Year in 2004. Mike has played Major League Lacrosse (MLL) for the Baltimore Bayhawks, Philadelphia Barrage, Rochester Rattlers and most recently, the Boston Cannons. In 2006 and 2009, Mike was selected as an MLL All-Star, and in 2008 he won an MLL championship with the Rochester Rattlers. Mike has lived in Boston for 5 years, and currently resides in Washington, DC.
Bismark Osei
Assistant Program Manager
bosei@metrolacrosse.com
Bismark’s role at MetroLacrosse involves year-round recruiting, event coordination, site management of MetroLacrosse’s Team and Intramural Programs, and management of MetroLacrosse’s Teen Intern Program and Counselors in Training summer high school program.
Bismark has previously worked with youth at Rainbow Child Development, Lil Sports, Sullivan Middle School and Seven Hills Charter Public School in Worcester, Massachusetts. His coaching experience includes work at Syracuse University football camps. Bismark was born in Ghana and moved to the United States when he was 9 years old to be with his parents and siblings. He attended public school in Worcester, Massachusetts and went on to Northeastern University, graduating with a B.S. in Sociology. Bismark played football at Northeastern as a cornerback and holds the school record in the 60 meter dash. Bismark maintained his track and football athletic scholarship throughout college, and made the Academic Dean’s List in 2003. Following graduation he was invited to try out for NFL teams before playing with the New England Surge for two seasons. Bismark’s community activities have included Northeastern’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board, the Husky Challenge Community Service Program, participation in activities at Northeastern’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society, and volunteering at the Shelburne Community Center. He currently resides in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Magali Ruiz
Director of Operations
mruiz@metrolacrosse.com
Magali oversees operations, budget management and finance for MetroLacrosse and its collaborators in Boston TeamWorks. Magali is also responsible for human resources and employee benefits at MetroLacrosse. Magali’s Dominican heritage allows her to support MetroLacrosse’s programming efforts by providing communication to Spanish speaking participants and families.
Before joining MetroLacrosse, Magali was Director of Operations for Boston After School & Beyond and Boston's Afterschool for All Partnership. She has also worked at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Multicultural Affairs Office, and at ROCA, Inc. as a Health Center Coordinator. She has served as a guidance counselor for college preparation at UMass Lowell, and is a Member of Who's Who among Cambridge professionals. Magali grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she attended public school. She majored in Social Work, Sociology and Music at Gordon College, and went on to study at the Harvard School of Public Health. Magali played tennis & volleyball in high school, continued playing these sports on club teams during college, and participates in women’s volleyball and tennis leagues in Boston. In the community, Magali has been a National Anthem vocalist for professional sports teams including the Celtics, Red Sox, and Bruins, and she has been a member of a domestic violence response team in Roxbury. Magali now resides in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
