Meet Our Team
We are PGK
PGK is a movement, and like all movements it is made up of many people, many faces, and most importantly, many giving hearts. A few of the most involved are shared below, but we are grateful to every single person helping us along in this journey to create #GivingKids.
Our Staff
Our Board
Molly
Yuska
I am the founder of PGK and a life-long student of the nonprofit sector, having received my Master’s of Management and Social Policy from the Heller School at Brandeis University and a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University.
It was in seeing the struggles of these organizations fulfill their inspiring missions with limited resources and the almost limitless potential of the next generation to usher in a new era of philanthropy and volunteerism, that I set out to start PGK. I believe in two fundamental truths: the goodness that lies within all people and the ability to change the world when we teach our young people to tap into and stay connected to that.
Heidi
Johnson
I am a nonprofit director, founder, and blogger. I serve as the executive director of TACSC, a nonprofit cultivating leadership among Catholic middle and high school youth. I founded and co-chaired the The Spiritual Care Guild
at CHLA which has become a national template for pediatric chaplaincy. I am also the creator and founder of the blog, Charity Matters, which tells the stories of small nonprofits and their beginnings. I am the mother of three boys living in Pasadena, with my husband, Ron, and a proud graduate of USC.
I serve on a number of educational and nonprofit boards supporting the causes I care deeply about, and am a strong believer in philanthropy, having seen the impact it can have on so many, especially young children during their formative years. My passion is using my voice to make a difference and connecting people and causes that matter.
Aaron
McDaniel
I am an entrepreneur, real estate investor, speaker and teacher who is passionate about teaching kids the skills and traits they need to lead happy empathetic lives. I started my corporate career at AT&T
where I rose to the level of Regional VP and after nearly a decade became a serial entrepreneur founding a number of ventures (many failures and 3 that were successfully acquired). I have written books helping young professionals build the foundation for a successful career, I speak to executives about how to engage and empower their young employees and I teach at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where I also graduated from.
My passion for working with kids started when I was a day-camp counselor in high school and continued on with my involvement in Big Brothers Big Sisters and Junior Achievement. Teaching kids to give back has become even more important to me since I became a Dad in 2016. I think PGK’s mission is incredibly important and I am honored and excited to be part of the efforts to help achieve it.
Katie
Terino
With a degree in Business Administration from Boston University and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, I started my career in high-tech operations, then transitioned to higher education,
I am currently the Executive Director of House of Possibilities, Inc. and serve on the board of Project Giving Kids, while also continuing my consulting and volunteer work. Living outside of Boston with my husband, Joe, and three school-aged children, I believe in the paradigm PGK represents and the importance of developing a culture of empathy and inclusion among youth.
Ilona
Barskaya
I am an operations strategist and mother of two, with a business degree from San Francisco State. Throughout my 17-year career, I have established a reputation as a transformational leader who is driven by challenge,
undeterred by obstacles, and committed to furthering standards of excellence. My expertise encompasses aspects of business development and administration ranging from controlling costs and maximizing revenues to harnessing team strengths to improve company-wide performance. But, my most rewarding job is being a mother of two beautiful individuals (a girl and boy) who I get to watch grow up into caring, empathetic and smart young adults.
My kids are what brought me to PGK – their expressed interest in giving back, their awareness and care for others, and their desire to share their good fortune with others who are less so. PGK allows my family to find and connect to causes that we truly believe in and to give back to our San Francisco community.
Jeff
Kuan
I am currently an MBA student at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, I worked as a product manager at Globality, Inc., a technology marketplace focused on B2B
premium professional services, and as a consultant at Parthenon-EY, where I focused on private equity and corporate strategy. I graduated from the University of Southern California and from the General Course program at the London School of Economics.
As a millennial, I believe in the important role service plays in youth development. I joined PGK because I was inspired by the unique opportunity to leverage technology to better connect kids and teens to volunteer opportunities.
Seema
Otoya
I am a strategy and business development professional with over 14 years of experience in consumer packaged goods and management consulting. I am currently part independent consultant
and part stay-at-home mom. As the founder of Vartoya Consulting, I am a driving force behind critical strategic, operational and organizational initiatives for my clients. I work with domestic and international clients to provide thought leadership in developing practical solutions to complex challenges. Prior to this, I spent several years working in internal strategy roles at Beachbody, Wonderful, Disney and Microsoft. I received my MBA from Harvard Business School and my BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
As mom, I have two little children (4 year-old boy and 2 year-old girl) and a sweet little dog who are the light of my life. Living in LA, I felt it was important for me to help teach them the importance of giving back from an early age, and that is what led me to identify with PGK and its mission. I am honored to be a part of such a great organization and look forward to empowering others to join us!
Our Advisory Team
Supervising Producer, Scripted & Unscripted Television
Communications and Media Professional
Entrepreneur
Podcast Host and Author
Project Manager, DS-Interpretation, Inc.
CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley
Margaret Emery
Actress and Producer
Consultant
Research Analyst at Global Family Research Project
Assistant Director of Advancement at the Rivers School
VP of Programming at the Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester
News Anchor, NBC Boston
Executive Director, Meyers Learning Center
Senior Trust Advisor, Northern Trust
Recruitment Support Contractor
President, LightWerks Communication Systems, Inc.
Community Relations Manager at Lexus Stevens Creek
Consultant
Journalist/podcaster
Heather Simpson
Actress
Digital Marketing Consultant
Independent HR Consultant, Board Chair Boys & Girls Club of Venice
PGK is looking for dynamic board members who share our passion for kids, service and technology. If interested in learning more, email us at admin@projectgivingkids.org.
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Our Sponsors
Thank You!
There are many individuals and organizations who make our work possible. We are incredibly grateful for all the support provided in ways large and small that allow us to connect kids to causes. Thank you!
The Koum Family Foundation
The Tucker Family
Other Supporting Organizations
