Leadership
Dianne Callister
President
With her life growing out of being abandoned at a Salvation Army hospital as a baby and spending time in foster homes, Dianne believes strongly in giving back to her community and improving lives through improving opportunity. As the President and Executive Director of The Singer Foundation, she directs funding to various service projects around the world impacting children.
Educated at Brigham Young University and Columbia Business School's Institute for Non-Profit Management, she is the founder of White Wings and Silver Strings, a non-profit organization that brings music to the inner-city children of Los Angeles which now operates in conjunction with the Palos Verdes Regional Orchestra. She currently serves on the board of American Mothers, Inc. and the LDSSC at Claremont Graduate University.
Dianne resides in southern California with her husband of almost 30 years. She is blessed to be the mother of four children and one grandchild. She was recently named the California Mother of the Year as well as the 2010 National Mother of the Year by American Mothers, Inc.
Andrea Ball
Executive Director
Andrea Ball has multi-faceted experience that includes management, communications, event planning, sponsorship development and marketing. Her experience includes 12 years working with national non-profit associations and in tourism promotion. In 2007, she opened her own management firm. She was honored in 2009, by the State Journal as a Generation Next winner which highlights "40 under 40" outstanding business leaders and has been recognized for two award-winning, destination marketing campaigns. Andrea, makes her home in the Washington DC area with her husband and daughter.
Brandon Carter
Public Relations
Brandon manages Project Give’s public relations and social media efforts and has been with the organization since 2009. Brandon is a Marketing Communications Manager at Access Development, and formerly served organizations such as the Utah Jazz and the Snapp Norris Group. He is a 2003 graduate of Abilene Christian University and is originally from Mounds, Oklahoma. He and his wife, Lori, have a son, Nathan.
Jacque Hockensmith
Program Coordinator
Jacque has been teaching at the secondary level for over 10 years. Her experience in the classroom has given her the capabilities to teach children not only about Mathematics, but about everyday values. Her passion is teaching each child that they can truly make a difference.
She is a native Southern California resident. She resides with her husband and my two daughters who are the loves of her life. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies and a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.
Chantez Moore
Program Assistant
After extensive training in behavioral and child psychology at Mt. St. Mary’s College and Antioch University, Chantez began working with children and youth at the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic and Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services. Passionate about public service, education, leadership and the healthy development of young citizens, Chantez was hired to establish the Gang Prevention Program at the Watts/Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club at Markham Middle School. Since 2007, the program has tripled enrollment and now serves over 200 inner-city youth. Always seeking high-quality, high-impact and innovative projects, Chantez is enthusiastic delighted to be a part of the Project Give team.
Caz Shim
Internship Coordinator
Caz, an alumni of Brigham Young University, graduated in International Studies (Latin America) and Business. He has experience in public relations, business, and currently is working to earn his Global Management Certificate. Fluent in Spanish, Caz’s international experience has involved voluntary service in Panama and Mexico. An integral part of his experiences has included educating students and establishing programs that will maintain those efforts.
Leslie Scow
Accountant
Leslie Scow is excited to be part of the Project Give team. She has watched the growth of the foundation over the past couple years and has witnessed the enthusiasm in her own child’s middle school. Leslie graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. For the past fifteen years, most of her time and energy has been dedicated to the raising of her four children, but she welcomes the opportunity to join Project Give as it continues to grow and touch lives of students and those they serve.
Kathrin Denz
Communications Manager
Katherin Denz is experienced in all aspects of non-profit management. Her professional expertise includes communications, marketing, program development and fundraising. She is a business graduate of Marymount University and speaks German fluently. She resides in Washington DC with her husband.
Amber Sheikh-Ginsberg
Amber, a BA in International Relations, has a wealth experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, both domestically and abroad. Currently she is the Development Officer at Marymount College. Previously Amber was employed as Development Manager for Children Today in Long Beach and was part of the Development Team at the Downtown Women’s Center. She has worked with the California Assembly in Sacramento and lived in India working for a non-governmental organization that helps women open and sustain coop-style businesses.
Amber serves on the Board of Directors of the Heart Touch Project and is the Fundraising and Philanthropy Chair for the Los Angeles Alumnae Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega. She lives in San Pedro with her husband and is a yoga and cycling instructor.
Advisory Board
Michelle Burwasser
Education has been a life long calling for Michelle. With a B.A. in Comparative Literature from U.C. Berkeley, and an M.A. in Eduction from Stanford, she has shared her passion for learning with students teaching Spanish, French, and Latin at the high school level. Having lived abroad, she is culturally diverse and that has enriched many aspects relating to her work in the educational field. Michelle is the mother of three children and is thrilled to bring her wealth of experience to Project Give.
Kristen Montgomery
Kristin has more than 20 years marketing and sales experience in various organizations while using her skills to help those in need. For Project-Give she brings the expertise of working with Fortune 500 companies to develop partnerships to grow businesses together. Kristin currently is Vice President of Strategic Services for Eyefinity, a division of VSP Global, and has served in many volunteer positions focusing on teens. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University, with a BA in International Relations, is a mother of two teenage boys and understands the importance of developing service and critical thinking skills in young people to be successful future leaders of tomorrow.
Garry Poe
After earning his degree from Pepperdine University, Garry taught high school English for 40 years, serving as English Department Chair as well as head baseball coach in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. He was honored by the Los Angeles Times numerous times as Coach of the Year in baseball as well as Educator of the Year. In 2002, Garry organized a large group of former players to support Project Shortstop whose players span five decades and raise funds once a year for the youth of Garry’s hometown in Long Beach, California. Garry and his wife Chris, a 30 year classroom teacher herself, have been married for more than 40 years and have four children. He continues to mentor youth and is especially proud of helping athletes learn how to take their lessons from the field into the classroom. He says he feels honored and privileged to be included in Project Give.
Drs. Gary and Francis Thompson
Drs. Gary and Frances Thompson received their doctoral degrees in clinical psychology in Los Angeles and have devoted the majority of their clinical research, training and consultation services to the development and treatment of children and teenagers. They currently reside in San Francisco with plans to establish private practices in California and Salt Lake City at the conclusion of their Residency. They are the parents of three wonderful children with a new baby on the way.