MEET OUR TEAM

LEADERSHIP STAFF

Executive Director | After facing her own hardships growing up as a female skater, Kristin has dedicated her life to creating a radically inclusive skate community. Kristin’s experience working for the YMCA and as an Up2Us Sports AmeriCorps Coach informs her youth-driven approach to Skate Like a Girl’s programs. Year Joined: 2005

Finance & Registration Director | After two years in Skate Like a Girl's YES program, Kwame continued to work for Skate Like a Girl while earning a BS in Commerce from Santa Clara University. He enjoys philosophy podcasts, spreadsheets, and working to create a more accessible skate community. Year Joined: 2013

Marketing & Partnerships Director | Tedx speaker, founder of MAHFIA.TV and Partner of the Women’s Skateboarding Alliance, Kim has over a decade of experience advocating for women in skateboarding. Finding her own strength, freedom, and self-expression through action sports, she is committed to creating accessible opportunities for everyone to participate. ​Year Joined: 2014

Seattle Chapter Director | Soph is a shredder of all boards, has a BA in Film and Sustainability and currently resides in Seattle, WA. They are passionate about creating spaces for Women, Trans and Non-binary skaters. Soph believes in using community, allyship and skateboarding to teach young people the core values of social justice, equity and self-confidence. Year Joined: 2018

SF Bay Chapter Director | Ashley is a lifelong skateboarder, youth and fitness coach and has 10 years of experience instructing skateboarding and working with youth. Sports and skateboarding has given Ashley a lifetime of freedom and joy coupled with self-discipline and confidence. Ashley has a BA in Community Studies/Education from the University of California Santa Cruz and is passionate about creating a healthy, safe and supportive environment for young girls and women to participate in skateboarding regardless of age, gender, background and ability. Year Joined: 2016

Portland Chapter Director | Terence started skateboarding in 1999 and has been working in youth development since 2005.  His belief that everyone should have equitable access to skateboarding brought him to Skate Like a Girl.  He is proud to help foster a more inclusive skateboard community. Year Joined: 2016

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PROGRAM STAFF

Lead Program Staff + Up2Us Vista | Seattle, WA | Alexa grew up with a passion for skateboarding from a young age. Not knowing if there was space in the community for her after coming out as trans, she decided to stop skating. Until she found an exclusive space for women & trans people provided by Skate Like a Girl. Inspired by a new, inclusive environment she’d never seen within skateboarding, she has since dedicated herself to empowering people from marginalized communities through skateboarding. Year Joined: 2019

Skateboarding Inclusivity Cooperative (SIC) Program Manager | Sima started with Skate Like a Girl in Seattle and then transitioned to the Portland chapter. She attributes Skate Like a Girl to being the community platform that pushed her to facilitate her authentic voice. By understanding the power of skateboarding as a forward-moving social tool, she has held multiple independently organized fundraising events that brought her local skate communities together. Sima will be your number-one hype person forever, and thanks the Skate Like a Girl family, campers, and participants alike for bringing so much color into her life. Year Joined: 2014

Program Staff + Media Creation | SF Bay Area, CA | Carlyn is a skateboarder, filmmaker and photographer. She is also the founder of Tempo SFC, a skateboard brand dedicated to uplifting athletes and artists who are otherwise underrepresented in the industry. She is passionate about helping people pursue their dreams and succeeding on and off the board. Year Joined: 2021

Program Staff | Portland, OR | Paige grew up skating in Southern California before moving to Portland, OR to work with youth in the education field. She believes strongly in the power of building social emotional skills through sports and play. Paige values her role with Skate Like a Girl because it allows her to hold space for youth to build confidence and leadership skills within the skateboarding community. Year Joined: 2021

Lead Program Staff | SF Bay Area, CA | Jai is a former Americorp Up2Us Coach and a lead program staff for Skate Like a Girl Bay Area. Coming from a small town, Jai moved to the Bay Area to help people find their confidence through skateboarding. They truly believe in being an individual and having your own style. Jai loves skateboarding and the determination it takes to do it. Year Joined: 2018

Up2Us Coach | Seattle, WA | “I was first introduced to skateboarding through my brother in law, Andrew. One spring season, he decided to meet up and teach me how to skateboard. Being a human with a passion for filmmaking, not easily adaptive, I would end up filming him and his friends instead. Slowly but surely, I was able to find a lot of love through the art of skating. I grew and started feeling a sense of community and belonging after attending WT Sessions hosted by Skate Like a Girl. Since then, I’ve been thrilled to not only empower myself in skating but to be able to empower others in the most energizing, accepting, non-traditional and loving way possible. Year Joined: 2021

Up2Us Coach | Portland, OR | Maya started skateboarding at 9 years old, but she didn’t meet another female skateboarder until she was 14. From that point on, she became interested and invested in pushing the women’s skateboarding scene to grow. She became a skateboarding instructor in 2016 and worked at Woodward for 5 years. After attending Wheels of Fortune in 2016, she learned more about Skate Like a Girl and the work they do as an organization. Maya considers skateboarding her biggest passion in life. She is looking forward to serving the Portland community for the next year as an Up2Us Coach and empowering program participants to reach their full potential. She also plans to continue pursuing her passions of photography and filmmaking and intertwining those with the work and experiences she has through skateboarding. Year Joined: 2019

Up2Us Coach | SF Bay Area, CA | Growing up in Ventura, CA, Sam dreamed of learning to skate, but could not see themself doing it until a few years ago when they picked up a local zine showcasing non-traditional skaters. After attending Sk8 School later that year, they have been a participant with Skate Like A Girl ever since. Sam sees skateboarding as a powerful outlet for self-expression and an opportunity to safely practice being bold. Motivated by their belief that there are as many ways to be a skater as there are skaters, they are committed to providing a non-judgmental and encouraging space for anyone willing to stand on a board. Year Joined: 2021

Up2Us Coach | SF Bay Area, CA | Jun grew up in the Sf/Bay Area and started skating in high school. They stopped for a couple of years and only recently started finding community in skateboarding that wasn’t cis, white or straight. Jun loves skateboarding not only because it’s fun, but because it’s a conduit for community. They’re excited to continue building connections and creating safe spaces for those that have ever felt marginalized, ostracized and not welcomed in skateboarding. If you ever see Jun, feel free to come say hi! They hope that by having conversations and holding space for people in skateboarding, we can all feel a little less lonely in the world. Year Joined: 2021

BOARD MEMBERS

Stephani Smith brings 28 years of experience in the Sneaker/Sports & Fitness industry. In a recent role, she served as the Global VP/GM of Nike SB. It was then that Stephani first partnered with and fell in love with Skate Like a Girl. She too aspires to do all she can to promote social justice, build confidence in others and stoke the fire of the incredible community Skate Like a Girl serves. Year Joined: 2021

Ashley-Nicole helps facilitate conversations around public policy and rule making at the city and state levels. She works to empower the Skate Like a Girl board, staff, and skaters to advocate for an equitable, inclusive and just community by building meaningful relationships. Also she loves fundraising stuff too! Year Joined: 2019

With 10+ years of experience in the skate community, Sara helps create branded experiences for young adults across the nation while helping to provide spaces for all to individuate and express themselves as desired. Sara was first introduced to SLAG through mutual friends and through joining multiple Monday night sessions. She strives to support the Skate Like a Girl mission and build a more inclusive community within skateboarding and advocating for those without a platform. Year Joined: 2021.

Bill is a CPA who was introduced to skateboarding in Seattle when his child, Sage, kept bringing home a skateboard, sleeping with it, and boarding for hours daily. Sage had a lifetime love of skating, in many ways it was Sage’s life’s primary passion right up until the day in October 2017 when they lost a fight with cancer. Sage had a deep commitment and love for Skate Like A Girl and its mission. Sage did not like competitions and instead just loved shredding and being non-conventional in performing tricks, laughing, and staying positive with skateboarders at the park. Bill wants to honor Sage by continuing the work of Skate Like a Girl to promote inclusion, love, positivity centered around a deck, wheels, and trucks, while having fun and growing the skating community. Year Joined: 2021

Ripley has been a part of the SLAG community long before she joined the board as a avid volunteer in the bay area. Ripley is passionate about community outreach, fundraising, and beginner instruction for all ages and abilities. She enjoy sharing Skate Like a Girl’s mission with new community members and partners. Year Joined: 2018

Beth is an employment and civil rights attorney, strongly committed to advocating for the rights of marginalized populations including women, girls, and the LGBTQ+ community. Beth was first introduced to Skate Like a Girl as a parent of young skater who has attended day, summer sleep away camp, and special events. As someone with a strong values of social justice, Beth immediately felt at home with the values and community of Skate Like a Girl. Year Joined: 2020

Lauren is a 3rd year law student at Seattle University School of Law. She will be graduating in May of 2022 and has primarily worked for legal aid organizations serving marginalized communities. Lauren began learning how to skateboard after leaving the military in 2019 and found Skate Like a Girl on Instagram. After attending Get on Board 2020, she immediately knew she wanted to get more involved with Skate Like a Girl. Year Joined: 2021

Andrew fell in love with skateboarding at the age of 12 and has spent the last 15 years producing digital content and branded social media campaigns within the skateboarding industry. He was introduced to Skate Like A Girl through a mutual friend and is passionate about Skate Like a Girl's mission to create a more inclusive and diverse environment within skateboarding. Andrew hopes that through unique and engaging TikTok content he can help build a more equitable skateboarding community. Year Joined: 2021

Molly brings 15+ years of marketing and actions sports industry experience to Skate Like A Girl. Molly’s primary skills include advising on strategic focus, marketing, collaborative partnerships, fundraising, and business forecasting & development. Year Joined: 2018

Will is passionate about supporting amazing programs in the skateboard community. He is a parent of two avid skateboarders that participate in Skate Like a Girl’s programs and is proud to assist in creating inclusive spaces for everyone to skate in. Year Joined: 2018

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