Our Staff
Kaleb Thornhill (Camp Director), director of player development for the Miami Dolphins, is a graduate of Lansing Eastern High School and Michigan State University. Thornhill completed his undergraduate studies at MSU in 2007 with a degree in human resources. He obtained a master’s in sports administration at MSU while working as a graduate assistant for the MSU athletic director.
While on scholarship for football at MSU, Thornhill was named to four consecutive academic All-Big Ten teams and voted Senior Captain by his teammates. After completing his graduate studies at MSU, Thornhill interned for the Detroit Lions player development and football operations. In March of 2010, Thornhill became the Miami Dolphins director of player development and the youngest person in the NFL to ever hold that title. In addition to working for the Dolphins, Thornhill is an MBA student at Nova Southeastern University.
Alfonso Longoria (Camp Director) is an assistant principal intern and teacher at Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, TX. He has coaching experience at both the college and high school levels. Longoria began his coaching career in 2002 at John B. Connally High School in Pflugerville, TX, where he served as head freshman football coach and varsity defensive quality control coach. He spent two seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Del Valle High School and in 2007 returned to John B. Connally High School as the offensive line coach. In 2004, Longoria served as a defensive administrative assistant at the University of Arkansas. He received both his Bachelor of Science (2002) and Master of Education (2010) in educational leadership from Texas State University. He is an avid reader of books on leadership and coaching and an intense student of the game. Longoria and his wife Aubrey reside in Pflugerville, TX.
Vivian Chum (Executive Director) is an attorney-advisor for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a contributing editor at SMITH Magazine, and a freelance writer. She originally hails from Lake Jackson, TX (Go B’Wood Bucs!). Chum graduated with honors from Rice University in 2002 and earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2007. While at Harvard Law School, she was a Harvard Legal Aid Bureau student attorney and board member. Chum has been a member of the New York Bar since 2008.
Sonya Roberts Woods (Program Coordinator) has 20 years of experience as an educator in both the public school system and higher education as well as an extensive background in journalism. After graduating from Mount Pleasant High School in 1988, Woods continued her studies at Northeast Texas Community College and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1991. An accomplished writer, Woods has worked as a journalism and English teacher for both the Pittsburgh and Daingerfield-Lone Star school districts as well as features editor for the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune. In 2001, she received a Master of Education degree in educational administration from the University of Texas at Tyler and in 2002 began working at Northeast Texas Community College in various capacities including director of admissions. She lives in Pittsburgh, Texas with her husband Randy and two children, Ashton and Chelsea.
Ashton Henderson (Associate Camp Director) is a graduate-assistant to Michigan State University’s director of student-athlete development. He attended MSU on a football scholarship where he played defensive back, was a four-year letterman, and had the privilege of attending the Champs Sports Bowl, Capital One Bowl, and The Alamo Bowl. During his time at MSU, Henderson was heavily involved in volunteer outreach opportunities in his community. Henderson graduated from MSU with a B.A. in advertising. This fall he will be working on his master’s in public relations. He is a native of Tallahassee, Florida.
Travis Key (Associate Camp Director) is a project engineer for Fellowes Inc. and a former NFL player. Key graduated from Three Rivers High (Three Rivers, MI) in 2003, and he completed his undergraduate studies at Michigan State University in 2007 with a degree in packaging engineering. He is currently working towards a master’s degree from MSU in the same field. Key earned an athletic scholarship after joining MSU’s football team his freshman year as a walk-on. He was named to three consecutive academic All-Big-Ten teams, named honorable mention All-Big-Ten as a Senior Captain, and had a two-year career in the NFL. His time with the NFL included stints with the Minnesota, Cleveland, Detroit, San Diego, and Indianapolis organizations. In August of 2010, Key accepted a position as a project engineer with Fellowes Inc. He currently resides in the west suburbs of Chicago with his wife, Giovanna, and daughter, Gianna.
Stefani Wagner (Associate Camp Director) is a second grade teacher at Donley Elementary School in East Lansing, MI. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in elementary education in 2005. Wagner earned an M.A. in teaching in 2009. She has experience teaching and tutoring students of all ages in elementary- to college-level mathematics.
Coaches and Teachers
Sorush ‘Shawn’ Abboud (Money Management Instructor) is a partner & managing principal at Fulcrum Capital Holdings, LLC based in Austin, Texas. Abboud graduated from Stratford High School (Houston, TX) in 1997 at the top of his class. He attended the University of Texas where he graduated with honors from the McCombs School of Business with a bachelor’s in business administration (2002). He earned his master’s in business administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business in 2008. Before joining Fulcrum, Abboud worked on Wall Street, specializing in investing in distressed debt for more than eight years.
Daniel Adler (SAT Instructor) graduated from Harvard College in 2010 and is a 1L at Harvard Law School. Adler worked for the New England Patriots during the 2005 training camp. He spent two summers assisting the Browns with contract negotiations and other personnel decisions and one summer working in the Major League Baseball Labor Relations Department. While an undergrad, Adler was co-president of the Harvard College Sports Analysis Collective, and his work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and on ESPN.com. Adler also rowed lightweight crew and assisted the football team.
Joe Carlson (Health & Nutrition Instructor) is a certified specialist in sports dietetics with the American Dietetic Association. He received a B.S. in nutrition/dietetics (1985) and a Ph.D. (1997) in exercise physiology with a cognate in nutrition from Michigan State University. His professional experiences include working as a post-doctoral research fellow and research associate at the Stanford University School of Medicine. From 2001 to 2005, Carlson was an assistant professor and director of the coordinated masters program in nutrition at the University of Utah. Additional professional experiences included corporate health promotion, public health nutrition for the State of Nevada, and working in preventive cardiology and rehabilitation with Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids, MI. Carlson grew up in Constantine, Michigan. He played football at Adrian College (1980-82) and has taught and competed in martial arts for over 20 years. Currently, Carlson enjoys mountain biking and keeping active with his wife, daughter and son.
Jay Cohen (SAT Instructor) graduated from Harvard College in 2010 and joined Teach For America as a New York City corps member. Cohen currently teaches first grade at a public charter school in a low-income neighborhood in Brooklyn. He is also in the process of obtaining a Master’s in Education. As an undergrad, Cohen was an associate sports chair of the The Harvard Crimson, where he served as beat writer for the men’s soccer, women’s basketball, and baseball teams. Also during college, Cohen spent two summers at Seeds of Peace International Camp, where he coached teens from conflict areas in football, soccer, and basketball. Cohen has also worked as a private tutor for AP Physics and AP Calculus.
Don Dimick (Coach) is a teacher at Waverly Community Schools in Lansing, Michigan. He also coaches offensive and defensive line and coaches at Michigan State University and Central Michigan University’s one day and overnight football camps. Dimick holds a bachelor’s in education from Central Michigan University and a master’s in education from Marygrove College. He is a graduate of Lansing Sexton High School. Having grown up in the inner city, he has experienced firsthand the difference that academics and sports can make in young men’s lives.
Corey DiStasio (Yoga Instructor) is a New York State licensed acupuncturist and a nationally board certified herbologist. He is dedicated to providing quality health care and wellness services while empowering people with knowledge of health issues and preventive techniques. DiStasio lectures on acupuncture and related topics and volunteers on a team of medical professionals to treat hospice patients in New York City. He balances work and urban life with a spirited yoga practice and meditation. DiStasio also has fifteen years of experience in Industrial Design developing architectural projects for museums, parks, urban programs, and corporate environments. DiStasio received a Master of Science in traditional oriental medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in 2006 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in product design from Parsons School of Design in 1995.
Ryan Dugan (Coach) is a 2010 graduate of Wesleyan University where he played quarterback for the Cardinals from 2006-2009. Dugan was an All-District high school quarterback for Shepherd Hill Regional High School (Dudley, MA) and played defensive back as a member of the 2006 Central Massachusetts Shriners All-Star team. Dugan spent the summer of 2008 as a football operations intern for the Kansas City Chiefs and has worked in a volunteer capacity with the Hartford Colonials of the UFL. In addition to 4th and 1, Dugan has worked at several football camps in the past, including the CFM Foundation Football Fundamentals Mini-Camp hosted by Cleveland Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini.
Sharron Frucci (Dinner Etiquette Instructor) currently serves as a culinary services coordinator at Michigan State University’s Division of Residential and Hospitality Services. In her 34 years with MSU, Sharron has worked as a food supervisor, night manager, dining services manager, menu development coordinator, human resources manager, and quality assurance manager. Sharron has won national accolades for her contributions to the development of menus and recipes and has also taught training classes in cooking techniques and dining etiquette. Frucci graduated from MSU with a Bachelors of Science from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She and her husband reside in East Lansing, MI and have two daughters.
Philip Hunt (College Adviser) founded Student Athlete Consulting Group in 2006 with two goals in mind: First, to bridge the gap between high school and college athletics while equipping student-athletes with the tools they need to succeed in college and in life. Second, to creatively serve NCAA member institutions in achieving their goals of athletics compliance while providing higher education through sports participation. Prior to founding SACG, Hunt was an assistant director at the NCAA. Hunt holds a J.D. from Franklin Pierce School of Law and earned a master’s degree in sport management and a bachelor’s in education from the University of Connecticut, where he was a co-captain of the football team and four-year varsity letter winner.
Dwight Hutchinson (ACT Instructor) is an associate at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where he has practiced since 2007. Hutchinson graduated summa cum laude as valedictorian of his class at the University of Florida in 2004 and cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2007. As an undergraduate, Hutchinson worked with the University Athletic Association at the University of Florida to develop a statistical model to detect learning disabilities in incoming student athletes. Hutchinson continued to pursue his interest in sports in law school while serving as a research assistant for Professor Paul Weiler, a widely published expert in sports law, and is currently a member of the Sports Lawyers Association. Hutchinson will be attending the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in the fall.
Eric Jones (Money Management Instructor) is a recruiting liaison for Quicken Loans. He has over 11 years of experience in recruiting and human resources, and he has taught account management, résumé preparation, and interviewing skills. Jones attended Bowling Green State University on a football scholarship. While at BGSU, he played linebacker/fullback, was a three-year letterman, and was also involved in volunteer outreach and youth programs. Jones graduated from BGSU in 2000 with a degree in communications. He resides in Ann Arbor, MI with his wife Sunny.
Jake Joseph (Dress to Impress Instructor), founder of Jake Joseph Co., has more than 12 years of experience directing employees and creating dynamic programs for large-cap companies. Joseph rose through the ranks of companies such as Red Bull North America, Southern Wine and Spirits, Merrill Lynch, & A.G. Edwards before redirecting his career path to create a menswear line. His fashions can be seen at The Ritz-Carlton and Fred Segal. Jake Joseph holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas (2002). He is currently enjoying family, friends and managing his business from the Lone Star State.
Edmund Kao (SAT Instructor) graduated from Rice University with a B.S. in chemical engineering and the University of Minnesota with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. After working in the biotechnology industry for several years, he left biotech to pursue his dream of becoming a martial arts instructor. Kao has studied kung fu and tai chi for 20 years, and he currently teaches martial arts at the Texas Rock Gym. Additionally, he has tutored high school students in math and science for six years. Kao also enjoys rock climbing and ultimate frisbee. He currently resides in Houston, TX.
Adesina Koiki (Sportscasting Instructor) currently serves as senior researcher at ESPN The Magazine, where he has also been a contributing writer. He first made a name for himself while in college, as champion of the nationally televised trivia game show ESPN’s 2-Minute Drill in 2001. During his five years at “The Mag,” Koiki has covered many major sporting events in college football and basketball, including Pac-10 football, the Holiday and Poinsettia Bowls, the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. In 2007, Koiki was a radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Delmarva Shorebirds, Class-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Koiki is a proud graduate of Syracuse University (2004), despite his unusual love for all things University of Alabama athletics.
Corwin Levi (SAT & Photography Instructor) is a visual artist based in Washington, DC. He graduated from Rice University in 2000 and the Tyler School of Art in 2002. He now travels around the country creating paintings, drawings, and site-specific installations and working with communities to create artwork. He is spending the spring of 2011 in Austerlitz, New York and teaching an Art and the Law class at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC. Corwin was recently awarded a residency fellowship to spend a year in Roswell, NM, working on his art.
Shaj Mathew (SAT Instructor) is a freshman and student journalist-at-large at the University of Pennsylvania. His writing has appeared in The Millions, Goal.com, This is American Soccer, National Geographic’s My Wonderful World, Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, God Save the Beat, and the Daily Pennsylvanian. He also provides a literary take on soccer in his blog entitled Sublime Soccer. Mathew is a graduate of the Iowa Young Writers’ Workshop. He is originally from Maryland.
Basil Mitchell (Coach & Motivational Speaker) is a commercial real-estate broker. He enrolled at Texas Christian University in 1994 and became their #1 running back within two years. Mitchell is one of only nine Horned Frogs to eclipse the 2,500 yard mark. He finished out his days as a Horned Frog with 2,783 yards. Mitchell signed as a free-agent rookie with the Green Bay Packers and immediately excited the Packers with his skills, averaging 22.1 yards on kickoff returns and breaking an 88-yarder for a score. His professional career was cut short by injury. Mitchell and his wife Sharay reside in Mt. Pleasant, TX with their five children.
Craig McFarlin (Coach) is a specialist in quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back play. He graduated from Daingerfield High School where he played quarterback, safety, punter and PAT kicker. He broke Celina’s 68-win streak during his junior year and was named Most Valuable Player of that game as well as 3-A District 12 MVP. McFarlin was voted to the 3-A All-State Team as both punter and quarterback. He played for Ouachita Baptist University where he was a four-year letterman (2005-2008). In 2005, McFarlin was named All-Conference and All-American punter. He graduated from Ouachita with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology.
Kat Murray (SAT & Resume-writing Instructor) holds degrees from The University of Texas, Georgetown University, and Stanford University. Throughout her career, Murray has worked in a variety of student-focused and teaching positions in university settings, including roles with new student services, residential life, and Semester in Washington programs. In August, she will set sail with the fall 2011 Voyage of Semester at Sea where she will serve as Assistant Dean of Students. Murray is a sixth generation Texan, a third generation Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns fan, and a burgeoning Stanford Cardinal fan.
Ashton Roberts (Coach) is a 2008 graduate of Northeast Texas Community College, where he received an Associate of Science degree. While attending NTCC, he served as president and vice-president of the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB). He was also elected vice-president of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), and in 2007, he served as vice-president of the Student Government Association (SGA). While at Pittsburg High School, Roberts received multiple honors in football, including Honorable Mention running back, 2nd Team All-District running back awards, and 2nd Team All-District linebacker awards. Roberts also collected multiple baseball honors including 1st Team All-District centerfield and, as a freshman, the Rookie of the District award.
Andrew Rodrigues (Coach) is a staff intern at Georgia Tech where he is responsible for assisting the director of player personnel. He previously served for five years as a student assistant at Georgia Tech, where he focused on working with the defensive line. He was also a student assistant with Georgia Tech’s 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship team. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy from Georgia Tech in December 2009 and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ryan Scherling (Coach) is the wide receivers coach and director of football operations at Fort Lewis College. Prior to joining Fort Lewis, Scherling spent two years at Texas A&M University-Commerce as the tight ends coach. He graduated from Pittsburg State University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and will graduate with a master’s degree in sports administration from Concordia University-Irvine in August, 2011. Scherling is originally from Overland Park, Kansas, where he attended Blue Valley West High School.
Darwin Shaw (Overcoming Adversity Instructor) is a senior United States probation officer with the Northern District of Texas. He supervises a caseload of federal offenders and oversees contracts for multiple treatment vendors that provide services to federal offenders. Shaw is also the co-chair of the districts’ critical incident stress management team. Shaw has eighteen years of experience as a probation officer at the county and federal levels. He is a graduate of the Federal Judicial Center’s Leadership Development Program. He holds a Bachelor of Science (1992) in criminal justice from Texas A&M – University Commerce and a master’s of public administration (1997) from the University of Texas at Tyler. Shaw and his wife Centroyer reside in Dallas with their two children.
Joshua Smith-Shimer (PR Lead) graduated from West Virginia University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Geography and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He is currently a 3L at West Virginia University College of Law and a summer law clerk for Federal Judge Ronald G. Pearson. While an undergraduate, Smith-Shimer was a member of the nationally ranked Mountaineers Men’s Soccer Team. He has also spent time with the USA Bobsled & Skeleton Federation where he has competed in Skeleton.
John Sielawa (Coach) is the assistant offensive line coach, tight ends coach and offensive quality control for Assumption College in Worcester, MA. Prior to joining Assumption, Sielawa assisted Shepherd Hill Regional High School during their 2009 campaign as the offensive line and linebackers coach. Sielawa recently graduated from Nichols College in Dudley, MA with a degree in Sports Management. While at Nichols, Sielawa was a four year letter-winner at tight end & offensive line and earned the starting position as a junior. Sielawa is also a four-time member of the New England Football Conference All-Academic Team and was recognized annually on National Student-Athlete Day. Sielawa is pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership.
The Recollective
The Recollective is a multimedia collaborative that produces stories for the web and radio. The Recollective members met when they were hired by StoryCorps in 2008. As StoryCorps producers, they crossed mountains and deserts, mastered hotel room cooking, and recorded thousands (really!) of interviews, many of which were broadcast on National Public Radio and archived in the Library of Congress. The Recollective works with 4th and 1 student-athletes to help them tell their stories via radio, photography, and the written word.
Jeremy Helton is an artist and independent producer from Shelbyville, Tennessee. He is a co-founder of VOX Teen Newspaper in Atlanta, GA and has worked for New York-based Culture Project, a non-profit theater company that produces plays and festivals focused on social justice and human rights issues. Helton is a recent graduate of the certificate program at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University and was selected as a 2011 New Voices Scholar by the Association of Independents in Radio.
Whitney Henry-Lester grew up in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Her love of radio inspired her to work with community stations in Ecuador and Chicago. Henry-Lester served as assistant editor of the Academy Award nominated short documentary, Rehearsing a Dream. Additionally, she is the author of Blue Cheese Highways, a blog about food and travel. Her work includes a collection of interviews with flea market patrons in the swing state of Florida in an election year.
Chaela Herridge-Meyer was raised in the Pacific Northwest and throughout Latin America, where she and her family worked with fair trade craft cooperatives. After several years working for StoryCorps as a mobile facilitator, outreach coordinator and in the press department, Herridge-Meyer relocated to Buffalo, New York, where she currently works with local non-profits to document their community’s stories through audio and photography. Her recent work includes a series of audio and photo stories, developed in collaboration with Jericho Road Ministries, a local organization dedicated to helping refugee and low-income community members living in Buffalo’s West Side neighborhood.
Nina Porzucki hails from Los Angeles, California. She is currently working on a series of reports from China for NPR as the 2011 Above the Fray Fellow and producing news features for PRI’s The World. Porzucki got her first taste of international communities and their stories as a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania. She received a B.A. in Spanish and Global Studies from UC-Santa Barbara in 2002 and an MFA in Creative Writing, Nonfiction from New School University in 2008.
