Our team
Rachael Chong
CEO & Founder
The one quote that Rachael hangs by her desk says, “Be truthful, gentle, and fearless.” She wants to leave this earth known as a leader who empowers others to be better than her. Rachael is described by others as gritty, hungry to learn, humble and visionary -- but her passion is what truly defines and elevates her. Whether she's talking about how amazing the spoken-word artist she saw last week was or a new social enterprise she just heard about, she can't help but gush. She's one of the lucky ones to be born with fire, and she works daily to channel it for good.
Jared Nuzzolillo
Lead Software Engineer
Jared likes coding, kitties, Dungeons and Dragons, helping the homeless, studying 1st century Christianity, philosophy, scaling startups, leading software teams and muay thai. This leaves him well positioned to write software and run our Tech Team, and not so well suited to write biographies like this one.
Dana Raviv
Senior Partnership Manager
Dana believes that there is no limit to the ways in which people can give back. This became clear to her in rural Malawi, where she spent a year and a half organizing community health workers and developing agricultural training programs for HIV and TB patients. As a Partnerships Manager with Catchafire, she is excited to help organizations find how to make the most of their limited resources, and to help professionals find the best way to give of their time and expertise. When Dana's not working, she's most likely brainstorming or biking somewhere new.
Chris Maguire
Product Lead
When it comes to the eternal struggle between order and chaos, Chris has trouble picking a side. He has 18 separately labelled bins for computer parts in his closet but loves playing sloppy punk rock guitar. A repeat Internet startup founder, Chris runs the Product team and has a secret ambition to make Catchafire the first site you check every day. He doesn’t own a smartphone because it would cut into his daydreaming time.
Scott Smith
VP of Operations, Marketing Lead
Scott likes to solve problems. A fascination with puzzles and brainteasers as a kid developed into a passion for finance and poker as an adult. A risk-taker at heart, at the height of his career he left his job as a hedge fund manager to try his hand at professional poker. Right now, he's trying to figure out how to make Catchafire a household name, something he thinks isn’t that far off.
Jason Everitt
Partnership Team Lead
As a child, Jason wanted to grow up to be an artist. He saw (and still sees) the world painted in bright colors and broad strokes. Today, he thinks creatively and optimistically about the world we can create with the right combination of individuals, organizations, and ideas.
Liz Linzer
Strategic Partnerships Manager
Liz believes that every moment is an opportunity to make the world brighter. She was drawn to service and entrepreneurship at an early age, first by hauling her high school peers out of bed on Sundays to serve meals at the Salvation Army. Community development and the pursuit to help people be their 'best selves' run through Liz's veins. She spends most Sundays reading cookbooks on the couch, making a big mess in the kitchen and savoring delightful concoctions with friends and family.
Ryan Matthews
Account Manager
Ryan lives by the philosophy, Be yourself, everyone else is taken! She believes what makes you different is what makes you special and it is her mission to show the world how different Catchafire is. She has sat in every Catchafire seat, metaphorically and literally. When not playing musical chairs, Ryan loves Harry Potter, Arts and Crafts, and she has an awesome evil cackle.
Hayley Samuelson
Storytelling Officer
Hayley got her start in the story biz writing and producing for an online magazine in Boulder, Colorado that covered anything from the life of a Belgian rockstar to elementary schools serving pink slime. She considers herself lucky because at Catchafire, it is her job to help tell stories about generosity, changemakers and do-gooders. She has the best time when she’s a few feet clear of her comfort zone and she won’t deny a fondness for everything that is Lady Gaga.
Rolando Murillo
Visual Designer & Front-end Developer
From the high mountains of the Andes, Rolando brings seven years of practice in visual design and front-end development to the Catchafire team. He started his career formally at the age of 14 and has worked for the iStore, the Peruvian Scientific Network, and Parachutes. When he isn't Catchafiring, he enjoys singing, hanging out with friends, taking long walks and biking.
Joe Cravo
Software Engineer
After 20 years working at for-profit internet media companies, Joe decided to change gears and use his skills to improve people's lives. It was a "Back to the Future" moment, since two decades earlier Joe spent two-and-a-half years in the peace corps teaching science and math in Africa. When not coding for Catchafire or coding pro bono, Joe enjoys amateur astronomy, which is just a grown up way of saying he's a giddy kid dreaming about the stars.
Jose Penarrieta
Software Engineer
With more than six years of experience in software development, Jose is our committed and enthusiastic Software Engineer from Peru. He also works as a teacher in the Department of Computer Science at a Peruvian University. He has worked in several projects involving very large databases and high performance web applications. Interested in world history and sociology (and also in Pokémon and Dragon Ball), he likes to work for social causes trying to satisfy his compromise to make the world a better place.
Rafael Nunes
Software Engineer
Passionate about learning, teaching, motorcycles and Brazilian music, Rafael spent the last decade writing software and teaching about it around Brazil. Before this, he spent his days volunteering in orphanages and with homeless groups. He found his dream job at Catchafire where everyday he gets to do what he loves while helping others.
Christopher Chavez
Partnership Manager
Where others see stars, Chris sees supernovas. He believes we should share our energy, light - and yes - hot air with those around us. Chris has helped to organize communities in areas as remote as the countryside of Ethiopia and as urban as the concrete jungle of NYC. His passion for finding creative ways to serve the social good runs bone deep.
Priyanka Prakash
Senior Account Manager
Priyanka believes in the human spirit and everything it is capable of. Passionate about learning, Priyanka’s roles have ranged from engineer to wedding planner to financial analyst to girl scout troop leader. When she’s not listening to the compassion of the community and helping it to forge ahead at Catchafire, you will find her dancing in her living room, eating cookies, and laughing as much as possible.
Bridget McGovern
Strategic Partnership Manager
Bridget believes in using the power of business to “do good” and has worked for several mission driven businesses in the areas of fair trade, environmental services, and sustainable consumer products. When she is not thinking about how businesses can be more socially responsible, she can be found practicing yoga, making tables out of reclaimed wood, and reading DIY blogs.
Adrienne Schmoeker
Talent Solutions Lead
Maybe it all started in the 4th grade when she began a “Clean Up Club” during recess to take care of the needs of the playground. Or maybe it was when she created a food drive to raise 12,000 pounds of food complete with corporate sponsorship. When Adrienne sees a problem and sets her mind to it, action is taken. When she’s not moving at full speed, Adrienne likes to practice Graham technique, write short stories, make the occasional poplova, hop on a plane to a new destination or camp in the backwoods of the nearest mountain.
Denise Chan
Partnership Manager
As a Super Curious Individual (SCI), Denise has always been interested in learning “a little more” resulting in experiences spanning from museum curation to digital advertising. But alas, she’s found her home at Catchafire where she gets to learn from social mission organizations every day! When Denise is not roaming around Astoria or planning a nationwide hip hop dance competition, you’ll probably catch her having a mini dance party at her desk.
Jie Jin
Talent & Operations Manager
In her past life, Jie worked as a radio programmer and social worker. Her passion for working with people and developing communities brought her to Catchafire where she upholds the belief that we shall be the change we want to see in the world. Outside of the office, you’ll find Jie with her nose deep in a history book or scaling a rock wall at her local gym.
Vibha Chokhani
Account Manager
A staunch believer that everybody’s a miracle waiting to happen, Vibha’s affair with entrepreneurship started when she was 14, selling arts & crafts she made as a hobby. She’s often nicknamed ‘sunshine’ for her undying enthusiasm and energy for ideas. Vibha’s passion for doing good comes from her instinct to immediately love and care for people. Just ask the nonprofits she talks to daily, or those fortunate enough to receive one of her many handmade cards!
Catarina Gutierrez
Account Manager
Catarina is the resident ATLien of Catchafire and enjoys talking about herself in the third person. Her experience with other B-Corps has fueled her passion for social enterprise and for doing work that matters. She doodles often and the nerd in her gravitates toward the public library often. If she were a hashtag, she’d be #meta.
Dan Jacob
Software Engineer
Hailing from the UK, Dan is a passionate software developer who has worked on sites for the British National Health Service, Channel 4 Television and high street brands in the UK. Currently based in Finland, Dan enjoys learning human as well as computer languages and speaks fluent Finnish and Russian. His other interests include history, psychology, linguistics, green technology and Celtic and Nordic folk music and mythology.
Emily Gordon
Partnership Operations Associate
Emily believes that everyone has the power to help change the world. Whether on a medical mission trip in the Dominican Republic or helping out in her hometown of Madison, CT, she has always been passionate about giving back, hence why she is working at Catchafire. When she’s not trying to save the world, Emily likes to travel, hang with friends and family and hit the ski slopes during the winter.
Advisors
- Joshua Mailman, Social Venture Network
- Carol Koh Evans, XO Group Inc.
- Alexander Stein, Boswell Group
- Ross Goldstein, DFJ Gotham and Director at New York Cares
- Scott Heiferman, Meetup.com
- Scott Schwaitzberg, Google.org
- Justin Kazmark, Kickstarter
- Anton Krucky, TissueGenesis
- Kelvin Taketa, Hawaii Community Foundation
- Tom Cohen, PTC Advisors
- Houman Nikbakht, Pacific Sourcing Group
- Tim O'Shea, Promontory Financial Group
- Kelly Dane, KPMG