Sam was *this* close to going to rabbinical school...but then pivoted to found OpenTent in 2015. Underlying both paths is a drive for bringing people into the warmth of genuine community, building thick relationships, and helping teams run more effectively. Before OpenTent, Sam served as the Senior Engagement Associate at NYU's Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life where he built relationships with 327 students and set up Salesforce to be able to track all his team's relationships. Sam hails from the tiny but illustrious village of Farmington, Maine, and makes fierce fish tacos.

Kayleigh is a passionate systems developer and coach. During her time leading Echoing Green’s Knowledge Management team, Kayleigh transformed Salesforce from a system that her colleagues worked for into a system that works for staff and their community. Her passion is working with people to grow the impact of their work through smart processes and technology. Kayleigh holds degrees from Brown University and is a proud alumna of Prep for Prep Leadership Academy.

Mel is a self-defined queer geeky weirdo interested in the intersection of technology and social justice work. Throughout Mel's work with nonprofits, she was frustrated by the systemic inefficiencies that could be solved with better tools. She enrolled in a bootcamp with St Louis-based LaunchCode in 2016 and has been working with nonprofits as a technologist ever since. She hopes to help go-getters promote their missions as effectively as global corporations sell their brands. She lives in St Louis with her dog where she is committed to eco-sustainable home rehab and transportation, and volunteers as a PostgreSQL coder at a refugee resettlement agency.

Eva’s true love for data bloomed at the National Ramah Commission, where she helped track and strengthen a national alumni network through a new shared database. Salesforce entered her life at Mechon Hadar, where she built out streamlined application and registration systems to save her hardworking staff hours of time each day. Eva is a graduate of Connecticut College, a lover of boardgames, and a passionate advocate for technology within the nonprofit universe.

Ariel's background is a hybrid of the nonprofit sector and the tech startup world, having previously worked at the International Rescue Committee and then pivoting to financial technology at a tech startup. These disparate work experiences have instilled a passion in her to bridge the gap between nonprofits and technology to effect positive social change and enable mission-driven organizations to be as effective as possible. Ariel drove from Dallas to New York City to begin this new journey as OpenTent's first Fellow and finally get to live in NYC (a lifelong dream!). Originally from a small town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, Ariel loves all things outdoors--from hiking a mountain to relaxing in a park with a good book.

Connie has aspired to be a social worker, architect, designer — and now has happily found herself in a role combining the best of all those worlds: building elegant, beautiful solutions for human-centered, impact-focused places. Her work pairs a formal education in Psychology with a deep informal education in systems and tech. Prior to OpenTent, Connie developed Salesforce-based solutions within social service organizations (centered around homelessness, trauma, and abuse), while analyzing program efficacy and evaluating organizational impact. She loves designing solutions for folks on the front lines. Connie is an Oakland native, Long Beach transplant, and her love of community and concern for racial, social, and economic justice is built from these two beautiful places.