Board of Directors

The following dedicated individuals have volunteered their time to be a part of this organization and see it achieve great success in providing aid across the globe.

David Sokoloff
Founder
dsokoloff@forgranted.org
David was born in Princeton and remained in New Jersey until moving to Pennsylvania for his undergraduate degree. He received his B.A. from Gettysburg College in Economics and his M.A. in International Development Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. David got involved with community service through the D.C. Central Kitchen, Martha's Table, and N Street Village helping disadvantaged people in the Washington D.C. area. In 2003, David received the opportunity to serve with the U.S. Peace Corps in the Republic of Kiribati. He developed the idea to help disadvantaged children through education during his time in Kiribati and in 2006, after completing his service, he turned this vision into For Granted, Inc.

Richard Hendricks
President
rhendricks@forgranted.org
Rich graduated from Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish. He has recently returned from 10 months of traveling through Southeast Asia with his wife, Amanda. While traveling, Rich volunteered with Bethel Agricultural Fellowship in Tamil Nadu, South India. He spent this time teaching and working with children who lived in the Bethel orphanage. He learned first hand how important it is to work with and support organizations that are dedicated to empowering children through education. Prior to traveling Rich worked for six years with Travel + Leisure Magazine most recently as Promotion Manager. He was responsible for the development of sales materials, special projects and events. Rich is currently a volunteer with New York Cares helping where needed in the New York community. He brings his deep marketing and life experience to For Granted as a member of the Site Development Committee concentrating on establishing new sites to receive aid from For Granted.

Evelyn Parr
Vice-Chair
eparr@forgranted.org
Originally from Tennessee, Evelyn first became aware of the positive effects of community awareness, support, and service when she completed 100 hours of volunteer service for a High School graduation requirement. Upon graduation, Evelyn then ventured to an unfamiliar Albuquerque, where she majored in Community Development and minored in Construction Management at the University of New Mexico. During her time at the University of New Mexico, Evelyn served with AmeriCorps as a Team Leader in their Literacy Program targeting underserved communities in the greater Albuquerque area to improve reading levels and make learning fun. After receiving two Segal Scholarship awards for her volunteer service, Evelyn decided to take her understanding of community development internationally with the U.S. Peace Corps. Her efforts as a volunteer included the creation of a Kindergarten Teacher’s Association, a Fisherman’s Association, and building ten 5,000-liter rainwater catchment systems in the Republic of Kiribati. Evelyn is currently completing her Masters in Urban Policy Analysis and Management at The New School University in New York City. After completing her program, she plans on returning to Tennessee where she will continue working in public service both at home and abroad. She is very proud to take part in the efforts of For Granted addressing the problems faced by children throughout the world.

Frank Lee Merwin
Treasurer
flmerwin@forgranted.org
Lee Merwin was born and raised in Mahwah, NJ. In 1997, Lee graduated with honors from Gettysburg College with BA's in political science and management. He continued with his education receiving an MBA from Regis University in 2003. Lee began his professional career at Zapata Lamporlanese and Merwin, SA, a financial services firm. He later moved on to Industrial Candles, Inc, serving as CFO and briefly as COO. In 2005 he left the business world for the nonprofit, joining the Joffrey Ballet Center as their new Director of Operations. Having traveled extensively outside of the U.S., Lee has seen first hand the need for organizations like For Granted and is grateful to have this opportunity to put his skills to good use.

Isha Nirola
Secretary
inirola@forgranted.org
Isha has extensive domestic and international work experience in the public health field, with expertise in gender inequality and women's health outcomes. Isha holds a B.A. in Health Administration and Policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. From 2004-2006 Isha served as a Health and Community Development Volunteer with the United States Peace Corps, in the Republic of Kiribati. She has done health policy research for the World Health Organization as well as some work with the United Nations Development Fund for Women, in the Gender Equality and HIV Division. Isha recently graduated from New York University with a Masters in International Public Health and is co-authoring a Policy Brief with the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU Law School on environmentally displaced populations in the Pacific and their options for emigration to other nations. She currently resides in New Delhi, India working on For Granted’s Maternal Mortality Reduction Project.

Lauren Brown
lbrown@forgranted.org
Lauren attended Appalachian State University for her under-graduate degree in Communications and Political Science in 2005. From 2006 to 2008, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, where her primary responsibilities included rural health education for women and girls, as well as leadership training for middle school children. Lauren’s service experience inspired her to pursue her Masters Degree in Public Policy and International Development at the University of Maryland. She hopes to work abroad following graduation, focusing on education as a means to development. She is dedicated to working with children in disadvantaged regions throughout her career.

Sally Caneer
scaneer@forgranted.org
Sally Caneer was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. She attended Auburn University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Adolescence. After college, Sally went on to pursue a lifetime dream of volunteering for the United States Peace Corps. She completed her 2 ½ year service in the Republic of Kiribati teaching English as a second language. Sally is currently living in Raleigh, North Carolina and working for an outdoor adventure travel company, while trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up.

Dr. Jeremiah Duncan
jsduncan@forgranted.org
Dr. Jeremiah Duncan is an Environmental Science Policy Fellow sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is placed at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he works on issues relating to the environmental applications and implications of nanotechnology. Prior to being an AAAS fellow, Dr. Duncan was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the central Pacific island nation of Kiribati, where he taught math and science at the Kiribati Teachers' College on the capital island of Tarawa. Dr. Duncan received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Princeton University in the area of inorganic synthesis. Jeremiah lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Kimberly, and his dog, Dylan.

Amanda Hendricks
ahendricks@forgranted.org
Amanda graduated from Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Art History and Spanish. Then she went on to receive her Masters in Art History and Criticism from SUNY Stony Brook. She has recently returned from 10 months of traveling through Southeast Asia with her husband, Rich. While traveling, Amanda volunteered with Bethel Agricultural Fellowship in Tamil Nadu, South India. She spent this time teaching basic curriculum to preschool and kindergarten children in the Bethel Baby Home and Matriculation School. This experience had a lasting effect on Amanda and she is committed to supporting education in developing areas around the world. Prior to traveling Amanda was the Director of Public Programs with the Noble Maritime Collection. She was responsible for all educational and public programs for the museum and study center. Amanda brings her education and development experience to For Granted as a member of the Fundraising Committee concentrating on research and writing grant proposals.

Dr. Todd Hobelmann
thobelmann@forgranted.org
Born in Maryland, Todd has remained close to home his entire life. He was active in sports, music, and student government while in high school, but he was always interested in the basic sciences when in the classroom. Upon graduation, he moved on to Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania where he majored in Biology and worked to gain admission into medical school. While there, he was an active volunteer in the Special Olympics and was a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity. He returned to Baltimore to achieve his M.D. at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He achieved his most notable feat there by meeting his wife while a second-year medical student. Todd became interested in Anesthesiology (like his father and older brother) and decided to finish his medical training across town at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. His wife, Allison, joined the Hopkins community as a resident in the Emergency Medicine Department. Dr. Hobelmann is currently in his last year of residency training and plans on remaining close to his family in Baltimore to forge his career.

Ben Knuth
bknuth@forgranted.org
Benjamin C. Knuth is an attorney practicing in transactional real estate and commercial litigation. After graduating from Gettysburg College in 1998, Ben worked as Assistant Director of Communications for Zogby International, a political polling firm in Utica, NY, and as a Publicist for TIME Magazine. He obtained a juris doctorate in 2004 from Villanova University School of Law, and now resides in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Mike Leonard
mleonard@forgranted.org
Michael. W. Leonard was born and raised on Long Island, New York and is currently working as a Vice President for the Equity Compliance Department of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC in New York City. After graduating from Gettysburg College with a B.A. degree, Michael worked in the Legal and Compliance Departments of The New York Stock Exchange, Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. Michael has experience as a volunteer and fundraiser for The Special Olympics and Junior Achievement of New York.

Matthew Petroski
mpetroski@forgranted.org
Matt works for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in its National Tax Services - Exempt Organizations Tax Services Group where he provides tax compliance and consulting services to various nonprofit clients. His clients include large health systems, universities, pension funds and other public charities. Matt has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland at College Park and a JD/MBA and LL.M. in Taxation from Villanova University. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars in 2002. Matt is a member of the American Bar Association Tax Section and the American Health Lawyers Association.

Gavin Quinn
gquinn@forgranted.org
Gavin Quinn is currently a Biology teacher at Eastern Camden County Regional High School in Voorhees, NJ. He received his B.A. in Biology from Rutgers University. His experience as a teacher has helped shape the organization's goal of integrating the ideals and projects of For Granted, Inc. into local school curriculum.

Dr. Ann Sokoloff
asokoloff@forgranted.org
Dr. Ann Sokoloff has taught preschool through fifth grade. She is currently teaching fourth grade in the Princeton Regional School District in Princeton, NJ. She received her Doctor of Education in 2004 in Curriculum Theory and Development K through 12th grade from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She is interested in developing integrated, multicultural curriculum that includes computer technology.