Upon hiring our first CEO in 2018, relinquished all day to day responsibilities to focus on:-Cultivate and steward major relationships/partnerships (funding, book sourcing & volunteers) -Developed Bernie Cup Series (6-7 golf friendraiser events, unique private club venues) -https://www.berniesbookbank.org/berniecup/-Assist in vision casting for national expansion-Explore, cultivate, uncover & steward national expansion opportunitiesBernie's Book Bank, by the numbers, as of 2023:-ZERO debt-Distributed more than 23 Million quality books to under-resourced children throughout Chicagoland-Source, process & distribute each book for less than $2.00-Serving more than 300,000 under-resourced children throughout Chicagoland-36 team members-50,000 visitors to the facility annually (all ages & abilities)

Founded Bernie's Book Bank in my garage, December 2009, for $5000 on my credit card.Grew budget to more than $4 MM in 6 years.Our vision was clear, build a metropolitan children's book bank model which was ultra-effective, efficient, scalable and sustainable, serving under-resourced children with 8 quality books/year from birth through 6th grade - a model we'd then replicate in every major city in America.Imagine a hat & I've worn it - in the beginning, ALL at the same time.-relationship builder-culture builder-brand builder-strategy-marketing-fundraiser-volunteer management-book sourcing-system design and execution-team builder-board recruiter-book collector, book distributor-fundraising event creation, development & execution-facility design and build (45,000 square feet)Went from my garage in 2009, to 1,000 square feet in 2010, to 5,000 square feet in 2011, to our current facility, 45,000 square feet in 2015 (expanded to 65,000 square feet in 2022).Hired our first CEO, Darrin Utynek, in May of 2018.

- Oversee company vision & strategy- Lead relationship cultivation for Freadom PromotionsThe philanthropic future has never been more uncertain or unpredictable.Raising money for non-profit programs will become harder and harder. That's the bad news.The good news? Consumers are purchasing with purpose in mind, now more than ever and we only anticipate this trend to grow, becoming the "norm".I believe literacy is too important to leave to philanthropy alone - the fight for literacy for all deserves more!Freadom Promotions launched in the Fall of 2020 - a for-profit company with a 100% giveback to bold literacy initiatives throughout America. We have a bold goal of reinvesting $100 MM annually.We are an ambitious team with more than 30 years in the promotional products space. We are a full-service promotional products company - any product, any brand for decoration. Graphic Design, Embroidery, Screen Printing, Signage, Global Sourcing & Company Stores.No matter your marketing objectives - giveaways, culture builders, incentives, uniforms or recruitment - we're your brand building experts driven by purpose. PURPOSE-DRIVEN | We exist for YOU & for IMPACT RELATIONSHIPS | We strive to be an extension of your team COMMUNICATION | You call, we answer - you email, we respond...promptly CLIENT SERVICE | We work for YOU ON TREND | Here to make you look good, again & again EXPERIENCE | Our team has decades of combined experience in the industry EXCELLENCE | No compromiseFor YOU. For OTHERS.

At the Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation, we change lives - on golf courses, in classrooms, and in communities.Since its Founding in 1930 by famed amateur golfer Charles "Chick" Evans Jr., the Evans Scholars Program has graduated 11,556 young men and women. The Evans Scholars Foundation awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to hardworking caddies with limited financial means.Simply put, I believe the Evans Scholars program is a transgenerational game-changer and one of the best and most effective non-profit programs in existence today.As a Director, I ...-assist in creating awareness for the program as a community ambassador-assist in raising funds for the program-assist at Western Golf Association Championships (BMW, Western Am, NV5 Invitational, Western Junior, Women's Western Am)-promote caddying within and outside of the greater golf community-participate in interviewing scholarship candidates

10storymath is an emerging project-based math company with a creative new vision for math learning - working to make school math a place where students and teachers feel confident, capable & connected.Provide strategic and development support to the Founders.

Provide periodic guidance and mentorship to U of DE students enrolled in the Horn Entrepreneurship Program.Participate as a judge in various competitions held within the Horn Entrepreneurship Program.www.udel.edu/research-innovation/horn/

Managed all golf operations, led golf schools, developed fun and engaging programs for members and prospective members, promoted real estate opportunities throughout golf community

Managed and lead golf schools for individuals and corporate groups (2-30 people), conducted instructional clinics for large groups of children and adults, appeared in instructional pieces through various media; newspaper, magazines, radio and video, taught privately for players of all ages and abilities, served as an ambassador for Golf Digest and golf communities throughout the local community