We are Hope Ignites

We believe every young person should have hope for the future and believe they can make a difference in the world.

Sometimes, the challenges young people and their families are facing—economic, systemic, or circumstantial barriers—get in the way, and it can seem like their possibilities are limited. Still, they put one foot in front of the other, go to school, work hard, and do their best. They want more.

That’s where Hope Ignites comes in.

Our dedicated team spends many hours per week, year after year, with our young people, who are selected for their motivation and determination and called Hope Ignites scholars. Together, we navigate each step in their journey of education, experiences, activities, skill-building, personal growth, leadership, and service. Once in the Hope Ignites family, they have lifelong relationships, a network of support into career launch, and a supportive community throughout their adulthood as alumni.

OUR PROGRAM

OUR MISSION

To nurture and guide motivated young people in need to become well-educated, career-ready men and women for others.

WHERE WE WORK

OUR NETWORK

Our partners and contributors help us make round-the-clock investments in young people’s lives, educations, and futures.

OUR SUPPORTERS

OUR PLAN

Hope Ignites is a learning and growing organization. We don’t rest on hope alone, but we roll up our sleeves as a Network and have courageous discussions about how we can improve and scale to serve more young people in need. We welcome you to be a part of our growth!

OUR STRATEGIC PLAN

OUR PLAN

Hope Ignites is a learning and growing organization. We don’t rest on hope alone, but we roll up our sleeves as a Network and have courageous discussions about how we can improve and scale to serve more young people in need. We welcome you to be a part of our growth!

OUR STRATEGIC PLAN

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

You want to invest in a nonprofit you can trust. Be confident knowing that we have been independently evaluated and that your donation gets used in an effective and responsible way. View our financials and see how your donation makes a difference.

ANNUAL REPORTS

YEARBOOK 2024

YEARBOOK 2023

YEARBOOK 2022

YEARBOOK 2021

YEARBOOK 2020

YEARBOOK 2019

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FY24

FY23

FY22

FY21

FY20

FY19

990s

FY23

FY22

FY21

FY20

FY19

Our icon has deep meaning for our scholars, collegians, alumni, and team members. It represents our diverse community coming together with our incredible scholars at the heart of everything we do.

OUR ICON

OUR HISTORY

For 45 years, Hope Ignites has helped young people leverage their strengths by providing access to education and opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. With their motivation and determination, and Hope Ignites’ high expectations and nurturing environments, our alumni have been given the tools they need to build their own success stories.

1977

Organization Founded

Rev. Paul Sheridan, SJ, a Jesuit priest, and the first board of directors welcomed the inaugural class of scholars into its first residential site for eight boys in St. Louis, Missouri, known as “The Jesuit Program of Living and Learning.”

1979

Replication Begins

Residential sites are established in New York and Chicago, starting the growth that has culminated in affiliate sites across the United States.

1984

First College Graduate

The program celebrates its first college graduate in the U.S.!

1987

Going International

The program takes root abroad, expanding into Latin America.

1991

Began Serving Girls

The Pittsburgh affiliate opens a home for girls, and the organization is renamed Boys Hope Girls Hope! The program reaches a milestone of 100 scholars in college.

2004

Academy Pathway Launched

The Arizona affiliate launches the first Academy to provide holistic programming and services to young people who can live at home. The Academy pathway has since been implemented in other affiliates.

LEARN MORE »

The Arizona affiliate launches the first Academy to provide holistic programming and services to young people who can live at home. The Academy pathway has since been implemented in other affiliates.LEARN MORE »

2017

40 Years!

Boys Hope Girls Hope celebrates its 40th anniversary!

Future

Five-Year Strategic Plan

Boys Hope Girls Hope is setting a bold and ambitious course for the future!

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LEARN MORE

OUR TEAM

Hope Ignites is made up of incredible people. Our Network Headquarters team and Network Board of Directors collaborate with affiliate teams and boards to ensure mission fidelity, financial stewardship, and transparency. We are committed to continuous learning, effective programming, diversity, inclusion, and improvement through impact evaluation and innovation.

ALL

LEADERSHIP

ADVANCEMENT

MISSION EFFECTIVENESS

PEOPLE & CULTURE

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

FINANCE & ACCOUNTING

Kristin Ostby de Barillas

PRESIDENT & CEO

As President & CEO of Boys Hope Girls Hope, Kristin leads the Network Headquarters team and works with local affiliate leadership to ensure that every young person in the program receives similar access to educational experiences, opportunities, and a Network of support. Kristin lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two sons.

Read Bio

Melanie Burden

VP OF PEOPLE & CULTURE

Mel oversees all Human Capital Management administration functions and serves as a key strategist, advisor, and implementer of organization-wide efforts to create a positive employee experience, recruit and retain talent, and foster a culture of equity, inclusion, learning, and development. Mel lives in Kentucky with her husband and son.

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Brian Hipp

VP OF MISSION EFFECTIVENESS

Brian oversees mission fidelity, performance management, Network programming, and educational partnerships. He works with affiliates to ensure program model compliance and scholar success. Brian lives in St. Louis, is married to Susan, and is a proud dad and stepdad.

Read Bio

Bill Fronczak

VP OF ADVANCEMENT

Bill oversees the Network Headquarters development team and fundraising efforts, including corporate and foundation partners, major donors, digital giving, and business development. He also works to spearhead collaborative network-wide fundraising & events. Bill lives in St. Louis with his wife and three dogs.

Read Bio

Jennifer Starkey

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Jennifer oversees the Network Headquarters Marketing and Communications team and projects, including the branding, website, public relations, and social media efforts. She serves as a key strategist for the organization’s marketing and communications planning. She lives in St. Louis with her two sons.

Laura Stevens

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT

Laura directs the Performance Management Tool and Process, the Scholar Salesforce Database (PPM), and outcomes data and impact evaluation efforts. She oversees information technology and leads Network training and The Vatterott Training Institute Learning Management System (LMS). Laura is married living in St. Louis, and just welcomed their first child.

Dana Nichols

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DONOR ENGAGEMENT

Dana cultivates relationships with major donors to secure significant financial support for the Network Headquarters' annual operations. She also collaborates with affiliates to identify and leverage joint funding opportunities that align with the organization’s strategic priorities. Dana is remotely working from Atlanta!

Ashley Scoville

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
AND ACCOUNTING

Ashley is primarily responsible for supporting the CEO/President in the delivery of accounting, budgeting, financial planning, analysis, and reporting activities and procedures to the Hope Ignites Network Headquarters and US Affiliates of Hope Ignites. Ashley lives in St. Louis with her husband and three boys.

Erin Beezley

DIRECTOR OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Erin manages key programming initiatives such as My Road, EnvisionU, and World Wide Technology Scholars. She also manages volunteer and service learning initiatives, like AmeriCorps and the Guate-Maya Service Immersion. Erin lives in St. Louis.

James Williams

DIRECTOR OF POST-SECONDARY SUCCESS
& STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

James leads college, career, and alumni programming for the Network, supporting affiliate capacity in these areas, and managing partnerships with universities, intern placements, and peer organizations. James lives in Houston, Texas.

Pete Schweiss

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

Pete manages all Network technology platforms, including Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and our technology infrastructure, as well as being the developer for our websites. He advises affiliate leaders on technology related decisions and troubleshoots on technology installations. Pete lives in St. Louis and is married with three beautiful children!

Xiá Simmons

DIRECTOR OF GRANTS & STEWARDSHIP

Xiá manages grant proposals and stewardship initiatives to support Network Headquarters as well as collaborative opportunities to benefit the affiliate network. Xiá lives in St. Louis with her fiancé and two children.

Martin Totland

COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA COORDINATOR

Martin manages the Network social media channels, email marketing, video creation, blog, and internal communications. He also assists affiliates with social media tools, resources, and training. Martin lives in St. Louis with his wife and new puppy.

Gigi Burgos

PROGRAM DATA COORDINATOR

Gigi maintains our scholar records, assists affiliates in the optimal usage of our scholar database, and supports outcome and impact data reporting. Gigi lives in Florida with her husband and five children.

Radhika Nyati

ACCOUNTANT

Radhika supports the Finance & Accounting department in bookkeeping, reporting, reconciling, and other miscellaneous functions for Network Headquarters. She also assists affiliates with accounting support as needed. She lives in Florida.

Jenn Garris

PAYROLL SPECIALIST

Jenn is responsible for payroll for the Network, and maintaining the data integrity of our payroll system. She also assists affiliates with general accounting. Jenn lives in St. Louis.

Vivian Mendoza

LATIN AMERICA PROGRAM ADVISOR

Vivian is a curriculum design specialist and assists in the development for programming in Latin American and the US. She lives in Guatemala with her husband.

Stephanie Cabrera

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGER

Stephanie assists affiliates and Network Headquarters with finding exceptional candidates for open positions and reinforces HCM compliance, best practices, policies, & procedures.

Lynn Trieschmann

DEVELOPMENT & DATABASE COORDINATOR

Lynn manages the Salesforce development database for Network Headquarters, as well as providing training and support in this area to affiliates. Lynn and her husband live in sunny Florida.

Aly Marin

WEBSITE COORDINATOR

Aly designs, updates, creates content for, and manages the Network website. She also works with the tech team and affiliates to keep website technology and content refreshed and up to date, and trains affiliate website administrators. Aly lives in Kansas City with her son.

Bridget Reuter

ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST

Bridget supports the Finance & Accounting team in bookkeeping, reporting, reconciling, and other miscellaneous functions for Network Headquarters. She also assists affiliates with accounting support as needed. She lives in St. Louis with her busy young family.

Debbie Shelton

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT SPECIALIST

Debbie provides administrative and general office support to the Network Headquarters leadership team and serves as a backup to the new team member onboarding process. Debbie lives in St. Louis with her husband and is a proud mother and grandmother.

Julie Fabian

BENEFITS ADMINISTRATOR

Julie supports the administration of benefits for the Hope Ignites network-wide team. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and is a proud mother and grandmother.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rob Lloyd

BOARD CHAIR

Rob Lloyd, Owner of the Ultimate Frisbee Association, is a long-time supporter of Board Girls Hope and became the Network Chair in March 2024.

Dr. Edward Anderson
Retired Cardiologist

Abby Aydt
Senior Manager
KPMG

Steve Carani
Partner
Edward Jones

Dave Conway
Executive Advisor
Intellex Talent

Mike de Graffenried
Retired Business Executive

Palmina Fava
Partner, Co-Head of White Collar Defense & Government Investigations
Vinson & Elkins

Lisa Flavin, Vice Chair
Senior Vice President, Chief Transformation and Compliance Officer
Emerson

Anissa Gilbert
Digital Project Manager
PNC

Christopher Growe
CFO
Advantage Solutions

Duffy Hanna
President
Howard Hanna Financial Services

Bobby Herrera
Co-founder and President
Populus Group

Dr. Angela Jones
Pediatrician

Gregg Kirchhoefer, Counsel (Ex-Officio)
Partner
Kirkland & Ellis

Joe Koenig, Emeritus
President
World Wide Technology

Colette L. Kopon
Attorney
Littler Mendelson

Dr. Clarence Lee, Jr.
President & CEO
Exhort Health

Paul Minorini
Retired Nonprofit Executive

Rev. Ronny O’Dwyer, SJ
President
DeSmet Jesuit High School

Kristin Ostby de Barillas
President and CEO
Boys Hope Girls Hope

Jason Pernell
Worldwide VP of Software Acceleration
Cisco

Tom Santel
Retired Business Executive

Anja Schmelter
Marketing Consultant

Greg Scruggs, Alumni
Retired, National Football League

Rev. Paul G. Sheridan, S.J.
Founder
Boys Hope Girls Hope

Ken Stable, Alumni
Manager
St. Louis Trust Co.

Thomas Stanley
Business Executive

Jeff Taylor
Chief Operating Officer
Tufin

Nicola White
Business Executive

Mark Wilhelm
Executive Chairman
Safety National Casualty Corporation

Mark Williams
Principal
KW Law, LLP

John Wunderlich, Treasurer
Business Consultant

CONTACT US

Please fill out the contact form below and a member of our team will respond as soon as possible.

Or contact our office:

Hope Ignites
5257 Shaw Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
314.298.1250
hope@bhgh.org

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN PROVIDE HOPE

Working to nurture and guide motivated
young people in need to become well-educated,
career-ready men and women for others

hopeignites.org

We are Hope Ignites

We believe every young person should have hope for the future and believe they can make a difference in the world.

That’s where Hope Ignites comes in.

OUR MISSION

To nurture and guide motivated young people in need to become well-educated, career-ready men and women for others.

WHERE WE WORK

Our partners and contributors help us make round-the-clock investments in young people’s lives, educations, and futures.

OUR PLAN

Hope Ignites is a learning and growing organization. We don’t rest on hope alone, but we roll up our sleeves as a Network and have courageous discussions about how we can improve and scale to serve more young people in need. We welcome you to be a part of our growth!

OUR PLAN

Hope Ignites is a learning and growing organization. We don’t rest on hope alone, but we roll up our sleeves as a Network and have courageous discussions about how we can improve and scale to serve more young people in need. We welcome you to be a part of our growth!

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

ANNUAL REPORTS

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

990s

Our icon has deep meaning for our scholars, collegians, alumni, and team members. It represents our diverse community coming together with our incredible scholars at the heart of everything we do.

OUR HISTORY

1977

Organization Founded

1979

Replication Begins

1984

First College Graduate

1987

Going International

1991

Began Serving Girls

2004

Academy Pathway Launched

2017

40 Years!

Future

Five-Year Strategic Plan

OUR TEAM

Kristin Ostby de Barillas

Melanie Burden

Brian Hipp

Bill Fronczak

Jennifer Starkey

Laura Stevens

Dana Nichols

Ashley Scoville

Erin Beezley

James Williams

Pete Schweiss

Xiá Simmons

Martin Totland

Gigi Burgos

Radhika Nyati

Jenn Garris

Vivian Mendoza

Stephanie Cabrera

Lynn Trieschmann

Aly Marin

Bridget Reuter

Debbie Shelton

Julie Fabian

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rob Lloyd

CONTACT US

Please fill out the contact form below and a member of our team will respond as soon as possible.

Or contact our office:

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN PROVIDE HOPE

hopeignites.org

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