BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dave Tonneson
Dave is the Co-Founder of SwimKids Swim School and loves teaching and all things water. Dave has coached all levels and ages since 1983 and is still coaching today. He is equally passionate about building high performing teams.
Amanda Beard
Amanda Beard was 14 years old when she made her first Olympic appearance and walked away as the second youngest swimmer in history to medal with one gold and two silvers. Over the next twelve years she achieved eight USA Swimming National Titles, held the FINA World Record and World Champion title for the 200-meter breaststroke, made three more appearances in the Olympics–accumulating another gold, two more silvers and a bronze.. Amanda is the Co-Founder of Beard Swim Co. Keeping kids water safe is a mission that has become even closer to Amanda’s heart since having children of her own. She is married to photographer Sacha Brown, with whom she has two children.
Frank Sahlein
Frank Sahlein has been active in the Children’s Activity Center industry as an athlete, coach, business owner, consultant and business broker. He is a two-time recipient of the National Business Leader Award from USA Gymnastics, the author of “Building Your Business Potential”, creator of the SmartEDGE™ Business Resources and RiskAssure Solutions. He is the co-founder of LEAP Learning, and is the author of “Becoming – Designing Your Empowered Life”, and founder of The Transformations Institute. Frank is ecstatically married to Lourdes Gonzalez, and they split time between Boise, Idaho and Puerto Rico.
John Kirk
John is the Co-Founder of Little Otter Swim Schools with his wife, Lory. He currently serves as the President of the U.S. Swim School Association and on the Board of Advisors for the Safer 3 water safety foundation. He was honored with the Guiding Light award in the U.S. Swim School Association, and is also an award-winning videographer, winning 2 EMMYs, a Polk, a Pulitzer, and several other advertising awards. John and Lory have three beautiful daughters.
Kimberly Vandenberg
Kim is an Olympic bronze medalist specializing in both the butterfly and freestyle. She is a two-time gold medalist from the 2011 Pan American games, a silver medalist from the 2007 world championships, and a three-time national champion. Since competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she has traveled the world giving motivational talks and teaching swim clinics and private lessons to international schools throughout the United States, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America. She continues to swim for the New York Athletic Club and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Psychology at Pepperdine University. She also offers Vinyasa Yoga classes designed specifically for swimmers as well as mentoring work through Rise Athletes.
Janaiha Bennett
Janaiha Bennett is the Executive Director of the Youth Leadership Foundation, a 25-year youth development organization that enhances personal agency through character education and mentorship. With over fifteen years of experience, Janaiha's strengths span nonprofit management, front-line youth development, program evaluation and implementation, and donor cultivation.
Janaiha and her husband, Richard, enjoy raising five children in Washington, D.C. and, in their spare time, camping and traveling. Hope Floats' mission is near and dear to Janaiha's heart: Ensuring all children have access to high-quality swim instruction. This belief was reinforced by her experience as a mother when, after weeks of generic swim lessons, her son entered the water with the confidence but not the skills to swim. Following that close call, Janaiha not only sought out Hope Floats but joined her children in learning to swim.
Christina Judge
Christina is a 30-year veteran of the nonprofit world, her experience spans areas including executive leadership, program management, fund development, and marketing and communications. She has worked in various roles with the United States Army, in higher education, child welfare, healthcare, and mental health. Christina is the Executive Director of Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County, a collaboration of mental health agencies working together to improve mental health access for the residents of Tarrant County, Texas.
A native of the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area, Christina moved to Texas in 1992. In her early career, Christina was lifeguard and swimming/water safety instructor for six years. During that tenure, she safely rescued four children from the water. She had a desire to someday support and serve an agency with a mission dedicated to drowning prevention. A proud grandmother and mother of two adult children, Christina and her husband reside in Fort Worth, Texas.
Calvin Thomas II
Calvin is a Social Entrepreneur with over 10 years in the aquatics industry. He currently is the CEO + Founder at Dolphin University Swim School, a growing startup learn-to-swim brand based in Baltimore, MD. Calvin went to Morgan State University and studied Sociology; born and raised in South Los Angeles, his parents introduced him to the sport of swimming at a young age and continued his path through swim team, lifeguarding and now an educator. Elated to join this Foundation’s Board, he hopes to continue the social mission of teaching the water safety skill to children in all areas.
board of advisors
John Mix
John is CEO and Co-Founder of FINIS, Inc. John and Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Pablo Morales founded FINIS in 1993 with a mission to simplify swimming for athletes, coaches, beginners and lifelong swimmers around the world. Today, FINIS fulfills that mission through innovation, high quality products and a commitment to education. FINIS products are currently available in over 80 countries. With a focus on innovation and the fine details of swimming, FINIS will continue to develop products that help more people enjoy the water. John was selected as one of the 10 most impacttful people in swimming by Swimming World magazine in 2015. He lives in Northern California with his wonderful wife, Paula, and their two boys.
Cindy Tonnesen - Founder
Cindy is the Founder and Chairman of the Board at Hope Floats Foundation. As an advocate for drowning prevention for over 20 years, Cindy has served on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Swim School Association and co-founded SwimKids Swim Schools in 1997 with her husband, Dave. She received a Silver Stevie Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Consumer Services in 2012 and has led SwimKids to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies 4 times. Cindy is excited to spread the message of Hope Floats and partner with swim schools and businesses in the United States and across the globe. Cindy and her husband, Dave, have three children from high school to college.
Jill L. McHugh, LISW-CP
Jill has served in the nonprofit industry for more than 15 years in just about every capacity. Her passion for underserved youth paired with a childhood, traumatic experience in water led her to the mission at Hope Floats. Jill finally faced her fears and learned to swim in her early 20s after she graduated from the University of South Carolina with a master’s degree in social work. She truly believes swim lessons are a vital, life-changing necessity for every child – she’s adding them to the bottom rung of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs! In her free time, she works on her passion project, provides trauma-informed care training to other nonprofits and schools, and loves to travel and find the best snacks with her husband and daughter.
Audrey Emaus
Audrey has spent the majority of her free time in or around water, taking advantage of any pool, lake and ocean. Audrey was introduced to swimming very early by her mother's love of the sport and her father constantly telling her that 'when you are old and everything hurts, you will be thankful you know how to swim!' Audrey grew up swimming at a local competitive swim program, became a lifeguard and remained close to the water when she went on to swim at the collegiate level. Audrey's career background is in higher education, with a focus on finance/accounting, process improvement and risk management. She is excited to be working with Hope Floats to further grow the mission and reach more families!
STAFF
Kristin Mabrouk - Executive Director
Kristin is a lifelong swimmer who grew up on the pool deck, became a lifeguard and swim instructor as soon as she was old enough, and went on to swim at the collegiate level (even meeting her husband at the pool!). Kristin's career background is in nonprofit community work, focusing on equity, access, prevention, and wellness. She is thrilled to be once again immersing herself in the swimming world with Hope Floats and could not be more excited to dive into working with all of our partners to help give more families across the country the gift of swimming. Kristin lives in Connecticut with her husband, two daughters, and their three-legged dog, Abe.
Kristina Wesselink
Kristina is the Partnership Director and Marketing and Social Media Specialist at Hope Floats Foundation. She has been in the aquatics industry for 8 years and in the non-profit world for over 30 years. Her passion is and has always been giving back and helping those in need. She started off her career as a social worker in Baltimore City and has also served on the Board of Directors of For 3 Sisters, a non-profit that serves women and men with breast cancer.
Kristina is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland and brings a wealth of experience in marketing, customer service, finance and fundraising.
Kristina learned how to swim only 2 years ago and she is a vocal advocate that it's never too late to learn how to swim. Kristina's hobbies include reading, traveling and raising money for worthy causes. Kristina lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and two daughters.
Galen Broido
Galen Broido was born and raised in a small community in Vermont where she grew up appreciating local businesses and what they contribute to our communities.
Galen is a graduate of UNC Asheville where she quickly excelled as a Division I swimmer, eventually becoming a captain of the team, and setting team records in her events. She chose to pursue a degree in Marketing. This allowed her to use her skills as a designer and artist while assisting small businesses.
After a few years of developing proficiency in SEO, E-Commerce, Web Design, Web Maintenance and more after graduation, Galen had the exciting opportunity to live in Italy. She currently works with small businesses, mainly in the learn-to-swim industry in the United States. Her passion for swimming has translated well into the extremely important world of drowning prevention.