Sam Piha is the founder and principal of Temescal Associates, a consulting group dedicated to building the capacity of leaders and organizations in education and youth development who are serious about improving the lives of young people.  Sam began his career in 1974 as an afterschool worker, an experience that led to 10 years of classroom teaching, and later work as a child and family counselor and school social worker. Between 1989 and 2001, Sam developed and managed school-based youth programs at the regional and national levels.

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Jennifer Fornal
Director of Special Projects

Jennifer Fornal brings close to 15 years of experience working in the field of youth development. Prior to her work with Temescal Associates, Jennifer was with Community Network for Youth Development as a Senior Project Manager where she was responsible for implementing after school partnerships initiatives and projects throughout the state of California.

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Sangita Kumar
Special Projects Manager and Trainer

Sangita Kumar is a results-based organizational development consultant and a skilled trainer dedicated to the empowerment of individuals and our communities. Her work over the past 6 years has allowed her to interact with a wide variety of organizations in business and non-profit sectors in the US and internationally.

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Joshua Julian
Director of Operations and Technology

Joshua Julian brings 13 years of experience working in the field of afterschool and youth development.  Working with a wide variety of afterschool organizations and foundations, Joshua’s experience includes strategic planning, website and database design and construction, technical assistance and program analysis.

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Laura Karosic
Program Coordinator

Laura Karosic brings five years of experience working in the field of youth development and joins Temescal Associates as a Project Coordinator. Before joining Temescal Associates, Laura's experience in non-profit after-school programs included working directly with youth as well as managing program operations.

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Bill Fennessy
Trainer

Bill began as the PasadenaLEARNs Site Coordinator for Blair International Baccalaureate Magnet School, which has a 7th – 12th grade student body. This brand new afterschool program, BlairLEARNs, was an ASES funded program for middle school students. The program had such a strong start, district and school officials decided to apply for ASSETs funding for Blair’s high school population. Blair received one of the first “pilot” grants late in the 2004/2005 school year, and started the first full year of programming in the 2005/2006 school year.

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Lynn Johnson
Trainer and Research Associate

Lynn knew that she wanted to be an actor when she was just 5 years old and has spent her whole life centered around the study, critique, and creation of theater.  Being a "drama geek" and 1 of only a few African American students living in the town at the time, Lynn developed a strong awareness of and commitment to those who live their lives "being different."

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Candace Meehan
Trainer

Candace Meehan worked five years for Long Beach City College, facilitating case and grants management before entering the afterschool program field. Candace is currently working with the Long Beach Unified School District as Program Director for Long Beach Jordan High School,

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Bob Cabeza
Trainer

Mr. Cabeza has twenty-six years of youth programming, counseling, and community development experience resulting in the ability to lead unique collaboratives designed to better the lives of youth and families. Mr. Cabeza has expertise in personnel, administration, volunteer/staff recruitment and training, long range and strategic planning, grant writing, fund raising, community relations, traditional and non-traditional after-school programming, outdoor education.

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Eric Gurna
Trainer

As the founder and Executive Director of Development Without Limits, Eric Gurna designs and facilitates staff development, curriculum and other resources for community organizations and schools on topics including youth development, literacy, diversity, leadership, communication and organizational development. A lecturer in child and adolescent development at the City University of New York, Eric also designs and directs youth programs, including Project Unity, an internship program where teenagers create and perform plays based upon their own experiences and ideas.

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Brad Lupien
Trainer

Brad Lupien holds a Bachelor's in Social Work from the University of Vermont and a Master's in Teaching from Simmons College in Boston, MA. While teaching in the inner-cities of the Boston Public School system, he developed the Outdoor Education Club. His extensive athletic and outdoor experience includes guiding month-long wilderness excursions through the Rocky Mountains and National Parks. Brad left teaching in the classroom to teach in the outdoors. As a Partner of CHAMPIONS, Brad brings his belief in the power of self-confidence to the mission statement of CHAMPIONS.