Co-Founder, Young Philanthropist
Isabella Jones
Isabella Jones is currently 23 years old and recently received her B.A. in Strategic & Corporate Communication from Chapman University. Growing up in Orange County, CA, she was raised alongside her brother Connor by her parents Kevin Jones and Marianne Dinicola, who served as incredible role models and shining examples of altruism every single day. She is passionate about giving back and hopes to pass on the lessons her parents taught her about love and generosity to as many others as she can. In her free time, she enjoys live music, traveling, and picking up new hobbies/interests every other week.
Co-Founder, Young Philanthropist
Connor Jones
Connor Jones is a 20-year-old sophomore currently attending the beautiful college that is the University of San Diego to study Computer Science. He grew up with his fantastic family including his mother, Marianne Dinicola, his sister, Isabella Jones, and of course his amazing father, Kevin Jones. They were fantastic role models, and he feels he has truly learned a lot through their countless successes and failures. He loves nothing more than to be with friends, whether it be in person or online, even if they only do the most mundane thing. One thing his parents taught him is that it’s not about what you’re doing, it’s about who you’re with. And with the people at Sweet Geeks, he hopes he will be able to give back even a fraction of happiness to the world he loves so much and to the people that make that possible.
Executive Director
Theresa Gartland
The day-to-day operations of the foundation are led by Theresa Gartland. Theresa Gartland is a social responsibility and community relations expert with over 18 years of working in the Watts community. A native of the Washington D.C. area, and graduate of Villanova University, Theresa Gartland moved to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University where she received a master's degree in Elementary Education. Theresa has a passion for working in communities with the greatest need for educators. She has taught in a parochial grade school in South Los Angeles, worked at Verbum Dei High School and was Program and Curriculum Director of a nonprofit in Watts. Theresa also served as Executive Director for Urban Compass before joining Operation Progress. She served as Executive Director of Operation Progress for eight years, leading the organization from infancy to a strong sustainable organization. Theresa brings a solid foundation in education through her hands-on classroom experience, in-depth understanding of curriculum development.
Board of Directors
Joe Potenza, Board Chair, President & CEO, Evisions
Isabella Jones, Secretary, Young Philanthropist, Chapman University
Connor Jones, Young Philanthropist, University of San Diego
Cory Bengtzen, CEO, SkyShare
Scott Duvall, Treasurer, Director, Founder & President, Residential Capital
Kiwan Cato-Fox, Deputy Director, The AMAAD Institute
David Price, External Affairs Manager, McCourt Partners
Julisa Chavez, Nonprofit Professional & Event Planner.
