JENNIFER KENNETT

BOARD CHAIR

On her 12th year as a First Grade Teacher in Beacon, NY, Jennifer has contributed greatly to the Be A Friend Project since its inception in 2015. She was awarded a Certificate of Super Ambassador in 2018 after 4 seasons of consistently teaching her young students to practice empathy by contributing Friend Mail letters, recruiting her elementary school colleagues to participate and being a dependable member of the letter-review team. Jennifer is on her 3rd season of being a volunteer Coach for Girls On The Run, a program that promotes positive social, emotional, mental and physical development for girls in grades 3-5. Jennifer completed NYS Trainings for the Dignity for All Students Act and other anti-bullying programs, and has served on her school’s Arts & Ed Committee. The character of “Ms. Kennett” in “It’s Easy!” is affectionately named after this long-time supporter of the musical’s playwrights and founders of the Be A Friend Project for whom she is also a Zumba Instructor. As a Founding Director of the Board, Jen served her 2019-2020 term as Founding Secretary and has since been elected to the Office of Chair. We are excited to have Jennifer’s exceptional kindness, organizational skills and impassioned initiative at community partnerships at work for the mission of the Be A Friend Project.

AMY DUVER

BOARD SECRETARY

Chair of Special Events Committee

We first met Amy in 2017 when her son, Aidan, starred as JED TRAVIS in our Broadway World Award-winning production of "It's Easy!" and we have been enamored ever since! Amy was dubbed a Be A Friend Project SUPER Ambassador in 2018 for her on-going efforts to bring the show and Project to the local school district where she was President of the PTA. Her background spans from managing a large non-profit Foundation in NYC to being the Coach for school swim teams. Amy generously accepted a position as Chair of the Be A Friend Projects' national Special Events Committee in 2019, and the Office of Board Secretary in August of 2020. Amy INSPIRES and we are thrilled she is volunteering her time, heart and talent to the BAFP mission, and the kids & teens we serve.

LILLIAN DIAZ-WITHERS

BOARD DIRECTOR

An instrumental volunteer for the Be A Friend Project since 2017, Lily is the mom of our “It’s Easy!” professional cast member and On-Air Teen Ambassador, Brielle. From working show concessions, hosting “Friend Mail” parties and video shoots, recruiting Ambassadors and escorting Brielle to meetings, Lily has already been generously facilitating behind-the-scenes activity. In her professional life, Lily holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Development. She currently applies her exceptional knowledge, ethics and empathy as a High School Counselor since 2012 for the White Plains School District in New York and formerly 15 years as Middle School Counselor. In past years, Lily has served on the school district’s Crisis Team and collaborated closely with local agencies to help empower students. Fluent in Spanish, Lily also taught Bilingual Special Education for 4 years for the NYC Board of Education. We are honored and thrilled that Lily served the 1-year term from 2019-2020 as the Founding Chair of the Board for our anti-bullying, pro-empathy initiative for kids and teens, and today remains on the Board as a Director.

JENNIFER YOUNG

BOARD DIRECTOR / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jennifer is the Co-Founder and Co-President with January Akselrad of See The Wish, a ten-year partnership that created Mom's Choice, Parents' Choice and Benjamin Frankiln GOLD Award-winning educational chapter books, Dramaterials (tm) classroom plays that teach, school presentations and the production of full-length original musicals including the 8x Broadway World Award-winning "IT'S EASY! The Friend Strong Musical" for which she is Co-Playwright. The Be A Friend Project was developed in 2015 to carry off-stage the anti-bullying "speak up, reach out and be a friend message of "It's Easy!". Jennifer is now Executive Director of the new not-for-profit incorporated in 2019 that she has directed since its 2015 inception, and will also sit on the Board during this start-up time. For full BIO, see CO-FOUNDERS under the ABOUT US tab.

[email protected]

DR. VINCENT PUGLISI

HONORARY BOARD DIRECTOR

A Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist for three decades, Vinny is National Medical Director of Pediatrics for the Women’s & Children’s Division of Envision Physician Services where he oversees neonatal, intensive and emergency care for pediatrics in hospitals across the country. A brilliant and compassionate Physician with a lifetime of caring for children, Vinny is a perfect fit as the Treasurer overseeing a budget in support of children recovering from severe bullying and their K-12 Ambassadors. To quote a lyric from the musical that launched the Be A Friend Project, “drama is all about empathy” and it’s no coincidence that Vinny also paid the bills through the 80’s and 90’s as a film & TV extra, most ironically playing a doctor on a popular soap opera, and as a freelance model for billboard and print ads. He has an affinity for travel and experiencing different cultures. Vinny served his 2019-2020 Founding Board Director term in the Office of Treasurer and we are thrilled to bestow our first title of Honorary Board Director.