Greg Zaff
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
g.zaff@squashbusters.org
617-373-7375

Greg returns to SquashBusters after four years leading urban squash on the national level as Executive Director of the National Urban Squash and Education Association (NUSEA), an organization created to oversee the development and growth of urban squash around the country.

Greg played squash at Williams College from 1980-84 and competed as a professional on the World Pro Squash Association's tour from 1985-1992, reaching a career high of #2 in North America. When he retired from professional athletics and entered the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, Greg's dream of an after-school squash program for urban youth began to take shape when he wrote a paper called "Bringing Squash Down from the Ivory Tower: Starting an Urban Squash and Education Youth Program".

Greg launched SquashBusters in the spring of 1996 with the mission of using squash, in tandem with academic enrichment and community service, to improve the lives of Boston students. Each after-school session ran for three hours: two hours of academics and one hour of squash, three days a week. The kids participated in monthly community service projects, traveled to squash tournaments and participated in outings such as sailing trips and visits to Broadway shows. For the first several years, SquashBusters operated on borrowed courts and classroom space at Boston YMCA, Harvard Club, and Harvard University. Then, in 2003, SquashBusters took a giant step forward by completing the construction of its own youth center, developed in close partnership with Northeastern University. The Center ensured SquashBusters' very long-term viability and allowed the program to significantly increase the number of students it served to 110.

Greg's success with SquashBusters in Boston catalyzed national excitement and investment for urban squash all across the country. SquashBusters stands today as the flagship program of an 11-program urban squash movement that serves more than 1000 elementary, middle, high school and college students in Harlem, the Bronx, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Haven, Baltimore, Denver, San Diego and Detroit. The success of SquashBusters and other programs has demonstrated that persistence, discipline, and sportsmanship can be more than just a recipe for squash success; they can be a vehicle for remarkable change in kids' lives.

Chris Lynch
Chief Operating Officer
cb.lynch@squashbusters.org
617-373-5041

Chris returns to SquashBusters as Chief Operating Officer, having spent 10 years away from the program working with other sports-based youth development programs. Most recently, he directed the Boston Youth Sports Initiative (BYSI), a network-building effort that increased the quality, scale, and sustainability of all urban youth sports programs in the city of Boston. Chris also sits on the board of Up2Us, a national coalition of sports-based youth development programs and previously worked in direct youth service both at MetroLacrosse and SquashBusters.

Chris was an elementary and middle school teacher and coach for over 10 years before becoming involved in urban youth sports. In addition to working with and coaching SquashBusters kids, Chris also coaches his own son and daughter in lacrosse and ice hockey. He has a B.A. from Bates College and a M.Ed. from Lesley University.

Program Staff

Becky Nyce
Program Director
b.nyce@squashbusters.org
617-373-7374

Becky has worked in the fields of youth development and education as a teacher, coach, and out-of-school-time program director. Becky earned her B.A. in Hispanic Studies and CT state teaching certification from Connecticut College. She taught middle school Spanish and coached high school field hockey in Connecticut before moving to Boston in 2003 to pursue her interest in urban youth development programs.

Since then, Becky has directed programs at MetroLacrosse, a lacrosse-based urban youth development program, and Roca, a relationship-based intervention model designed to move very high-risk young people out of violence and poverty.

Becky has a M.Ed. from Harvard University where she studied adaptive leadership, school-family-community partnerships, and the impact of race and class on students' educational opportunities, among other topics.

With her passion for social justice and her enjoyment of working with young people, Becky will help ensure that SquashBusters participants have the opportunities and support they need to recognize and reach their full potential.

Omar Corona
Part-Time Squash Coach
o.corona@squashbusters.org
781-913-0471

Omar is a Team 2 SquashBusters alum and is proud to return to the courts. Born in Boston and raised in Cambridge, Omar joined SquashBusters in sixth grade while attending the Harrington School. After graduating and leaving the high school SquashBusters team, Omar enlisted as an infantryman in the Massachusetts National Guard. Shortly after completing his training in Georgia, he was sent to New Orleans to help with Hurricane Katrina relief. Omar then joined the active component and deployed to numerous locations, including Kosovo and Afghanistan. During his deployments, he experienced the true meaning and importance of education with every child he encountered. Upon his return to the States, he continued his education in history and elementary education, which lead him to a study-abroad opportunity in Venice, Italy.

Omar is currently enrolled at UMass Boston and has settled home in Cambridge. Motivated, inspired and energized to be back with a staff and program that created many happy memories, Omar is truly excited to experience SquashBusters at a whole new level.

Monete Johnson
SquashBusters Leadership Fellow
mo.johnson@squashbusters.org
617-373-7368

Monete, a SquashBusters alumna (Team 4), is thrilled about her return to the program after four years away. A recent graduate of Trinity College (CT), Monete earned her B.A. in Sociology and Economics. While at Trinity, Monete spent her summers and free time working with various youth-enrichment programs, including Upward Bound, Let's Get Ready, and the BeSAFE program. Monete is excited to work at SquashBusters and to provide students with the same support she received as a SquashBusters player.

Dan Karlin
Squash Coordinator
d.karlin@squashbusters.org
617-373-7369

After volunteering and working for the SquashBusters summer camp in 2007 and 2008, Dan joined the program staff as Team 7 coach. Previously, he studied economics and played four years of squash at Tufts University, and worked at a resort in Montana. He enjoys working with SquashBusters students on court and in the classroom, while they help him expand his vocabulary and taste in music.

Jennifer Lillis
Academic & Community Service Coordinator
j.lillis@squashbusters.org
617-373-5086

Although she grew up in Florida, Jenn attended the University of Michigan and received her degree in political science. She taught environmental education in New England, California, and the Bahamas before returning to school and getting her master's degree in special education. Since then, she's taught in New York City, Monteverde Costa Rica, and Oaxaca, Mexico. Jenn has worked with students from elementary school through high school, and focused on helping struggling students with reading, writing, and math.

Jenn loves teaching and is very excited to be in Boston and to be joining the SquashBusters team. She's also excited to be learning squash and hopes the SquashBusters students will help her improve.

José Rivera
SquashBusters Leadership Fellow
j.rivera@squashbusters.org
617-373-7371

An alumnus from Team 4, José joins the SquashBusters staff eight years after graduating as a player from SquashBusters. Born in Boston and raised in Cambridge, José joined the program in the 7th grade while attending the Harrington School. He then attended Berkshire School and graduated from Bates College with a B.A. in Psychology. While at Bates, José worked with local Somali youth in hopes of building stronger connections between the local community and Bates College. He studied abroad in Russia and completed summer internships in Kenya and Tanzania; these experiences reinforced his belief that all children deserve access to education and highlighted for him the importance of helping youth find their path to success. José's experiences working with youth also include working at SquashBusters summer camps, working at the Tabor Academy Summer Program, and most recently, working at The Food Project. He is excited to be part of the program as it has been like a second family to him.

Emily Royce
Academic & Community Service Coordinator
e.royce@ squashbusters.org
617-373-5041

Emily was born and raised in Michigan, but attended college at Smith in Northampton, Massachusetts. There she majored in Education and received her certification to teach middle school humanities. After school, Emily moved to Georgia to work with an outdoor therapeutic program for adjudicated youth. She served two years as a counselor and a third as a supervisor. After traveling through Mexico and Central America for eight months, Emily came to Boston to work with SquashBusters as an Academic and Community Service Coordinator

Administrative Staff

Julia Morgan
Director of School Placement and Support
j.morgan@squashbusters.org
617-373-7372

Julia received her B.A. in French and art history from Connecticut College and was co-captain of the squash team. She earned her Masters in Literature from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) and played squash for the university's team as well. After many years as a boarding school French teacher, coach, dorm parent and admission officer at Millbrook School, Julia returned home to Boston in the hopes of using her background in education and sports to work with urban students. She originally began her association with SquashBusters as a squash volunteer but now joins the team as the Director of School Placement and Support.

Dominique Farinaux-Dumas
Managing Director
d.farinaux-dumas@ squashbusters.org
617-373-5426

Hailing from Belgium, Dominique attended Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels and majored in Computer Science and Human Science. Later, she moved to the United States and earned her MS in Business Administration at Colorado State. Integrating her interests in both computers and people, Dominique worked for various technology companies, rising to the position of Software Development Manager at Oracle.

As a life-long squash player, active member of the Massachusetts Squash Association, and fan of kids, she volunteered at SquashBusters and fell in love with the program. Consequently, when she felt a need for change in her life, Dominique left the corporate world and now applies her administrative expertise at SquashBusters.

Sarah Lemaire
Office Manager
s.lemaire@squashbusters.org
617-373-7782

Sarah joins SquashBusters after many years working in technical communications. A former SquashBusters volunteer, Sarah learned to play squash at Wellesley College, where she received a B.A. in Math and Sociology. She picked up the game again in the early 1990s at the Concord-Acton Squash Club. She is active in the Massachusetts squash community, chairing the Women's 2.5 league and playing for the Concord-Acton team, and organizing Boston-area players for the Howe Cup each fall. Sarah hopes to use her organizational and communications skills to help SquashBusters grow and evolve over the upcoming years.