Meet Our Team

Who exactly is behind Giving Assistant? A fast-growing, diverse team obsessed with giving back! Giving Assistant was founded in 2014 by five human beings who wear their big ol' hearts on their sleeves with one single mission: to transform everyday shopping into charitable giving. We're a mission driven, for-profit, Certified B Corp company and we aim to have a positive social impact across the globe. Our team has grown tremendously over the years. Here are a few facts about our team that we're pretty proud about:

Combined, we have over 35 years of experience working at nonprofits.
14 of us have volunteered abroad or created a fundraiser for a nonprofit.
3 of us have worked at other B Corps.
We enjoy 2 company-wide volunteer days per year.
12 of us have pets. (Ziggy is Chief Belly-Rub Officer!)
100% of us use Giving Assistant to support a nonprofit.

I drove Coolio to one of his concerts

James Gray
Co-Founder | Chief Giver

I grew up next to an alligator farm in Southern Louisiana

Katie Horgan
Co-Founder | VP of Operations

I once jumped out of an airplane at 11,500 feet

Scott Everson
Co-Founder | VP of Engineering

Lauren Makiyevskiy

I used to attend circus school for flying trapeze.

Lauren Makiyevskiy
VP of Strategic Partnerships

I've lived in South, Central, and North America

Alejandro Escanes
Engineering Tech Lead

I was a competitve Irish Dancer for 8 years

Alison Edwards
Customer Happiness Manager

If I went to Hogwarts, I'd be in Gryffindor

Amanda Chun
Senior Social Impact Manager

I am allergic to the cold, really. It's a medical condition

Amanda Witt
Social Impact Manager

I flew in a hot air balloon in Turkey and it was amazing!

Ana Mercado
QA Engineer

I used to teach Latin and hip hop dance to youth in SF schools.

Andres Acosta
Director of Design

I was a semi-finalist on master chef.

Ashley North
Senior Marketing Strategist

I love to participate in team meetings by barking while everyone else claps!

Barney Everson
Chief Zoomies Officer

I love sourdough bread making ...the six pack can wait

Brandon Yu
Release Engineer

Carlos Domenech

I host a radio music show at kzsu.org

Carlos Domenech
Product Designer

I always have at least 8 different varieties of nut butters stocked in my pantry

Caroline Vivat
Business Development Manager

Daniel Talavera

I've attended San Diego Comic Con consecutively for the last 15 years.

Daniel Talavera
Email Marketing Strategist

I ran a trail-marathon of 3 days (37 miles)

Debora Suarez
QA Engineer

I was hit by a bus — and (happy to report) survived it.

Dudley Emmert
Senior Product Manager

Emiliano Zublena

I like to wake up before sunrise at least once a week

Emiliano Zublena
Engineering Tech Lead

Fernando Caamaño

I get dizzy reading on buses, but finished Steve Jobs' Bio on a trip.

Fernando Caamaño
Engineering Manager

Giovanni Scorzello

I play the guitar

Giovanni Scorzello
QA Engineer

I’ve stepped on over 3 nails and counting…

Greg Brice
Sales Engineer

I once owned 20+ bitcoin

Han Tan
Senior Software Engineer

Helmut Burchardt

I was stranded 3 months in Thailand because of the global pandemic!

Helmut Burchardt
Software Engineer

I can eat cheesesteak every day

Huseyin Yilmaz
Software Engineer

I have three Simpson's tattoos...for now...

Javier Tolj
Software Engineer

I was stung by a stingray on my birthday

Jenni Cassidy
Director of Brand Partnerships

I skiied 83 days in one ski season while living in Jackson, WY.

John McMahon
Director of Product

I love long flights, breakfast foods and Irish Whiskey.

Kait Rikkers
Sr. Director of Marketing & Growth

Katrina Chidambaram

I was an accessories designer for a brand called MissPlucky

Katrina Chidambaram
Affiliate Operations Specialist

I skied 5 days a week for a whole season!

Kaylee Feldt
Brand Partnerships Manager

I'm also a mechanic!

Kitt Mattison
Email Marketing Coordinator

I know how to weld

Leah Tichansky
Senior Account Manager

Signed up for a 350 mile charity bike ride in Zambia without owning a bike and finished it!

Luis Sanchez
Director of Engineering

I'm a hip hop dancer

Magalí Bejar
Product Manager, Brands

Marianella Orellana

I once won a Karaoke contest with “I Will Survive”

Marianella Orellana
Senior Executive Assistant/Office Manager

Mariano Altieri

Started studying medicine... Ended up building websites

Mariano Altieri
Engineering Tech Lead

Mariano Capielo

The first time I sang live was for 300 people at a company holiday party

Mariano Capielo
Engineering Manager

I used to play rugby

Mariano Gomez
Software Engineer

I am award-winning pie baker, with a pie crust recipe handed down from great-grandma Tweety.

Mariel Carroll
Product Designer, Nonprofits

I haven’t eaten anything with eyes for 10 years.

Marlene Wuest
Senior SEO Specialist

I was a mascot at Disneyland

Marlo Miller
People Operations Associate

I have lived in 4 countries and 15 cities

Marwa Muhammad
Senior Product Manager

I raise Guide Dog Puppies

Mary Hooke
Senior Director of Engineering

I dropped my phone from the top of Machu Picchu while taking a selfie

Matias Diez
QA Manager

I used to be a Salsa teacher and dancer

Mauro Gava
Software Engineer

Melissa Glidden

I’m embarrassingly bad at Scrabble

Melissa Glidden
Nonprofit Communications Manager

Melissa Leebove

I laugh in my sleep

Melissa Leebove
Product Marketing Manager

I was a nationally published poet at age 11

Michael Keller
Product Manager, Nonprofits

Jake Gyllenhaal once met me

Mike Biller
Senior Brand Partnerships Manager

I have an actor credit on IMDB

Mike Shallop
Software Engineer

Mitchell Laferla

I live in Seattle, WA but will spend the majority of my winter this year at my apartment in SLC, Utah for ski season!

Mitchell Laferla
Data Analyst

I swam with dolphins in the wild in Hawaii!

Monica Ku
Director of Ad Operations

I have a dog, a grumpy cat, and a baby, and they all love each other. Emphasis on grumpy!

Mursil Makhani
Director of Data

I won a chess tournament without having played before, ever

Nestor Britez
Engineering Tech Lead

I spent an entire day watching soccer

Nicolas Tudela
Software Engineer

I used to work in an air traffic control tower

Niklas Vaughan
Technical Project Manager

I love to going to comedies shows, especially at the Cobb’s Comedy Club!

Nina Pham
People Operations Associate

Nivetha Sivaprakasam

I have a fear of flying and heights

Nivetha Sivaprakasam
BI Engineer

Everything makes me laugh. I normally laugh in inappropriate moments. hahah

Pablo Nuñez
Software Engineer

I have the same birthday as Notorious B.I.G.

Raquel Romero
Director of People Operations

I’ve been a working drummer for the last 20+ years.

Sage Baggott
Engineering Tech Lead

I used to manage heavy machinery installations in various automotive plants

Sam Hastings
Engineering Tech Lead

I'm a terrible singer but I do it with attitude to compensate

Santiago Diaz
QA Engineer

Stephanie Zandecki

I'm a certified yoga instructor

Stephanie Zandecki
Senior SEO Specialist

I have a bunny named Waffles

Teresa Galido
Performance Marketing Manager

I eat chipotle at least once a week

Terrance Lee
Ad Operations Specialist

I grow and roast my own coffee!

Tom Herbert
Engineering Manager

I have spots on my tongue.

Ziggy Romero
Chief Belly Rub Officer