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George Polsky
Founder & Executive Director
George received a BA in Spanish literature from Harvard University, where he was a co-captain of the 3-time national champion varsity squash team and earned All-Ivy and All-American titles. After his 1992 graduation, George spent 4 years teaching Spanish in Seattle middle and high schools. He also played squash for the U.S. team in the 1997 Maccabiah games. George obtained a MA in 1999 from the NYU School of Social Work and is a certified social worker in the state of New York.

Leah Brown
Program Director
Leah received a BA in psychology and sociology from Wesleyan University in 1997 and a MA in student personnel (higher education) administration from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1998. She has extensive experience tutoring students at all levels from elementary through college, and has worked developing educational programs and curriculum for non-profit organizations.

Sage Ramadge
Director of Strategic Development
Sage graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1999 with a BA in International Relations. He was a volunteer squash coach and tutor before joining the staff as Academic Director in 2002, and also served as Program Director. Prior to StreetSquash, Sage was a Project Manager at a Chicago-based web development company. In addition to squash, Sage played club rugby for 5 years with the Chicago Lions and Old Blue New York, and plays soccer on the Lower East Side. Sage is a member of Coro Leadership New York XX.

Mary Cipollone
Director of College Prep Programs
Mary Cipollone graduated from Dartmouth College in 2002. Upon graduation she earned a fellowship that enabled her to spend a year developing an educational program for former street children in Nicaragua. From 2003-05, she worked at StreetSquash for 2 years as the Director of the Literacy Program before moving to Quito, Ecuador where she worked with a non-profit public policy organization, and taught math at a local high school.

Sheena Loughlin
Alumni Outreach Director
Sheena graduated from Manhattanville College in 2006 with a BA in history and received her MA in international education from New York University. While a graduate student at NYU Sheena focused her research on the role education plays in social change and economic development. She also interned at Amnesty International, where she helped develop curriculum guides for the Human Rights Education program. Prior to joining StreetSquash, she spent two years as the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) Counselor for Siena College.

Sareen Pearl
Director of Academics, Teams 1, 4 & 7
Sareen graduated from Boston University in 2006 with a BA in international relations, and has a MA in education in risk and prevention from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. At BU, Sareen volunteered as a tutor and literacy coach with Tenacity, an academics and tennis program. She also interned with Peace Games, where she taught violence prevention and life skills education. Sareen is committed to social-emotional learning and improving academic experiences for urban students.

Ryan McGinley-Stempel
Director of Squash, Teams 1, 4 & 7
Ryan graduated from Vassar College in 2008 with a BA in political science and economics. After first encountering squash during his Freshman year, Ryan played with the varsity team for four years and served as co-captain during his senior year. While at Vassar, he interned with the Economics Department, researching the representation of high-ability, low-income students at institutions of higher education. He also volunteered with KidzSquash in Poughkeepsie.

Laura Lindstrom, MSW
Director of Academics, Teams 2 & 3
Laura graduated from Hunter College School of Social Work with a MSW. She completed her BS in social work in 2006 at New York University. Prior to working at StreetSquash, Laura was a Community Organizing intern at Girls for Gender Equity, working on Title IX issues in Brooklyn public schools. She was also an America Reads tutor for four years. Laura is committed to making New York City’s Public Schools a better place for children to learn and thrive.

Tony Maruca
Squash Director, Teams 2 & 3
Tony graduated from Williams College in 2008 with a BA in studio art and economics. During his senior season, he served as co-captain of a squad of over-achievers that finished 7th nationally. Additionally, he was an Academic All-American and a member of the “All-Sportsmanship” team for his conference. He built his coaching experience over several summers at college squash camps and working with kids from the Williamstown, MA area.

Jade Elias
Academic Director, Teams 5 & 6
Jade graduated from Baruch College in 2006 with a BA in political science. While at Baruch, she worked at the Regional Plan Association researching issues relevant to urban planning and compiling digital maps. She also interned at Doctors without Borders. In 2006-07, she worked at City Year, an Americorps program, where she wrote curricula for their Harlem-based, middle school service-learning program. The following year Jade headed the implementation of the same program.

Katie Siegel
Squash Director Teams 5 & 6
Katie graduated from Vassar College in 2006 with a BA in Africana studies and political science. While at Vassar, Katie was a member of the women’s squash team, and volunteered with KidzSquash, Poughkeepsie’s urban squash program. A New York City Teaching Fellow, Katie taught elementary school in Brownsville, Brooklyn for two years and has a MA in education from Brooklyn College. In 2007-08 she was also a volunteer squash coach at StreetSquash.

Susie Lewis
Director of Operations
Susie received her BA in Political Science and French from Wellesley College in 1990 and then headed to Prague where she taught English for a year. Before moving to New York City in February 2000, she worked as a Broadcast Producer and Business Affairs Manager for various advertising agencies in Atlanta and Boston.