Executive Team

Artis Stevens
President and Chief Executive Officer

Tim Midkiff
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Adam Vasallo
Chief Marketing Officer

Alison Avera
Chief Agency Officer

Deborah Barge
Chief Development Officer

Dvon Williams
Chief Communications Officer

Julie Novak
Chief Youth Protection Officer

Tawanna Myers
Chief People & Culture Officer

Travis Gibson
Chief Technology Officer

Ginneh Baugh
Chief Impact Officer

Board of Directors

The role of the BBBSA Board of Directors is to support and govern the National Office of BBBSA, which helps the 240 agencies as they mentor youth in every state across the country.

Michael Carrel, Board Chairman
President & CEO
AtriCure

Tony Coles, Board Vice Chairman
Division President, iHeartMedia
President, Black Information Network

Rudy Baldoni, Internal Affairs Committee Chair
Chairman & CEO
Newport Investment Associates

Leonard Bernstein, Board Secretary
Partner & Chair, Financial Services Regulatory Group
Holland & Knight LLP

Emily Chen Carrera, Board Governance & Nominating Committee Chair
Private Wealth Real Estate Specialist & Chief of Research
Olshan Realty Inc.

Dave Clark, External Affairs Committee Chair
Former EVP & General Manager
FreeWheel, a Comcast Company

Floyd Ferjuste, Audit Committee Chair
Vice President, Sales
PepsiCo

Makola Abdullah, Ph.D.
President
Virginia State University

Jana Brown
EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer
Centurion Health

Betsy Burdick
Founder and President
Momentors, Inc.

Suzy DePrizio
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Centene Corporation

Ryan Detert
CEO
Influential

Tim Ellis
EVP and Chief Marketing Officer
National Football League

Michael E. Kassan
Founder, Chairman & CEO
MediaLink

Cheslie Kryst
Extra TV Correspondent, Attorney & Miss USA 2019
In Memoriam

Tom O'Brien
Managing Partner
Fleming Construction Group

Nicole Peterson
Vice President, Global Planning & Analysis
United Parcel Service

Kathy Shields
Founder and Chairperson
Jack and Kathy Family Foundation

Artis Stevens
President & CEO
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Artis Stevens

President and Chief Executive Officer 

As the President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Artis Stevens takes the helm of the organization at one of the most critical moments for our nation’s youth. Artis grew up the youngest in a large family with modest resources but rich in positive relationships that inspired his potential. The son and grandson of preachers, he often shares, rather than going into ministry, his calling for the past 25 years has focused on youth development and empowering young people.

As the first Black CEO in BBBSA’s 100+ year history, he is inspired by the many leaders who blazed a trail before him and sees this historic announcement as fuel for more barriers to be broken. His hard work and drive led him to become an award-winning non-profit marketing leader with a passion for building purpose-driven brands, boards, and teams. He brings unique experience having led large-scale teams, affiliate systems and transformational outcomes across nationwide youth programs, fundraising, marketing, and initiatives focusing on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). 

Highly skilled in developing innovative marketing and fundraising strategies at the grassroots and national levels, Artis has produced compelling purpose and cause-marketing partnerships with more than 50 iconic and global brands generating hundreds of millions in revenue and media to support kids.

A proven visionary leader, his experience in marketing strategy, partnership and celebrity engagement, digital transformation and board management provides a diverse mix of expertise positioning Artis as a sought-after speaker on revitalizing nonprofit brands, infusing brand culture, and converting marketing to engagement. 

Before joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Artis served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for National 4-H Council, leading the national marketing and communications efforts driving the organization's positioning, brand strategy, marketing campaigns, communications, digital presence, consumer insights, and affiliate marketing. His leadership doubled fundraising for 4-H and led to the recruitment of one million alumni.  He was named American Marketing Association Foundation's (AMAF) 2018 National Nonprofit Marketer of the Year, the highest honor bestowed to nonprofit marketing professionals, for his leadership in revitalizing 4-H's 100-year-old brand image. Prior to 4-H, he served as National Vice President, Marketing, Strategy & Operations at Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) where his most notable accomplishment was spearheading BGCA's new tagline and most impactful brand awareness campaign launch to date– Great Futures Start Here. 

Artis says his most remarkable achievement is being voted World’s Best Dad annually for more than a decade by his wife, Dr. Erica Stevens and his two girls. 

Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Tim Midkiff

Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Tim Midkiff joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as controller in December 2013. In September 2014, he assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Tim oversees Information Technology, Grant Compliance and Quality Assurance, Payroll, Internal Audit, Annual Audit, Building Maintenance, and BBBSA Foundation.

Tim previously served as the controller for American Lung Association of the Plains-Gulf Region. While at American Lung Association he lead in consecutive years of successful annual federal audits, managed grants from varying federal agencies as well as lead in several mergers.

Prior to joining American Lung Association, Tim served as the controller for Family Gateway. Tim comes from a background of business ownership where he successfully led the company from start-up to expansion to multiple locations.

Tim received a Bachelor Degree from Baylor University and Masters of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Dallas.

Adam Vasallo

Chief Marketing Officer

Adam Vasallo is the Chief Marketing Officer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Adam joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in January 2018 and leads the marketing department in generating awareness for the Big Brothers Big Sisters mission, inspiring volunteerism, and bringing the organization’s brand and commitment to youth equity and empowerment to life on national stages, through strategic partnerships and in communities nationwide.

Prior to joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Adam spent 11 years at HSN, where he held several senior level development and marketing roles including Director of New Business Development and Entertainment Marketing. In that role, Adam cultivated and grew multi-year corporate partnerships by driving customer engagement, generating incremental revenue, and acquiring new customers through storytelling, unique experiences, and multichannel marketing programs anchored in content.

Adam is a 2-time Big Brother and is currently matched with his Little Brother Giovanni. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University.

Adam and his wife, Robyn, are the proud parents to three children, Addison, Zachary and Sophie.

Deborah Barge

Chief Development Officer

Deborah Barge, CFRE is the Chief Development Officer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. She joined the organization in 2021 and is responsible for leading and cultivating the implementation of a new, diversified, expanded fundraising strategy for the National Office and work in partnership with the Network on a federated-wide fundraising strategy. Deborah has extensive experience leading purpose-driven multi-affiliate organizations, directing national fundraising, field development and revenue strategy for worthy charitable causes across the nation, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and the March of Dimes, raising more than $1 billion for philanthropic causes. In her most recent role as the Senior VP, Chief Operating & Field Officer at MDA, Deborah led fundraising programming, CRM implementation, field activation, events and donor stewardship to maximize growth and create optimized business & philanthropy operations. As a servant-leader, Deborah strives to maintain an environment that promotes continuous learning and innovation to drive data-informed, donor-centric revenue development success to fuel the mission. She lives in the Greater Seattle area with her two children and husband.

Dvon Williams

Chief Communications Officer

Williams brings over 15 years of experience in public relations, media, strategic brand positioning, thought leadership and executive visibility to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) as Chief Communications Officer (CCO). She leads the development and execution of an integrated communications strategy that successfully reinforce BBBSA’s brand strategy and mission to make a lasting impact on the lives of young people through mentorship. 

As CCO, Dvon leads internal communications, bolstering network-wide communications to and with agencies for more message consistency and impact. She also spearheads external communications efforts, developing messaging and elevating BBBSA’s voice to thread a formal strategy for thought leadership positioning of the organization; as well as amplifying executive and board visibility to drive relevance with key stakeholders. 

Prior to joining BBBSA, Williams spent over a decade of her career building brand awareness and affinity for some of the top national non-profit brands in the country. She previously served as Senior Director, PR and Celebrity Relations at National 4-H Council where she established a dedicated PR and influencer relations team managing media and talent relations as well as reputation management and positioning. Her leadership advanced the brand’s visibility into mainstream media and expanded its network of spokespeople to include diverse and representative voices for the long-standing organization.

Williams also held positions at Boys & Girls Clubs of America where she led the development and execution of BGCA’s Back-to-School campaign resulting in significant media visibility and increased cause marketing efforts that continue today. Her experience with these organizations as well as with Edelman PR have won industry recognition from MarCom Awards, Public Relations Society of America, and Fast Company.

Julie Novak

Chief Youth Protection Officer

Julie Novak joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in 2004. As Vice President of Youth Protection, she serves as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s leading expert and national spokesperson on matters related to child safety and youth protection. She leads the nationwide advancement of effective child abuse prevention and crisis response strategies throughout Big Brothers Big Sisters’ network, working collaboratively with other national experts from organizations that include: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, The Crimes Against Children Research Center, Centers for Disease Control, The Nonprofit Risk Management Center, and local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities.

Julie develops and provides statewide and national training and consultation on child abuse prevention, violence prevention, and crisis management. Thousands of professionals across Big Brothers Big Sisters’ network and other community-based youth-serving organizations have attended her trainings. She’s served as a member of the National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation; United States Olympic Committee’s Safe Sport Working Group; Vice President Biden’s Gun Violence Task Force; LexisNexis/First Advantage’s Customer Advisory Board; and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Safe to Compete Working Group.

Julie has participated in hundreds of hours of professional training in the prevention of child abuse, exploitation, violence prevention, and risk management through: Chadwick Center – San Diego Children’s Hospital; Prevent Child Abuse America; the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; the National Child Advocacy Center; the National Child Protection Training Center; the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention; the Nonprofit Risk Management Center; Crimes Against Children Research Center; and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Prior to starting to work for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Julie served as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin for 11 years. At BBBS of Northwestern Wisconsin, she secured and administered collaborative local, statewide, and federal violence prevention initiatives while expanding the organization’s service to children by over 400%. She also served as a grant reviewer for the Wisconsin State Department of Justice, an Executive Committee Member of the Eau Claire YMCA, President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Wisconsin, helped found the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley, and served as Nationwide Leadership Council Vice Chair, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. After graduating from the University of Iowa she served for three years as a sexual assault and domestic violence victims’ advocate. She resides in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Tawanna Myers

Chief People & Culture Officer

Tawanna Myers joined the organization in early 2022 to develop and lead human resources strategy, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) and culture initiatives across the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America employee life cycle, including talent acquisition, onboarding, employee engagement, employee relations, talent development, executive coaching, as well as change management and organizational culture. She brings over 18 years of expertise across HR, DEI, and change management, most recently as VP, Talent Management, DEI for Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national office.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Norfolk State University and received certifications from Cornell University for Diversity & Inclusion, the former American Institute for Advancing Diversity’s Diversity Leadership Academy under Dr. Roosevelt Thomas, Prosci^© as a Certified Change Practitioner, Korn Ferry^© in Leadership Architect Global Competency Framework, and the Human Capital Institute© as a Talent Acquisition Strategist. Myers is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Travis Gibson

Chief Technology Officer

Travis is a senior technology leader and corporate strategist with expertise in a diverse range of technologies across multiple industry settings. He has served as the CIO and CISO advisor for organization’s including LVMH, DeBeers Diamond Jewelers, Cox Automotive, Michael Kors, Council of School Supervisors (NYC), Vera Wang, and others. During his early career as an IT engineer he worked for Amazon, Choice Hotels International, and a wide medical network in Arizona. Prior to joining BBBSA, Travis was the Head of Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, and IT Operations for Make-A-Wish America, with responsibility for developing and maintaining the enterprise cybersecurity program, the enterprise IT infrastructure, application support, and IT operations for over 10,000 employees and volunteers in the U.S. and territories. Additionally, as the IT and Cybersecurity Advisor of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Travis plays a key role in identifying high school curriculum to support youth career development in technology. He is a member of the Information Systems and Control Association and holds several industry professional certifications in Technology, Cybersecurity and Business.

Ginneh Baugh

Chief Impact Officer

Ginneh Baugh is a strategist, innovator and data storyteller working to strengthen pathways to opportunity for Black and Brown families across the United States. In her current role as Vice President of Impact and Innovation at Purpose Built Communities, Ginneh leads the organization’s efforts to become more impact focused. In this role she is responsible for helping  the national network of neighborhood revitalization initiatives to know, show and grow their impact. Her work focuses on strengthening the capacity of leaders, cultivating strong institutional partnerships, strategically incorporating innovations and telling meaningful stories of progress anchored in data.

Ginneh has more than twenty years in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors leading evaluation and data storytelling projects. Previously, Ginneh served as Vice President for Strategic Impact at United Way of Greater Atlanta where she was a driving force behind the development of the Child Well-being Index and helping the organization use data as a catalyst for strategic investments and increasing volunteer and donor engagement. She led internal efforts to activate volunteers and executive leaders around Child Well-Being and was a critical catalyst in garnering more impact-focused donors.

Ginneh has trained and provided strategic guidance to thousands of health and human service nonprofits over the years on program planning, evaluation and results based accountability. She is a skilled storyteller and has partnered with several leaders to tell more data-driven stories that inspire and activate stakeholders.

Ginneh has also previously worked as the Senior Evaluation Associate for United Way of Central Maryland, in Baltimore, MD. In Baltimore, she led the Outcomes Measurement Initiative, which included developing programs to better monitor grants, and training agencies to improve evaluation processes.

Ginneh holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from The Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree from The University of Georgia.  In addition to working in the United Way system, Ginneh has worked for U.S. Senator Max Cleland and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  She brings an extensive knowledge of nonprofits and creative evaluation techniques.

Ginneh is married to her incredibly talented and supportive husband, Richard Baugh Jr.  They have been blessed with four amazing and talkative children Richard III, Turner, Michael, and Laila. Ginneh is a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Decatur, GA, and an active "football mom." When she gets a spare moment, Ginneh enjoys baking, sewing and watching crime shows.