Staff

Alexander Kopelman
Co-founder, President & CEO

Alex is a writer, advocate, and social entrepreneur who has devoted thirty years to advancing social justice and personal empowerment. He has a special passion for supporting young people in overcoming the limiting effects of outmoded societal stereotypes on individual development. Alex brings a wealth of experience in youth development, having served as the Director of Marketing of Girls Inc., the premier girls’ empowerment organization in the US and Canada, for over twelve years.

Alex has authored and co-authored ten books and is a member of the Authors' Guild.

Mark LaRiviere
Co-founder & Chief Program Officer

Mark has been training teachers in the art of authenticity for over twenty years. In 1997 he developed the Creative Classrooms program to train and place working artists in inner-city parochial schools around New York City. Mark co-founded the Children’s Arts Guild in 2010 to help children develop their authentic selves through creativity education. As Chief Program Officer, Mark has created authenticity-based creativity programs for teachers, administrators, and parents across the country. When Mark isn’t in the classroom, he produces his own art and regularly shows his work in galleries and museums.

Sarah Krauss
Community Relations Manager

As an artist and an organizer, Sarah believes in the deeply transformative power of art, especially for children. A graduate of NYU Sarah has sung, danced, and acted her way and across the country.  Sarah joined the Guild in 2017 after working as a Correspondence Assistant on the Hillary Clinton campaign and as an organizer of the Women's March on Washington. Sarah considers the intersection of art and social change the cause of her life and is thrilled to be helping the Guild support children in growing into more intelligent, engaged, and productive people.

Monica Tinyo
Vice President, Growth and Operations

Monica brings to the Guild deep strategic and operational expertise from both the worlds of education and technology. Most recently, she co-founded Hudson Lab School Summer Pods—a camp-in-the-backyard experience centered around personalized experiential learning—where she served as curriculum lead. She also worked as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Prehype venture development firm.

Passionate about education, Monica has taught hundreds of children and adults, has served as a curriculum developer, and an occasional toy designer.