October Premier: Supporting Youth through Inclusive and Equitable Mentoring Programs

With over 10 years of experience in the education field, Bobbi brings a passion for helping individuals, bridging community gaps, and programming with an equity-focused lens in her current field of local government. In addition to her career endeavors, Bobbi is also a loving wife, mother of two, and an accomplished inspirational singer/songwriter. 

I'm Zion Cash, recent graduate from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2021. I am coming up on my second year as a Community Center Director here with the City of Burlington. I also officiate college football and high school basketball. I enjoy spending time with family / friends, playing video games, working out, and buying sneakers!

Olivia Peterson (she/her) serves as a Program Manager at NRPA for the Mentoring for Youth Impacted by Substance Misuse grant, which supports 20 agencies around the country in developing mentoring programs within a parks and recreation setting. Olivia began her career as an AmeriCorps member working with youth in Massachusetts on food access and farming initiatives and has since spent time working at a volunteer mobilizing organization in Boston and the National Association of Community Health Centers supporting their training and technical assistance program. Olivia earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Dickinson College and completed her Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute. She lives in Washington D.C. and enjoys hiking, going on runs, and trying out new recipes.

Tiff Cunin (they/them) is the Senior Education Manager for DEI at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) where they oversee diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional development and education programs like NRPA’s Equity in Practice Certificate Program. Using their extensive background in physical activity, public health and translational research, Tiff weaves recreation, physical activity and play together to transform public health’s commitment to social justice and the elimination of health equities. 

Tiff is also a Ph.D. candidate at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences where they are exploring the intersection of race, age, and transgender identity in the context of social participation (e.g., recreational activities) across the lifespan. 
Tiff is an avid outdoor enthusiast who loves to surf, snowboard, hike, camp, and more. They have lived all over the world and currently call Cape Elizabeth, Maine home where they live with their partner and 2 cat children, Hobie and Sprinkles.