Who We are

We are a new one-day field trip service for children from underrepresented communities, on a mission to provide a unique experience of both surfing and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math).

The Drop In Coalition concept was created by Ben Rewis with direction from Nisha Atre Richardson. The co-founders are Ben, Nisha, Christopher Lochhead, David Redhill, Gil Spencer, Jordan Nollman, and Brent Brookler. The founding team is made of friends and family of Tushar with backgrounds in technology, marketing, finance, design, media and with experience in building successful companies and non profit organizations.

The Team

Ben Rewis

Executive Director of Drop In Coalition

Ben Rewis guides companies of all shapes and sizes on their digital transformations, helping them leverage data, cut costs and ultimately make a lot more money through the creation of significant technology-enabled businesses. In addition to business involvement with major companies, Ben has decades of wilderness and group leadership experience, taking part in numerous adventure expeditions around the world. Ben co-founded and is the Executive Director of the Drop In Coalition. He is an Advisory Board Member of the Save The Waves Coalition, and was honored in 2019 as a Royal Geographic Society Fellow. You can connect with Ben at BenRewis.com.

Nisha Atre Richardson

Director

Nisha Atre Richardson has worked in finance for 20 years as an investor and capital raiser. She has served on the Board of the North Star Fund, a 40+ year old foundation that supports grassroots, social justice organizations in New York. She is Tushar’s sister and feels lucky to be able to carry on his legacy with the Drop In Coalition.

Christopher Lochhead

Director

Christopher is a #1 Apple Podcaster and #1 Amazon author who has been an advisor to over 50 venture-backed startups, is a venture capital limited partner and a former three-time Silicon Valley public company CMO, entrepreneur and an original category designer.

Lochhead hosts the two award winning podcasts Follow Your Different” and “Lochhead on Marketing” and is co-author of two bestsellers: Niche Down and Play Bigger.

He has been called “one of the best minds in marketing” by The Marketing Journal, a “Human Exclamation Point” by Fast Company, a “quasar” by NBA legend Bill Walton and “Off-putting to some” by The Economist.

Farrell Evans

Director

Farrell Evans is an award-winning sports journalist and nonprofit founder who has written for the Oxford American, Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine and ESPN.COM. An avid golfer and runner, Farrell is a co-founder of two sports-based youth development organizations in New York City.

Jordan Nollman

CEO/Principal of Sprout Studios

Jordan Nollman is a Boston-born, award-winning designer who is inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of design. In his current capacity, Jordan is CEO/Principal of Sprout Studios and internal design incubator for Sprout Labs, which is responsible for five Start-Ups. He has designed products and experiences for many of the world’s top brands and design consultancies and is active in both the Boston and San Francisco design communities. He has also lectured on the power of design at Harvard Business School to CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Jordan holds a BFA in Industrial Design from Rochester Institute of Technology and his work can be found in numerous publications, ranging from Time Magazine to the Wall Street Journal.

David Redhill

Director

David Redhill has lived in the US, UK, Spain and Australia. Whether working as global CMO of the world’s biggest consulting business Deloitte, as head of marketing, brand or communications at Landor Associates, iXL, BEA Systems and PWC Europe, or navigating life as a journalist, producer, photographer and musician, David is driven by a passion for creative, positive and sustainable outcomes. He was named Australia’s Marketer of the Year by the Australian Marketing Institute, and was awarded two Cannes Lions as co-author of the Great Barrier Reef report The Value of Nature, amongst other awards. He sits on the advisory boards of start-up accelerator Ocean Impact Organization and UNSW Art and Design Faculty, and is happiest when with his family or in the water.

Brent Bookler

Director

Brent Brookler is a technical, product-focused entrepreneur with deep domain expertise in mobile and web applications, the mobile and web ecosystems and bringing innovative products and features to market. After years of building and managing some of the biggest branded apps on mobile, Brookler is now focused on FlowVella and AtreNet. At FlowVella, he is innovating sales enablement through presentation software and his company FlowVella. FlowVella is an interactive, sales and presentation software platform, with apps for the Mac, iPad and the web. At AtreNet, Brookler is leading strategy, business development and sales with it’s 24+ years of expertise designing and delivering B2B technology corporate web sites.

Gil Spencer

Director

Gil is a serial entrepreneur with a history of building and selling successful products and companies. He has a 35 year career based on bringing breakthrough products to market. As a technologist and founder, Gil has created and led world class teams that have delivered innovative products and services in enterprise and consumer markets.

Bridget Rigby

Director

Bridget is a learning innovator who creates and leads design-based learning programs that develop the next generation of creative thinkers and doers. She’s developed her passion and purpose through leadership roles at Galileo Learning, The Tech Museum of Innovation, Make:, and Lighthouse Charter School where she taught making, design thinking, and creative code. She loves leading people through design challenges that gear their mindsets towards creative problem solving, collaboration, and innovation for good. She’s always looking to drop into her favorite flow-generating experiences, from yoga and meditation to soccer, surfing, and creating with technology. She’s very motivated to support the Drop In participants as they find and unleash their inner flow!

Christina Fontanarosa

Director

Christina Fontanarosa is a 20 year educator. She has worked for the NYC DOE, NAIS schools, and in Higher Education as a teacher/administrator/counseling services. She has a BA in Early Child Education from Spelman College and MA in Applied Psychology and Counseling from NYU. Christina believes in supporting the whole child and empowering youth to direct their own path through educational experiences. She has served as board member for Rainbow Rumpus in support of LGBTQ students, a Registered Yoga teacher for KAVI, and a Child Development Trainer for the Children’s Defense Fund’s Freedom Schools along with CUNY. Currently Fontanarosa is the Performing Arts Dance and Yoga Instructor at the Ascend Charter Network and Director of Bohemian Woman Sorority Inc.