Kickforhope does not have paid staff members. The following team members work year-round to contribute to the success of kickforhope by graciously donating their time and talents. We are also thankful for the hundreds of event volunteers who help make kickforhope possible.
Kristen Chandler, Co-founder & President 
Growing up in Venezuela, Kristen is no stranger to the plights of the under-resourced. With three children, Kristen has been involved in both AYSO and competitive soccer. She was inspired to start kickforhope after her oldest son's mission trip to Africa in 2008. Having been in the advertising business for more than 17 years, Kristen is the creative and marketing force behind kickforhope and loves using her gifts to help those in need.
Abel Martinez, Co-founder & Tournament Director
Abel, a loan officer for California Bank & Trust, is a native of Peru. Soccer has always been a big part of Abel's life. Since playing soccer in college, he has stayed in the game by coaching competitive soccer in San Diego and playing in adult leagues. Abel committed to the vision and success of kickforhope after seeing a video of African women collecting water from the same pond cows were drinking from. Abel is relentless in his pursuit of teams-because without teams there is no tournament!
Andy Blank, Vice President
Andy is the owner of Ping IT, Inc., an IT consulting company in San Diego. He is also head of a ministry that provides resources to a village in Haiti and travels to Haiti often. Having played, coached and refereed soccer on many levels - Andy enjoys many facets of the game. Andy's wife and son have spent time in Africa which motivated the involvement in a valuable organization like kickforhope. Andy coordinates our efforts with referees, manages our communications, and pitches in anywhere he's asked!
Open Treasurer
Mary Lightcap, Secretary
Mary has been a soccer mom since her oldest child (now in college) could kick a ball. She also works full-time at Qualcomm. Mary was the tournament director for the first kickforhope tournament in 2009. She continues to keep us running smoothly with her organizational and managerial skills.
Heather Locke, Field Director
Heather is an artist and a sales representative for Acholi Beads. A mother of two soccer players and an avid volunteer, working with kickforhope has allowed her to combine her passion for children, global awareness and soccer into one amazing charity. Heather works tirelessly to secure fields, sponsors, and whatever else she can to promote the success of kickforhope. Heather believes in the adage, "its not what you know, but who you know." And we are grateful she knows a lot of people!
Rachel Locke, Youth Ambassador
Rachel Locke is a high school student at La Jolla Country Day school who is involved with many community service projects and plays competitive soccer. She has played soccer for over 8 years and loves being able to use soccer to help other people through Kick 4 Hope. Rachel brings fresh ideas to the table and promotes kickforhope among her peers.
Arturo Martinez, Field Marshall Director
Arturo is currently the accounting manager for the San Diego branch of Expeditors International of Washington, a fortune 500 company, which offers value added global logistics services. A sports fan of every level of competition, Arturo enjoys the power of togetherness that only soccer can bring to fans of all ages world wide. After helping his brother Abel on the field last year, Arturo decided to put his management skills to work for kickforhope.
Becky Phillipson, Volunteer Coordinator
We are excited to have Becky on board this year to coordinate our volunteers. Kick for Hope's focus on Africa fit perfectly with her desire to make a difference in the world. As a mom of 2, she knows the importance of introducing kids to opportunities to help those in need. Becky believes kickforhope is an opportunity for those she invites to support it, and her enthusiasm is contagious.
Sallie Saltzman, Advertising & Program Director
Sallie has a passion for volunteering in our community and has held many board position in a variety of organizations. Sallie also has a passion for soccer that she discovered when her oldest of 3 daughters first started playing soccer 17 years ago. Coaching her daughters and playing soccer herself formed her firm belief that sports is an important and positive influence on the development of our children. kickforhope brings her two passions together - knowing that we are reaching out to our children and developing their compassion for other children across the world is great thing!