Board of Directors

Melissa Pontikes is Founder of Sage Strategic Solutions and President of Kenny’s Kids Foundation. In 2003, Melissa transitioned full-time from the for-profit to the not-for-profit sector when she assumed the role of Campaign Director for Make-A-Wish Illinois. Upon the campaign’s successful completion, she was hired as President of Gateway for Cancer Research.

Prior to Melissa's nonprofit positions, she was a Human Resources Executive responsible for nationwide HR programs at Exelon Services and Comdisco, Inc. Melissa earned both her Bachelor of Science, Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from Bryant University and has served on numerous not-for-profit boards since college. In addition to serving as President, Kenny’s Kids, Melissa continues her personal philanthropic endeavors and currently serves as Director, Ascension Illinois Foundation; Vice President, Friends of the Forest Sedona; and Vice President, Sedona Arts Center.

Vicki Gallegos is the Vice President and Treasurer of Kenny’s Kids and a married mom of 4 grown children. In 1995, Vicki established and was President of Comdisco Foundation. Comdisco Foundation was created to streamline and formalize corporate giving for the Chicago-based Fortune 500 company.

For the past 20 years, Vicki has volunteered and served in leadership positions for various Northern California nonprofit organizations. From 2004 - 2011, Vicki served as a Trustee on the Board of Bentley School, a private K-12 school. During her board tenure, she served as chair of the Development Committee and as chair of the Committee on Trustees. Vicki also served on the board of Orinda Baseball Foundation from 2006 - 2009. Since 2008, Vicki has been an active member of The Taylor Family Foundation and joined their Board of Directors in 2012.

Vicki earned her Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University in 1988 and her Master's of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from San Francisco State University in 1992.

Alexa (Lex) Scanlan works as a wildland firefighter for the Siuslaw National Forest on Oregon’s central coast. When she is not fighting fires on the country’s National Forests, her role focuses on fire prevention and public education. Prior to moving to Oregon, she worked in Arizona on the Coconino and Tonto National Forests.

Lex has her Master's degree in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho, where her studies focused on fire ecology and natural resource management. She went to St. Bonaventure University, in western New York, for her undergrad degree and was a NCAA Division I swimmer during her four years there. Originally from Chicago, Lex is an avid sports fan who has been lucky enough to attend some of the world’s most premier sporting events. She loves running, biking, and hiking and enjoys reading sci-fi/fantasy novels.

Cassidy Gallegos is completing her Master's degree in the Mental Health Counseling program at Boston College. In 2016, she received her B.A. in Applied Psychology & Human Development and Management & Leadership from Boston College. As an undergrad, Cassidy created several organizations that were dedicated to spreading awareness about mental health and increasing accessibility to resources for treatment. Cassidy completed her graduate school internship at Boston College, where she was an integral part of developing their Sports Counseling program. This internship allowed her to combine her passion for mental wellness with her athletic experience as a gymnast by providing mental health counseling to NCAA Division I student-athletes. As a mental health counselor, Cassidy utilizes an integrated and trauma-informed approach with her clients, incorporating mind-body awareness through a variety of techniques to help her clients lead fulfilling lives.

Cassidy served on the Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society’s Board of Directors for two years and currently lives in Boston with her two dogs.

Connor Gallegos - coming soon!

Kellen Scanlan currently lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago and is a Leasing Specialist for Impact Networking. His position focuses on organizing and processing all transactions secured by Impact’s sales reps. Kellen is also a coach for COHO Swim Club, where he coaches children of varying skill levels that are between the ages 7 and 14. During the summers, Kellen is a player-manager for an 18 and over baseball team. Kellen has helped lead his team to seven straight championship games and four championships.

Kellen graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance. During Kellen’s four years at Ithaca, he swam for the varsity NCAA DIII team and was captain during his junior and senior years.

In his free time, Kellen enjoys working out, training for the Chicago Marathon, and watching sports.