Behind the Seams at New Balance Headquarters
Spearheaded and launched in 2024, Behind the Seams is an immersive corporate partnership program created for the Kinnect Foundation. Marking the foundation's first collaboration outside of Kith, this recurring multi-day experience was designed and executed in partnership with New Balance, hosting three distinct scholar cohorts at their Boston headquarters and Lawrence Manufacturing Facility through July 2026.
Key Leadership & Program Impact:
• End-to-End Program Architecture: Architected a high-touch, two-day curriculum giving Kinnect Scholars access to New Balance’s product testing labs, development center, corporate headquarters, and live manufacturing facility.
• Cross-Functional Executive Alignment: Partnered with New Balance leadership and employees across multiple departments to lead interactive career panels and mentorship sessions tailored to the company's ecosystem.
• Retail & Brand Experience Integration: Curated dynamic field activations, including a guided experience at the New Balance flagship store featuring a complimentary sneaker grant for every participating scholar.
• Sustainable Partnership Scalability: Expanded the initiative from an initial launch concept in 2024 into an ongoing, flagship annual partnership that continues to serve new cohorts.
International Women’s Day: Day With the Bosses
Originally launched in 2023 for International Women's Day, Day with the Bosses is an annual mentorship, career-readiness, and wellness initiative hosted in partnership with New Balance. The program's core purpose is to equip, inspire and uplift young women from under-resourced communities by providing direct access to industry leaders, practical professional tools, and personal development resources.
What began as an inaugural gathering at The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of Queens has grown into a network-wide flagship event, bringing together high school students across the Bronx, Astoria, Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn to prepare them for their next chapter in higher education and corporate careers.
Key Program Pillars & Leadership:
Strategic Brand & Cultural Alignment: Partners directly with New Balance to fully fund and power the initiative, securing executive panel participation, customized skill-building workshops, and keynote speakers such as actor and activist Storm Reid.
Career Readiness & Skill-Building Architecture: Features actionable programming led by female leaders across Kith, New Balance and alumni networks covering essential topics like LinkedIn personal branding, digital footprint management, sneaker marketing, and high-school-to-college transition strategies.
Holistic Wellness & Self-Reflection: Integrates interactive experiences focused on mental health during life transitions, goal-setting at custom "Bloom Bars," vision boarding, and virtue-inspired hands-on activities.
Direct Resource Provision & Athletic Philanthropy: Facilitates full product grants from New Balance to distribute new footwear to every attending student, alongside specialized performance running shoes donated directly to local high school track teams.
Mindful May
Conceptualized and spearheaded in May 2024, Mindful May is a holistic wellness initiative designed for the young men of Eagle Academy in Queens. Developed in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, this recurring program has scaled across three distinct cohorts through May 2026, establishing an ongoing annual activation focused on mindfulness, movement, and nutrition.
Key Leadership & Program Impact:
End-to-End Event Architecture: Designed a comprehensive mental health activation combining targeted physical movement, mindfulness practices, and nutrition education tailored to high school students.
Corporate Sponsorship & Resource Securing: Negotiated a full brand sponsorship with New Balance to secure customized fitness apparel, equipment, and co-branded hydration gear for all participants.
Cross-Industry Guest Integration: Partnered with professional yoga instructor Reina Robinson (New Balance) to lead anxiety-reduction sessions, and collaborated with Latisha (Greedi Vegan) for live culinary demonstrations connecting diet to mental clarity.
Scalable Community Impact: Successfully transitioned a single community pilot into a multi-year, flagship wellness program that continues to expand its reach.
Operation Backpack: Multi-City Back-to-School Initiative
Launched in 2022 under The Kinnect Foundation, Operation Backpack is a flagship annual back-to-school community activation created to equip students in under-resourced communities with essential academic tools, self-esteem and community connection. What began as a local Brooklyn initiative serving 250 youth has expanded into a national four-city tour—spanning New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago—delivering thousands of custom backpacks, grade-specific school supplies and comprehensive wellness experiences to students in grades K–12.
Key Program Pillars & Scale of Impact:
Strategic Brand Alignment & Multi-Year Growth: Partnered with New Balance as the primary corporate sponsor to scale operations nationally, securing additional support from high-profile partners including Fini Pizza, Oakley, Columbia, Mitchell & Ness, and the NY Knicks.
National Non-Profit Network & Grassroots Partnerships: Built hyper-local community partnerships with leading regional organizations, including Children of Promise NYC (supporting youth impacted by mass incarceration), Lotus House Women’s Shelter and Girl Power Rocks in Miami, Color Compton in Los Angeles, and Guitars Over Guns in Chicago.
Holistic Youth Empowerment & Grooming Activations: Integrated wraparound community services into back-to-school block parties, including professional haircut stations via Shortcut, nail services, custom sock and bag-charm design stations, HBCU culture workshops, and live entertainment.
Celebrity & Cultural Integration: Engaged high-profile figures and professional athletes—including NFL star Saquon Barkley—to lead mentorship chats, encouraging perseverance and academic persistence for attending scholars and families.
Joy to the Borough with The Brooklyn Museum
Launched as an annual seasonal outreach initiative under The Kinnect Foundation, Joy to the Borough is designed to bring direct relief, resources and holiday experiences to families living in temporary housing and under-resourced communities across New York City. This event blends internal corporate giving, employee volunteerism and multi-brand corporate partnerships to distribute essential items, apparel and toys to youth ages two months to eighteen years.
Key Program Pillars & Leadership:
Strategic Brand & Institutional Alliances: Spearheaded core sponsorships with New Balance to power large-scale community events, alongside cultural institutions like the Brooklyn Museum to host interactive holiday activations ("Joy to the Borough").
Multi-Industry Resource Procurement: Negotiated high-value corporate product donations, securing strollers from Bugaboo, bikes and scooters from Banwood, specialized athletic gear from the Nigel Sylvester Foundation, art supplies from Kingart, and footwear and apparel from It's From the Sole and Kith Kids.
Global Employee & Scholar Mobilization: Created an internal corporate giving structure, coordinating Kith HQ staff, international colleagues from Kith Tokyo, and Kinnect Scholars to fulfill family wish lists and wrap hundreds of gifts for local youth.
Wraparound Community Support: Integrated essential material support—such as winter coats and strollers for mothers in need—with festive family experiences including cookie decorating, arts and crafts, and live holiday programming.
Rooted in Your Power: Wellness & Empowerment Series
Created in partnership with the Lower East Side Girls Club, Rooted in Your Power is an immersive wellness and self-care activation designed under The Kinnect Foundation. Curated to cultivate emotional resilience, mental clarity, identity, and physical strength, the multi-faceted experience provided young women with actionable tools to navigate personal growth and self-expression.
Supported by New Balance, the day combined structured personal development workshops with holistic nourishment, outfitting every participating scholar in full performance apparel and footwear.
Key Program Pillars & Leadership:
Strategic Brand Alignment & Full-Outfitting Sponsorship: Partnered with New Balance as the primary event sponsor to provide complete athletic kits and sneakers to all attending scholars, promoting confidence and physical wellness.
Curriculum & Workshop Curation: Architected a four-part wellness framework—Power in Your Words, Power in Your Mind, Power in Your Style, and Power in Your Body—bringing together specialized facilitators across journaling, mindfulness, creative design, and movement.
Specialized Facilitator & Founder Partnerships: Collaborated with the Crystal Johnson Collective for guided emotional resilience journaling, The Sourced Studio for a personal story charm-crafting experience, and instructor Jaimé Yawa Dzandu for breathwork and mindful movement.
Sound Therapy & Holistic Nutrition: Integrated a calming sound bath session to teach accessible mindfulness practices, paired with clean, post-workout meal curation provided by local partners Bklyn Blend and Greedi Vegan.
