Meet the Team

Arthur Schwartz

Arthur has been leading Character.org since January 2020. For 15 years, he was an executive at the John Templeton Foundation (1995-2009) where he had the opportunity to catalyze research on youth purpose, forgiveness, gratitude, altruism, and grit. He also collaborated with Martin E.P. Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania to energize the field of positive psychology. He proudly served as the Senior Scholar at the United States Air Force Academy (2010-2012), where he chaired the team that developed the Academy's current conceptual framework for developing “leaders of character.” Most recently, he served as Professor of Leadership Studies and Founding Director of the Oskin Leadership Institute at Widener University (2012-2019). Arthur’s current research focuses on the dynamics of moral courage. He received his doctorate in adolescent moral development from Harvard University.

I love aphorisms and maxims. Years ago I heard one that continues to shape my daily thoughts, feelings, and behavior: "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Dean D'Ambrosi, CAE

Executive Vice President | E-mail Dean

Dean manages the overall operations of Character.org, including finance, accounting, and our membership database. He has held leadership positions at the National Association for Printing Leadership, Epicomm, and Idealliance. A graduate of Monmouth University with a dual degree in Business Management and Finance, Dean enjoys fishing, playing golf, and exploring DC with his wife Dina and son Nicholas.

I've always felt your character is your most valuable asset. This belief was instilled in me by my father, my greatest mentor.

Tamra Nast

Director, Training & Coaching | E-mail Tamra

Tamra inspires schools to learn more about and apply The 11 Principles Framework for Schools. Her background as a teacher, school counselor, parent, and character coordinator provides a wealth of experience as she teaches, coaches, and supports educators to embed service learning, intrinsic motivation, and character development into their schools and districts worldwide. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor who enjoys spending time with her family.

My parents and mentors model doing their best with compassion and character. My life experiences have also impacted me to make a difference in the lives of others. I am inspired by Mother Theresa's message:
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."

Nanette Nathan

Administrator, Schools of Character & Promising Practices | E-mail Nanette

Nanette supports our Schools of Character and Promising Practices programs. She has 22 years of administrative experience, including technical knowledge in all aspects of customer service and informational databases. Nanette loves to cook, read, and host family gatherings. She has three beautiful grandchildren who bring her so much joy.

My parents always instilled in me "Get to know a person for yourself not just what others tell you." Their advice has given me friendships that have lasted over 45 years. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

Lori Soifer

Director, Schools of Character | E-mail Lori

Lori directs our Schools of Character program. She is a past President of the Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education (Michigan). Lori received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University and has worked as a behavior analyst. Lori believes in whole child, whole school, and whole community initiatives. She enjoys knitting, international space station spotting, and spending time with her family. She currently chairs the board of BirminghamNEXT, a non-profit organization enriching the lives of the 50+ population in her community.

A kind word can make all the difference - for our children and each other.

Meg Tinkham

Director, Communications and Marketing | E-mail Meg

Meg is responsible for all aspects of communications and marketing. She received her B.A. in English from the University of Dayton. Meg has worked in a variety of industries over the course of her career including association management, online/print communications, web design/management, technology education and news media. She loves spending time with her family and two dogs.

Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking. - JC Watts

Lili Borrero

Senior Consultant, Global Outreach | E-mail Lili

Lili serves as Character.org´s ambassador to the world by divulging the 11 Principles Framework for Schools and the Schools of Character initiative worldwide. Her background in psychology and over 25 years of experience in education provide her with strong theoretical and practical foundations about the what, the why, and the how of character. Lili is a psychologist from Universidad de los Andes, has a certificate in child psychopathology from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, holds a master's degree in education from the University of Alabama, and is a certified translator and interpreter from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She enjoys reading, exercising, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.

I remain true to the quote I chose for my yearbook page when I graduated from high school: "The impossible is often the untried." (Jim Goodwin)

Debra Cohen, Ed.D.

John Winthrop Wright Director of Ethical Education | E-mail Debra

Debra has more than 25 years experience as a teacher and administrator. She created and managed district-wide programs at the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District (NJ) to increase student engagement and social-emotional learning. She received her doctorate in education from Drexel University.

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. - Jane Goodall

Jeanne Lawrie

Director of Development | E-mail Jeanne

With over 20 years working in non-profits, Jeanne is responsible for our fundraising efforts. She is mission driven and loves connecting donors to projects they want to be a part of. She received her B.A. in Speech Communication from Metropolitan State University in Minnesota. Jeanne spent 20 years working with the Boy Scouts of America in 5 different councils from Minnesota to Ohio and recently served as the Director of Annual Fund for a small private college. She loves spending time with her son, her friends, and her dogs.

This quote resonates with me because it reminds me of all the great role models I had in my family from my parents and grandparents to all my aunts and uncles. “In the end, it is the person you become not the things you achieve, that is most important.” - Les Brown (from Live your Dreams: Say YES to Life)

Abby Mund, CMP

Forum Coordinator | E-mail Abby

Empowering people to reach their full potential is what Abby Mund lives to do. As an educator, she experienced first-hand the thrill of people realizing they could do much more than they thought possible. Watching that recognition and witnessing the transformation is a feeling like no other. Now, as the owner of AM Planning, Abby lives to help her clients do that for their members and customers. As a Certified Meeting Professional with 15 years of experience, Abby's focus is to facilitating must-attend in-person and online experiences that empower attendees.