About us

Back 2 School America (B2SA) launched in 2007 to address the inequities in educational opportunities for children first in Illinois, and now across the country. Its mission is to provide school supplies and other tools throughout the year to ensure the educational success of children in need.

In an effort to level the playing field and reduce the financial burden on families and teachers, the B2SA program has supplied more than 400,000 children with their own school supply kits, distributing over 12 million supplies to those who need them most.

Our Staff

  • Bernadette Shanahan-Haas, NFPC

    Executive Director
    Bernadette@b2sa.org

  • Siobhan Clancy

    Director of Events & Logistics
    Siobhan@b2sa.org

  • Susanne Mickey

    Business Manager
    Susanne@b2sa.org

  • Shelli Quintos

    Community Impact Manager
    Shelli@b2sa.org

  • Funny

    Intern & Community Relations
    Intern@b2sa.org

Our Board

  • Amy Wagner - President

    Amy is recently retired after spending nearly 35 years in marketing and strategy roles, including consumer products, retail and non-for-profit.  Most recently she served as Executive Vice President, Global Innovation Partnerships, at Dairy Management Inc. (DMI).  DMI is a not-for-profit organization that is funded by America’s 37,000+ dairy farmers to drive demand for dairy through research, education and innovation.  In her role, Amy led a team that created partnerships with organizations in foodservice, consumer packaged goods, and throughout the dairy supply chain to create new products and marketing programs that increased sales of US dairy exports in international markets.  

  • Teresa Barajas

    Teresa is the Executive Director of the Rauner Family YMCA.  She is a dedicated professional experienced in developing community engagement strategies with clear goals. She specializes in building relationships with diverse communities through public programming and partnerships, promoting diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.  Teresa has a proven track record in establishing partnerships with community organizations and managing events and programming for various audiences.  She excels in evaluating and improving community initiatives, ensuring they align with organizational missions and engage community strengths.  Teresa finds it her passion in creating meaningful and inclusive community engagement initiatives. 

  • Glenn Browne - Vice President

    Glenn has been associated with Back 2 School America since 2019.  Glenn is a business/real estate attorney.  Glenn has a passion for sports, education and assisting youths to reach their potential.  As a result, Back 2 School America provides Glenn with a vehicle to share his passions with the public.  Glenn is married, has four (4) children and numerous grandchildren.

  • Sanjeev Kumar

    As a dynamic and trusted leader, Sanjeev is the go-to partner for peers, team members, customers, and partners seeking innovative solutions to complex challenges. With a proven track record in business strategy, digital transformation, and product innovation, he has consistently driven exponential growth, enhanced profitability, and elevated customer satisfaction across multiple business units.  A visionary in design thinking-led product strategy, Sanjeev excels at leading complex digital transformations that deliver higher business value. His expertise spans technology modernization, operational efficiency, and customer-centric innovation, ensuring organizations stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.  In his role as Chief Strategy & Client Success Officer at BPK Technologies, Sanjeev is dedicated to fostering strategic partnerships, enabling sustainable growth, and empowering teams to achieve breakthrough success.

  • Jonathan McCulloch

    Jonathan is the CEO of Belgravia Group, Ltd., a leading Chicago real estate firm specializing in condominium development in Chicago, IL and Scottsdale, AZ. He is also a Principal at Lakewest, Inc., a Belgravia affiliate involved in non-residential real estate and private equity investments, Co-Founder of Lakewest Venture Partners, and a Venture Partner at Dundee Venture Capital.  Starting in 2017, Belgravia Group organized a Build-a-Kit event with some of its partners in the real estate community. That event has now grown into the annual Chicago Real Estate Build-a-Kit which has assembled over 10,000 kits since its inception. Over the time of Jonathan’s involvement with this event, he became closer to the organization, recognized the incredible value behind the mission, and joined the board in 2021 in recognition that there are few better causes than what BS2A offers.

  • Kelly Megel

    Kelly is the Global Vice President of Ninja Marketing.  She is an executive officer with extensive experience across several global industries: CPG, OTC, Financial Services, and Retail. My passion, expertise, and grit has helped to build company-wide growth strategies, operationalize shared services models for profitability, and modernize Marketing teams and campaigns that drive businesses. 

  • Collin Pullums

    Collin has a wealth of experience in revenue operations and professional services delivery, a trusted leader and advisor in the field of sales and revenue automation. He holds multiple certifications in CPQ, Scrum, and Salesforce, demonstrating his proficiency and commitment to continuous learning and innovation. As the VP, Commercial Excellence at NeuraFlash, the premier AI and Automation Service partner to Salesforce, he leads a talented team of consultants and engineers who provide end-to-end solutions for clients across various industries and regions. He oversees project delivery, go-to-market strategies, brand coherence, team advancement, client success, and expansion plans. He leverages his expertise in Sales Cloud, SPM, CPQ, Billing, Subscription Management, Order & Asset Management, and Docusign Agreement Cloud to optimize and streamline processes within Sales, Marketing, Revenue, and Legal domains. His mission is to enable clients to achieve their business goals and maximize their value from Salesforce.

  • Thomas Schoen 

    Thomas is an education leader, consultant, and business strategist dedicated to expanding access to high-quality learning opportunities for students and educators. With a career spanning instructional leadership, curriculum development, and strategic business development, he has led initiatives that improved student performance, strengthened school partnerships, and supported districts in implementing effective assessment solutions. As a former principal and literacy director, Thomas has firsthand experience addressing educational inequities and developing programs that drive meaningful student growth. 

  • Shawn Scott 

    Shawn is currently the Director of Talent Acquisition at Vi Living, a luxury senior living company, headquartered in Chicago. In his role, he manages a team of recruiters and helps drive recruitment strategy for the organization. He has more than fifteen years in talent acquisition. Prior to Vi Living, he worked for The Kroger Company at its headquarters located in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in French Language & Literature from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.

  • Allie Patzelt

    Allie is an accomplished finance professional with a strong background in financial planning and analysis. Currently serving as Senior Manager of Global FP&A at Suntory Global Spirits, Allie plays a pivotal role in developing presentations for executive leadership, providing insights into financial performance and contributing to strategic initiatives. Her expertise includes collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance financial transparency and drive performance improvements. With a solid foundation in corporate accounting and supply chain finance, Allie has a proven track record of managing budgets and optimizing financial processes. As a CPA,  she is dedicated to fostering a culture of financial integrity and strategic insight. 

  • Amelia Wilkemeyer

    Amelia is a Senior Account Representative for Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions. She is responsible for aiding the team in the placement of casualty reinsurance programs for ceding commercial insurance carriers and negotiates with reinsurance carriers to ensure clients receive the best coverage terms and pricing.