Founder, Director |
|
Chairman of the Board of Directors |
|
Legal Counsel |
|
Director of Marketing & Promotions |
|
Marketing & Event Coordinator |
|
Director of Operations |
|
Public Relations |
|
Creative Director |
Mookie Lee
Founder, Director
Mookie Lee, born on November 10, 1981 received his Bachelor's Degree in 2003 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he studied Actuarial Science and Finance. Since then he has taken up several positions in the financial field and is currently a program manager at CashnetUSA, an internet loan company located in the financial district of downtown Chicago. After being found on myspace randomly and casted on the 14th season of Survivor in Fiji, he took the initiative to use some of his earnings for a good cause and founded the non profit organization Active Chicago in 2007.
Lee enjoys traveling, dining out, playing competitive sports, and spending time with his friends and family.
Michael Castelaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Michael Castelaz is a Chicago area native with a passion for health and fitness. Underwhelmed by the available methods to educate children on ways to lead healthy, active lifestyles, Michael was eager to become a part of ACTIVE Chicago. Before being appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of AC, Michael received his B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and spent time as hedge fund trader. He currently works as a sales representative for medical device bellwether, Stryker Corp.
Michael is an avid proponent of alternative, accessible, comprehensive methods of educating Chicago's youth on the value of nutrition and exercise. As Board Chairman, Michael strives to make ACTIVE Chicago integral in providing these resources to local children.
Tom Raleigh
Legal Counsel
Tom Raleigh is currently working downtown Chicago at a commercial real estate firm. He devotes the rest of his free time managing a specialized real estate company called WebLS, which he founded with two partners over a year ago. Tom is also involved with Active Chicago. He helped in the start-up and launch of Active Chicago – overseeing both the legal and development of the foundation.
Tom has earned a Bachelor's Degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and he received his Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School in 2006.
Tom currently lives in Lincoln Park and eventually would like Active Chicago to become a nationally recognized not for profit organization. He believes that with a little time, luck and energy, anything can be accomplished.
Sarah Vargo
Director of Marketing & Promotions
Sarah Vargo recently founded her own event planning company after having worked at some of the nation's top talent agencies and promotional companies. She worked her way through the ranks of International Creative Management (ICM) whose prestigious clients include Jay Leno and Chris Rock. After gaining experience at ICM, she worked for boutique agencies where she was able to put her skills to test through talent buying, concert promotion and media planning.
As the Marketing Director of Le Passage, she worked closely with Rockit Ranch Productions who currently own and operate Underground and Rockit Bar and Grill. She coordinated fashion shows, charity events, sponsorships, and created trendy concepts and ideas.
Clients such as Playboy, Ford Models, Elite Models, Gen Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Dr. Paul Dobranksy, Chicago Scene, music video editor AVIDDIVA and many others complete her A-List projects throughout her career.
Sarah is currently a contributor to the NBC 5 Street Team and InTheMo.com which is a national website where she is a city host. She also freelances with Ammo Marketing and is a Brand Ambassador for Chambord.
Most of all, Sarah has a passion for philanthropy and a determination to help others. She recently became involved with Chicago Non-Profit and Adiango Consulting which are organizations that promote local charities. She is thrilled to be planning and executing events for Active Chicago.
Marissa Pallan
Marketing & Event Coordinator
Marissa is 26 years old and originally from Odessa,Texas. Marissa received her B.A. in Communications and Public Relations at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2003. Marissa's work experience includes, marketing for the 2003 & 2005 NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs. In addition, she has also worked in marketing and event coordinating for the San Antonio Business Journal, and currently works in marketing for a Chicago area law firm.
Marissa's hobbies include, spending time with her family and friends, any outdoor activities, movies, music, and reading. She enjoys kids and helping others. Marissa is excited to be a part of the planning committee for Active Chicago.
Hadi Saeid
Director of Operations
Hadi Saeid is a serving member of the financial community. He works for a reputed options trading group at the Chicago Board of Trade.
He is an avid skier with an enthusiasm for the outdoors. His passion for adventure is exceeded only by his involvement in the community. His zeal for philanthropy and his dedication to the community started at DePaul.
As an executive officer of Sigma Alpha Epsilon he chartered fundraisers with some of the nations most respected non-profit organizations, including the Knights of Columbus.
Lauren Boukas
Public Relations
Lauren Boukas’ communications career started at Illinois State University, where she earned a B.A. in Public Relations and Spanish in 2003 and an M.A. in Public Relations in 2005. During her time in grad school, she served as publicist for the critically acclaimed documentary film Picture This: A Fight to Save Joe. Lauren’s drive and passion for public relations prompted her to start her own PR firm on campus, promoting local music and nightlife. As part of her master’s program, Lauren taught a public speaking course at ISU for two years and created instructional videos for use in all public speaking courses.
After grad school, Lauren worked at a public relations agency on the North Shore as a Senior Account Executive, in which she managed the media outreach for many high-profile franchise companies. She moved on to XA, The Experiential Agency, in January 2007, where she manages a mix of upscale retail, nightlife and lifestyle clientele on event production, brand development, marketing and media outreach.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with friends and family, networking, and travel.
Troy Chafin
Creative Director
Troy currently works as an Interactive Art Director for an advertising agency in Chicago. Throughout his career, he has worked with fortune 500 brands and many other household names such as Sears®, Nestle®, Craftsman®, Kenmore®, Lean Cuisine®, Stouffer's® and Eaton Corporation.
Troy earned a Bachelor's degree from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio where he studied Fine Arts and Computer Science. While attending college, he tutored 3rd and 4th grade students at local elementary schools as part of the America Reads program. Troy also contributed a portion of his time at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Richland County, Ohio.
In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, afternoons at Wrigley Field, camping, competitive sports and spending time with family.
