Who We Are

Sean Hinkle

Chief Operating Officer

Sean Hinkle serves as Chief Operating Officer for DC SCORES where he supports and leads the administrative and operational strategy and functions of the organization. He brings more than 16 years of experience in the sport for development and out-of-school time sector to his role, having previously held positions at the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Grassroots Soccer, Ragball International, and America SCORES. Sean strongly believes in the power of teamwork to build community and has lent his expertise to numerous, global sport-for-good initiatives such as Play Proud and Switch the Pitch. Sean holds numerous professional certifications in nonprofit management and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education. At UVA, he was also a four-year member and captain of the varsity men’s soccer team.

Tierra Stewart

Chief Program Officer

Tierra Stewart serves as Chief Program Officer at DC SCORES where she develops strategy, leads innovation, and is primarily responsible for the highest-quality program implementation and expansion. Tierra, a 40 under 40 Excellence in Leadership Honoree, brings 12+ years of experience in youth development, program design, community organizing, and non-profit work to DC SCORES. She is also a Transformative Justice Facilitator and Anti-Racist Political Scientist and Analyst featured in publications in over 25 countries.

As a dedicated public servant, Tierra believes society can only thrive when it has invested resources in the youth and has provided them with opportunities to realize their potential and dreams. She has engaged thousands of youth and families across D.C. and nationally in her programs, and is determined to continue to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.

Tony Francavilla

Chief Development Officer

Tony Francavilla is the Chief Development Officer at DC SCORES. He brings nearly 15 years of experience fundraising for youth-serving nonprofits in DC, including at the SEED Foundation and Life Pieces to Masterpieces. Tony spent several years as a donor, volunteer, and fanboy of DC SCORES before officially joining the team, and he can still hardly believe that an organization exists in his city that combines all the most important elements of his own childhood. He lives in Riggs Park with his wife Zabrina — whom he met playing soccer through District Sports — and their dog Dexter. He is a very proud supporter of AC Milan!

Charity Blackwell

Chief of Culture and Arts

Charity Blackwell is a Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practitioner, spoken word artist, host, emcee, and poetry specialist who has spent several years contributing to the arts scene in DC and across national platforms. She is a Trinity University graduate, where she received her B.A and M.A, for Communications. She also received her certificate for Executive Leadership for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Georgetown University. She is the Chief of Culture and Arts at the arts and sports nonprofit DC SCORES and the D.O.P.E (Director of Poetry Events) at the well-renowned DC arts cultural hub, Busboys and Poets. Since her early college days, Charity’s natural stage presence and charm have led her to many hosting opportunities, including events such as the Poetry SLAMS Poetry OUT LOUD National competition, Busboys and Poets, and many more. She has performed her original work on national and international networks and platforms such as BBC News, TEDxTysons, MLB, NBA, DC UNITED, Nike, the Woman’s Sports Foundation, MLS, The Lincoln Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Hirshhorn Museum, Dock 5, and numerous others.

Saede Eifrig

Associate Manager, Programs

As an Associate Manager for Programs for DC SCORES, Saede helps facilitate major programming events, liaises with coaches to ensure the provision of quality equipment and programming, and manages Boots From Pros: a project in partnership with Ashley Hatch of the Washington Spirit. Saede grew up playing soccer in the United States and Germany and captained the women’s soccer team at Haverford College, where she earned her B.A. in Anthropology and Arabic. She has a passion for using sport for social change, sparked by her experiences working with refugees. In her free time, she coaches youth soccer and supports the Washington Spirit. She loves engaging with the passion and hard work DC SCORES poet-athletes showcase through soccer and poetry.

Nichole Erwin

Site Management Coordinator

Originally from Mississippi, Nichole has been working in the nonprofit sector since graduating college. A keen soccer fan, she has been playing the sport for fourteen years at both the recreational, club, high school, and college level. She has also written poetry since the 6th grade and is excited to bring two of her life passions together in her work for DC SCORES. In addition to her site management duties, Nichole leads DC SCORES' Youth Council, which incorporates poet-athlete voices and feedback into program strategy. In her spare time, she enjoys video games and consuming books, shows, and films that fuel her love of history.

Tatiana Figueroa Ramírez

Director, Creative Writing & Arts

Tatiana Figueroa Ramírez is a poet, teaching artist, host, and community organizer with extensive experience working in the non-profit and education sectors. She graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an M.A. in Public Management with a focus on Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Maryland. As a poet, her work has been featured in various publications and she is the author of two poetry collections. She was recently featured on MSNBC’s “Leguizamo Does America.” Tatiana currently serves as the Director, Creative Writing & Arts at DC SCORES, where she ensures poet-athletes are able to explore their poetry and performance skills to further their own self-discovery and well-being.

José Granados

Program Coordinator

José serves as an Program Coordinator at DC SCORES. He was born in California but has called Washington, DC, home since he was 3 years old. Before joining the DC SCORES office staff, José was a soccer and writing coach for the DC SCORES elementary school team at Capital City Public Charter School for more than 6 years. He is fluent in English and Spanish and is a huge soccer fan. His favorite teams are Real Madrid and D.C. United. One of his hobbies is collecting soccer jerseys. He currently has a collection of 90 shirts and is always looking to add more!

Ronald Granados

Program Fellow

Ronald is an Up2Us Fellow on the Programs team at DC SCORES. Born in California but raised in DC, Ronald is excited to support neighborhood teams across his home city through his work with SCORES. Ronald’s mother is from El Salvador and his father from Guatemala, so he is fluent in Spanish. At DC SCORES, Ronald ensures that coaches receive all the equipment they need for training, gamedays, and major events. He also serves as a coach for the Capital City Public Charter School DC SCORES elementary team. In his free time, Ronald enjoys exploring different areas of the DMV and is always looking for new recommendations for festivals and restaurants in the area.

Meg Grieve

Program Coordinator, Site Management

Meg Grieve grew up playing soccer in D.C. and has been involved with DC SCORES since 2016 when she began working as a volunteer camp counselor. She joined the staff in the summer of 2024 as a Program Coordinator after graduating from Tufts University, where she majored in International Relations and Arabic and captained the club soccer team. She has long been interested in youth sports development, highlighted by her time spent in Amman, Jordan, volunteering at Squash Dreamers, an organization providing squash programming and English lessons to Syrian refugee girls, and simultaneously working on a research project on women in sports in Jordan.

Mairead MacRae

Senior Director of Communications

Mairead is the Senior Director of Communications at DC SCORES, where she leads content strategy for the organization’s communications platforms. Before joining DC SCORES, she held communications roles at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Master of Science in Foreign Service program, and at the international youth nonprofit Mary’s Meals. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and History from the University of Glasgow and an M.A. in African Studies from Yale University. A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Mairead is grateful for the opportunity to serve the communities which welcomed her through DC SCORES. In her free time, she enjoys playing recreational soccer, hiking, and trying to learn more than three chords on her guitar.

Katie Egger Makris

Senior Development Director of Operations and Events

Katie is the Senior Development Director of Operations & Events. She brings over 15 years of event and fundraising expertise as an independent consultant, and prior to that with The American Red Cross, Ford’s Theatre, and the National MS Society. Katie is passionate about building fundraising systems and event processes to create the best experiences for DC SCORES’ poet-athletes, donors, and partners. Originally from Burke, VA, she has called DC home since 2005, when she graduated from Michigan State University. She spends her free time with her husband, two sons, dog, and cat, and competes in triathlons regionally.

Sydnee McDuffie

Soccer Leagues Manager

Sydnee McDuffie serves as Soccer Leagues Manager for DC SCORES. Through her prior education, Sydnee bring a wealth of sports knowledge to her role. She gained her undergraduate degree in Sport Management with a minor in Civic Responsibility and Social Innovation from High Point University and her master's degree in Sport Industry Management from Georgetown University. In her spare time, Sydnee loves to read and watch movies. She is extremely excited to immerse herself in the D.C. community and serve young people by providing award-winning programming through DC SCORES.

Josselin Possian

Associate Manager, Programs

Josselin Possian was born along the Ivory Coast of West Africa and moved to the USA in 2006. The DC SCORES alumnus started his journey at SCORES in 2007 as a poet-athlete at Lincoln Middle School, where he experienced the inaugural DC SCORES Jamboree and was a poetry slam champion. In 2012, he was among two players selected to represent the USA in the Nike The Chance Competition, playing soccer throughout Europe, including in France, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands. Josselin is currently playing his third season as a professional midfielder for the Maryland Bobcats.

DC SCORES is home to him, and Josselin is grateful to be granted the opportunity to give back to youth in the community and show them that everything is possible with effort, dedication, patience, and most importantly faith.

Megan Testen

Senior Development Manager, Grants

Megan serves as the Senior Development Manager, Grants at DC SCORES where she manages the organizations grant prospecting, writing, cultivation and reporting. Megan grew up playing soccer in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and has grown passionate about using sport as a tool for youth empowerment through her previous work with Goals for Girls. Megan attended George Washington University where she studied Human Services & Social Justice and received her Master’s of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management.