Our Team

GiveForward is run by a small team of fun, passionate (and dare we say incredibly attractive) people that love helping others.  We also occasionally like to dress up in ugly Christmas sweaters, hold burrito eating contests and give out virtual hugs and high fives!

Desiree Vargas Wrigley, CEO and Co-Founder (desiree@giveforward.com)
Half Costa Rican half Kansas Citian, Desiree graduated from Yale University with B.A. in Latin American Studies in 2004. Prior to launching GiveForward, she worked as a specialist in collegiate entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City and as an independent consultant for Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors. She is passionate about philanthropy and the role that young and small-scale donors can have on our communities. When not working, she spends her time inventing new recipes that don’t always work, walking her golden retriever, Ellie, and spending time with her crime-fighting husband, John, and her hilarious stepdaughter.

Ethan Austin, COO and Co-Founder (ethan@giveforward.com)
Originally from Southern California Ethan graduated from Emory University in 2004 with a B.A. in political science and holds a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law where he was member of the Law Review. He is passionate about helping people battling cancer and volunteers for Imerman Angels, a one-on-one cancer-support organization.  He is also disturbingly passionate about burritos and currently holds the title of GiveForward intra-office burrito eating champion. In his free time Ethan can typically be found scouring the aisles of Trader Joe’s for something deliciously microwavable or training for marathons in his banana costume to raise money for cancer awareness.

Erica Trzeciak, Director of User Relations (erica@giveforward.com)
Although she is a product of the Chicago suburbs, Erica graduated from University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a B.A. in Psychology.  After four years of dabbling in strange classes like Ethnobotany, various work-study jobs, and countless hours assisting (and participating in) psychology experiments; Erica has finally found her niche at GiveForward.  Originally starting out as a post-college [unpaid] internship, Erica has turned giving virtual hugs into a career.  While she’s not bleeding blue & green at the GiveForward offices, Erica enjoys attending any type of outdoor festival, the occasional trivia night, and planning her next trip/adventure. Sidenote: sending her YouTube videos of kittens doing various activities with various other baby animals will make you her best friend for life.

Chris McKeever, Director of IT (chris@giveforward.com)

Chris hails from New York and went to school in Massachusetts, but he’s been doing his thing in Chicago for quite some time now. Prior to GiveForward, Chris spent 10 years doing various forms of IT for the real estate industry. This chapter of his life really began with a stint as the Director of Technology for Prudential Real Estate – Chicago.  From there, Chris moved on to eventually become the Managing Director for the Center for Real Estate Technology (CRT) before joining GiveForward.  When Chris saw that GiveForward was looking for a new team member he was excited by the possibility of joining a start-up and helping define GiveForward’s online presence; plus free burritos never hurt. Aside from burritos and computer code, Chris enjoys Einstein Bagels, “two-for-one movies on miserable weekend afternoons,” DOTS, and spending time with his dog, Karma.

Cate Conroy, Director of Marketing (cate@giveforward.com)

A fifth generation Chicago-an, Cate is excited to join the GiveForward team and have a positive impact on the community she knows and loves. A news nerd at heart, Cate worked as a local news producer for ABC News for a few years before moving into marketing.  After spending a few years working for a Chicago-based tech company, Cate was introduced to GiveForward and jumped at the chance to join the team.  Now, when she’s not tweeting, blogging or marketing on behalf of GiveForward, she can be found training for her next marathon with her dog, Teddy, or attempting to bake a new gluten free treat (which she then forces everyone in the GiveForward offices to taste-test).

Michael Powell, Fundraising Coach (michael@giveforward.com)

Raised in the cornfields of Indiana, Michael earned his B.A. in English from Miami University in 2009. A post-college impulse to flee his Midwest roots combined with an undetermined career path led Michael to the Marshall Islands, where he volunteered as an English teacher through WorldTeach. Without the conveniences of electricity, running water, phones, and Internet, Michael further cultivated a desire to help others in need. The transition from an island of less than 200 residents to a city of nearly 3 million has its challenges, but Michael’s finally found his mainland niche as a Fundraising Coach at GiveForward. Outside the office, Michael enjoys exploring Chicago, jogging, ice cream, and perusing both high-brow literature and celebrity gossip magazines.

Sarah Seely, Executive Assistant (sarah@giveforward.com)
Originally from New England, Sarah moved to Chicago to attend DePaul University where she graduated in 2010 with a degree in Sociology. Lured to GiveForward with an internship paid in burritos and smiles, Sarah began her stint with GF as a Fundraising Coach Extraordinaire and has worked her way up as a Development Associate. When she’s not making it rain for the beneficiaries of GiveForward, Sarah enjoys enjoys finding new ways to incorporate guacamole into every meal, riding her bike, and searching the depths of the internet for funny cat videos.

Ariana Vargas, Director of Business Development (ariana@giveforward.com)
Ariana was born in Costa Rica, grew up in Kansas City and has lived everywhere from Sevilla to Sydney.  After graduating from Boston College with a degree in Film Studies and History, she worked as a Project Manager for AT&T’s ad agency in Austin, TX.  NYC was soon calling her name so she ventured up north again to work as an Account Executive, but when the opportunity to work at GiveForward arose, Ariana jumped on the next flight to Chicago.  Ariana lives to work with people, has a terrible sense of direction and knows every word to ’90′s classics such as “Ice Ice Baby” and “Whoomp There It Is”.  She will school you in Scrabble, remember your birthday, and will probably try to convince you to drink tea instead of coffee (don’t tell her Tico family!).  She loves working at GiveForward because she gets to talk all day… the fact that it’s about a company and a cause she adores is just the icing on the cake.