Christine Morin | CEO

Christine joins Cradles to Crayons with significant executive experience in non-profit management, growth strategy, and operations, demonstrating a proven track record of fostering a people-centered culture that drives impact. Throughout her career, she has consistently championed initiatives that create growth, opportunity, and inclusion for under-resourced communities, maintaining an unwavering commitment to young people’s success.

As Chief Operating Officer at The Trustees, the nation’s first land conservation organization, Christine led a staff of 300 and managed operations across 120 locations serving 2 million annual visitors. She spearheaded initiatives to connect people, especially youth, to nature, while successfully navigating the organization through the pandemic. Under her leadership, The Trustees achieved significant revenue growth, elevated resource care standards, improved employee experience, and advanced Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity (DBIE) initiatives.

During her tenure in senior executive positions at City Year, Christine drove the organization’s expansion into 12 new cities. She secured substantial public and private investment while mobilizing stakeholders and developing community partnerships to enhance impact with students and schools nationwide. Christine transformed City Year’s brand strategy and launched a national marketing campaign to inspire a new, more diverse generation of young people to engage in service. She began her City Year journey as the Paul and Phyllis Fireman Public Service Fellow, where she led the organization’s signature corporate partnership program focused on creating engaging employee volunteer experiences through direct service.

Earlier in her career, Christine founded the International House of Blues Foundation-Orlando, promoting creative expression and cultural understanding through arts education. She also created the House of Blues Folk Art Festival, celebrating the work of self-taught artists.

Christine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Florida State University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. She was the first woman in her family to graduate from college, and today, she continues to lead with a vision of empowering young people and creating lasting change through impact-driven organizations.

Alicia Kabir | Executive Director, Boston

Alicia Kabir is a seasoned executive in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, leading high-performing teams to drive transformational outcomes, specifically for supporting youth and families and environmental protection. She is passionate that every child deserves a joyful childhood and a path to a successful future.

Alicia was previously Chief Executive Officer of Kesem, where she championed the vision that every child impacted by a parent’s cancer is never alone. Under Alicia’s leadership, Kesem’s footprint expanded by over 40%, and they launched new programs to serve more children and their families. Prior to Kesem, Alicia was a Partner at ERM, leading global compliance and environmental remediation programs. 

Alicia earned her Bachelor of Science from Rensselaer (RPI) and her Master of Science from Tufts University. She resides outside of Boston, MA with her husband, two boys, and dog. Alicia loves to travel and is always ready for the next road trip.

Dawn Melchiorre | Executive Director, Chicago

Dawn Melchiorre is a seasoned entrepreneur and nonprofit executive passionate about driving social change in her local community. Her nonprofit career began at Voices for Illinois Children where she organized advocacy campaigns raising awareness for issues related to early childhood education, mental health, and nutrition. Her success led her to the Greater Chicago Food Depository as Senior Director of Programs where she helped build the Illinois No Kid Hungry Campaign and the Illinois Commission to End Hunger.

Dawn served as Chief Operating Officer of Forefront (Illinois), the regional membership association serving grantmakers, nonprofits, advisors, and public agencies. She directed operations, including member engagement, public policy, education, library services, and research. Most recently, Dawn served as Interim CEO at 360 Youth Services, leading the organization from a governance and asset transfer agency to a larger social service organization that provides stability for staff and the community it serves.

Before her career in the nonprofit sector, Dawn spent ten years in the hospitality field as a small business owner. Dawn holds a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from Loyola University Chicago, a Master of Arts, Public Service & Public Policy from DePaul University, and a Master of Business Administration, Nonprofit Management from Concordia Unversity Chicago.

Michal Smith | Executive Director, Philadelphia

Michal is a graduate of London University and North London University, and holds a certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from Bryn Mawr College. Michal is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of the Arts, a member of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Main Line Chamber of Commerce. She is on the boards of Child’s Work USA, Philadelphia and The Teacher’s Place. In 2013, SmartCEO Magazine recognized her with its Brava Award for top female CEOs. Since joining Cradles to Crayons, Michal has doubled its operating revenue, the number of children served, and has grown the service delivery area to include a second state, New Jersey.