Our Teams

 

Chris Federico

PRESIDENT + FOUNDER

Chris was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is the youngest of 7 children.

He graduated from Loyola High School and Villa Julie College.

Chris started his career at Alex Brown in 1993 and one year later learned that his mother Susannah was given six months to live with leukemia.

She was a determined woman who was going to decide when her time came.

During the eighteen months, before she passed in November 1995, Chris had promised his mother he would keep her memory alive, since she gave so much to so many people.

In 2006, he founded the Cool Kids Campaign Foundation and with the incredible support from so many, it continues to grow.

“I am very fortunate to be in this position surrounded by so many caring, compassionate people as we help our Cool Kids families.  I sincerely hope our good work can continue for decades to come.”

Janet Robinson

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

After more than 35 years of working in the corporate world as an Operations Manager for companies such as Alex Brown & Sons and Deutsche Bank Securities, Janet unexpectedly but joyfully turned her sights toward the non-profit world. It was an easy change due to her long term affiliation with Chris Federico, her former colleague from Alex Brown. She began volunteering with the Cool Kids Campaign in the fall of 2017 and enjoyed her time so much at the Clubhouse and the rewarding experience of helping children with cancer and their families, that taking over the Operations Manager role was a perfect fit. Janet was born and raised in the area, attending Towson Senior High School and remains a Towson resident with her husband JR. Janet enjoys traveling, especially to the beach, sushi date nights and spending time with family and friends. She is excited “to work with this incredible organization and is impressed with the passion, dedication and support of the team and volunteers.”

EMAIL JANET

Renee Wooding

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Renee is a Baltimore native who spent the majority of her career in corporate banking, most recently as a Treasury Management Senior Vice President at PNC. During her banking career, she indulged her passion for working with nonprofits by serving on the PNC Charitable Contributions Committee and holding officer positions on the boards of Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Maryland, Arts Education in Maryland Schools and American Visionary Arts Museum. She holds a Business and Marketing BA degree from the University of Baltimore and a Masters in Business from Notre Dame of Maryland University. She is the recipient of a Pollard Prize for Leadership and a Gallup Great Workplace Award for Management Excellence. Renee is excited to use her experience to help Cool Kids reach even more families.

EMAIL RENEE

Jen Dean

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Jennifer lives in the Lutherville/Timonium area with her two daughters, Mackenzie and Kayleigh. Her spare time is spent with her daughters watching their Irish Dance competitions, field hockey games, cross country and track events. She has a strong desire to help others and that was most obvious in her last role as a Preschool Teacher, working specifically with two-year old students. Jennifer has thoroughly enjoyed volunteering with non-profits and realized how rewarding it would be to become more involved – so when the opportunity arose to come on board and be a part of Cool Kids Campaign, it was a no brainer. She looks forward to making a lasting impression on the children, family members and co-workers she now has the pleasure of serving.

EMAIL JEN

Allison Wilt

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EVENTS MANAGER

Allison was born and raised in the Baltimore area where she attended St. Paul’s School for Girls then received a Bachelor of Science in Family and Human Services with a focus in Child Life Therapy from Towson University. Following college she married her high school sweetheart, Cody, when shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with cancer. As the caregiver of a spouse who recently overcame their battle, Allison set her sights on making a difference in the lives of others coping with a diagnosis of cancer. When the opportunity to work with Cool Kids Campaign arose, Allison knew she was ready to dedicate herself to helping the organization achieve their mission. Outside of work, Allison loves spending quality time with her husband, daughter, and border collie and enjoys traveling to ski.

EMAIL ALLISON

Danielle Rockstroh

FAMILY PROGRAM MANAGER

Danielle was born and raised in New York and moved to Maryland in 2012 to attend Towson University where she competed on the women’s track and field team. She received a Bachelor of Science in Family and Human Services in 2016 and then went on to earn her Master’s degree in Child Life, Healthcare Administration & Family Collaboration. Danielle worked in hospitals as a Certified Child Life Specialist for 5 years providing play opportunities and emotional support to children and families facing serious injuries or illness. As the Family Program Coordinator, Danielle’s goal is to strengthen Cool Kids’ partnerships with the local hospitals in order to help more families learn about Cool Kids. She is most excited to plan and facilitate fun, creative, and educational activities and events for all the Cool Kids families to enjoy. Danielle is also a registered yoga instructor and hopes to incorporate her passion for health and yoga into the Cool Kids’ programs. Outside of work, she loves traveling with her husband, reading, and exploring new restaurants.

EMAIL DANIELLE

Tom Barrett

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Tom is originally from Pennsylvania but has called North Carolina home for the last 25 years. After graduating from UNC Charlotte, Tom has worked with the Charlotte Convention & Visitors Bureau, Charlotte Chamber, Lake Norman Chamber and United Way. Most recently Tom was working with people suffering from strokes, traumatic brain injury, those dealing with Aphasia and Dementia.

Tom has a strong passion for helping others. After seeing the effects of cancer on his own family members, Tom is ready to use his experiences to better the lives of Cool Kids and their families; “I am excited and humbled to be a part of Cool Kids Campaign.”

In his spare time, Tom enjoys hanging out with family and friends, travel, sports, and tasty food.

EMAIL TOM

Camille Smart

FAMILY PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

Camille, originally from Kentucky, spent much of her time teaching and guiding those from elementary school aged children to working adults obtaining their GED. Camille moved to California to study Neuroscience at USC, where she maintained her passion for making a difference through her many works in the community as a teacher, moving to North Carolina in 2021. As someone who has always been driven towards seeing others flourish, succeed, and conquer their battles, being the Family Program Coordinator for Cool Kids Campaign provides Camille with the opportunity to change lives one fun program at a time. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, traveling, and spending time with family and friends, accompanied by love and laughter.

EMAIL CAMILLE

Blair Jewell

EVENT AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Originally from Winchester, VA, Blair is a ‘14 graduate of Messiah College in Grantham, PA with a degree in communications. Shortly after her college graduation, she began working in Minor League Baseball. Her professional career began in Harrisburg, PA, in community relations with the Harrisburg Senators. Her journey then brought her to Kannapolis, NC, in 2017, where she joined the Kannapolis Intimidators. She spearheaded promotions, marketing, community engagement, and social media efforts for the team. She was an integral part of their rebranding of the club to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in ’19 and played a key role in the opening of the new ballpark in downtown Kannapolis. During her 5 years working for the Kannapolis Intimidators/Cannon Ballers, she held a variety of roles, but her most recent position was Director of Social Media and Partnership Coordinator. In 2023, after 8+ years in baseball, she was ready for a career shift, but she’ll always be Minor League Baseball’s #1 fan!

Throughout her MiLB career, she had the opportunity to work with a variety of non-profits through ballpark fundraising and auctions, volunteering, ballpark activations, and awareness campaigns. The most impactful memories of her career have been creating experiences and memories for people at the ballpark and working to bring smiles to people’s faces. These experiences have helped to catapult her passion for making a difference in people’s lives, and she can’t wait to channel this energy and enthusiasm into her new role as Events and Outreach Coordinator for the Cool Kids Campaign!

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, going to baseball games, and spending time with her family and friends.

EMAIL BLAIR