John Ballantine | Co-Founder

In 2008, John was taking his kids to enroll in youth sports and was asked to coach. He realized the world has changed; when he was a kid, he played outside every day. He learned, 62% of kids today are not playing sports due to financial constraints and PE and recess are being removed from schools to meet demands of state testing. As the research poured in, it was clear, the lack of physical activity has serious health effects on our kids. For the first time, we will see a generation of kids who have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. A year later, Every Kid Sports was born and created their mission, “Every Kids Deserves a Chance to Play!”

Every Kid Sports  is now a national organization in partnership with some of the largest organizations in America. John has spoken at events and worked with companies all over the county to help get more kids off the sidelines and into the game. John is a father of two amazing kids and husband to one of our founders, the wonderful and amazing Tara.

Brian Grossman | Co-Founder

Brian has rolled up his sleeves and helped in many different ways when Every Kid Sports (then KIDS in the GAME) came to be. He is passionate about giving kids the chance to play and making a difference in this world. He has over 20 years of professional experience working in start-up, early stage, and advanced company businesses with innovative technologies. Previously, Brian lived and worked in Taipei, Shanghai and Hong Kong during 1993-2002, and is a speaker of Mandarin Chinese.Brian is legal adviser to Every Kid Sports. He received his Juris Doctorate from Willamette University College of Law and is a member of the Oregon State Bar Association, is a proud graduate of Colorado College. As a co-founder and volunteer of Every Kid Sports, Brian has a vision of providing access to sports programs to underprivileged kids throughout the United States. He is partner to Carrie Allan and dad to her two wonderful kids. He can be found riding his mountain bike, kite boarding, skiing, or trail running with his dogs Inka and Bandit.

Natalie Hummel | Executive Director / Co-Founder

Natalie is super passionate about giving all kids the same opportunities to play sports that she had growing up. Imagining a world without kids in sports drives her passion for launching Every Kid Sports higher. Natalie brings more than 25 years experience of coaching, leading, and consulting a wide-spectrum of CEOs and Senior Executives ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small entrepreneurial start-ups to her work here at Every Kid Sports. For several years she has served on many different nonprofit organization boards, including the Working Wonders Children’s Museum.

As an athlete from childhood into her adult life, Natalie loves sports of all kinds. She played volleyball through college and played competitive and not-so-competitive softball for years. She brings leadership, technology design, compassion, and team spirit to Every Kid Sports. Natalie is the mother of two beautiful kids and wife to her amazing husband Steve. She has coached her son’s and daughter’s soccer teams , led Girl Scout Trips with her daughter, volunteers for her son’s high school robotics team and in her free time enjoys cooking, gardening, kickboxing, mountain biking, hiking, and traveling with her family.

Tara Ballantine | Co-Founder

As co-founder, Tara worked diligently to establish this nonprofit from the ground up – applying for 501(c)(3) status, creating policy and handbooks, managing volunteers, collaborating and developing the organization’s mission and vision statements, and her favorite – creating and managing programs like the Pass. As a former physical therapist and student athlete, she is enthusiastic about helping kids to be active and develop lifelong fitness and well-being. Tara made sure we were frugal with our money, considered our mission before decision-making, and treated everyone with respect. She is blessed with two amazing kids and married to founder, John.