Meet Our Team

Jennifer Kushell

Founder and CEO

Jen has been a relentless advocate for young leaders and entrepreneurs since her first year in college. As a child, she would pack all of her clothes in suitcases pretending to be a jetsetter. Since then she’s visited 50 countries, logging over 2 million miles throughout her lifelong quest to help driven young people fulfill their potential. Jen is today a global thought leader on youth employment and entrepreneurship, a celebrated speaker, trusted advisor, outspoken evangelist and New York Times Best Selling author of Secrets of the Young & Successful. She has been featured in front of 300 million by leading media, is a frequent delegate of US State Department entrepreneurship missions, Youth Advisor to the UN’s Sustainable Development Committee, and a Trustee of the Global Youth Empowerment Fund. Building YSN into a global resource for the billion young people entering the workforce is her dream in the making.
Image: David J. Stine

David J. Stine

Co-founder/Chief Creative Officer

David is a celebrated designer and photographer. UX design, web development, package design, and publishing are a few of his passions. David’s design background is quite diverse, from museum curation and design to packaging design to digital and user experience design. He enjoys designing from original concept and the challenge of evolving while staying “on brand.” An instrumental part of YSN and EYP for over 8 years, he is responsible for EYP's celebrated visual impact and aesthetic. Previously, David led the design for YSN's campaigns for the International Franchise Association's NextGen in Franchising initiative, The Subway Global Challenge, and numerous other workshops, boot camps, and events by EYP with the White House, State Department, various embassies, and project partners around the world.
Image: Albert Unrath

Albert Unrath

Learning Architect / Instructional Designer / LMS Admin

Al wears multiple hats at EYP, ranging from Learning Architect to LMS Administrator. His passion is problem solving, especially when it comes to developing learning that meets a student's goal. He holds a Masters of Science in Instructional Technology from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania and teaches graduate courses in Instructional Design and E-Learning Development, at Harrisburg University. His mind is always looking for ways of creating authentic learning opportunities. As an avid car guy he has even used his antique cars as part of a "Please, Touch, Ride, and Learn” approach in home school education.
Image: Olivia Pool

Olivia Pool

Writer and Editor

With a background in print and online media, entrepreneurship, and psychology, Olivia is passionate about helping people get clear on who they are and how they can make a living doing what they love. As an editor, she gets to do exactly what she loves every day. She describes herself as an Authenticity Advocate, and Island Princess (she’s originally from the Seychelles Islands).
Image: Lori Snyder

Lori Snyder

Writer & Editor

Lori, a EYP writer and editor, is madly in love with words…especially the right ones. She holds a Masters of Professional Writing from USC; is a yoga teacher and the owner of Yoga: edit, offering editing services for the yoga community; and is a novelist represented by Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Also a science nerd, ocean lover, and former marine biologist, Lori worked on a boat teaching marine science and assisting in a blue shark tagging program. Less dramatically, in addition to her work with EYP, she currently leads writing and yoga retreats throughout Southern California.
Inmage: Melissa Brandzel

Melissa Brandzel

Editor

Melissa is an editor for EYP who works on anything and everything that needs wordsmithery. She holds degrees from UC Berkeley, where she said no to Birkenstocks, and Northwestern University, where she said yes to deep-dish pizza. Building on her experience in the advertising, entertainment, and publishing industries, she launched her own business and has worked as a freelance editor and/or writer on nearly forty magazines, including Entrepreneur, Bon Appétit, and Cosmopolitan, plus websites, books, marketing materials, and more. She occasionally reads words out loud as a voiceover actor. Melissa is passionate about traveling and has lived abroad in Italy, France, and Spain.