Girls on the Run of the Triangle Staff

Juliellen Simpson-Vos is the Executive Director of Girls on the Run of the Triangle.  Juliellen comes to GOTR after more than 15 years of experience serving the early childhood and early intervention communities in a variety of ways and leadership positions.  Growing up, Juliellen watched and cheered her father across several finish lines as he completed countless races of varying miles.  Motivated by her father's accomplishments, Juliellen began running as a young adult and finds it an incredible way to get fit, stay focused, set goals, and find pride in many small and large successes.  As the mother of an 8 year old daughter (and GOTR participant) Juliellen has become increasingly aware of the pressures and life challenges young girls face today.  Her greatest desire for her daughter and girls like her is to recognize the countless and amazing gifts and unique talents they posses, while also recognizing their responsibilities to give back and positively influence others.

Working for Girls on the Run of the Triangle gives Juliellen a way to mold her passion for the health and wellbeing of children, along with her love for the benefits and life lessons that mentoring, running, and team work can bring.  Juliellen resides in Durham with her incredibly supportive husband, Mark and active daughter, Sydney Grace.

Danielle Irwin is the new Community Outreach Manager for Girls on the Run of the Triangle.

Susan Mehlman is the Program Manager of Girls on the Run of the Triangle. A northeast transplant, Susan has been involved with kids and sports for a long time. In addition to raising three active children of her own, she has been a long distance runner “forever". After running the Boston Marathon three times while raising money for Dana Farber, she realized how running can be so much more than just a form of exercise. She is commited to helping girls become empowered and healthy  through running and is excited to be part of Girls On The Run. Susan resides in North Raleigh with her husband, kids and many critters.

Melanie Aquilino is the Operations and Program Administrator for Girls on the Run of the Triangle. She has served in the non-profit sector for many years as a member of National Charity League, Inc which  focuses on leadership development for young girls. Through professional and other affiliations, Melanie has been involved in office operations, recruiting and training. Promoting programs centered on self-esteem building, realization of personal strength and balanced lifestyle has always been a passion. Having raised two daughters, Melanie now enjoys influencing and providing positive awareness and choices to many girls through Girls on the Run. Melanie resides in Chapel Hill with her husband and enjoys the opportunity to travel in - and out - of the country to catch up with her daughters!

Girls on the Run Board of Directors  

Meg Pomerantz joined the GOTR Board in 2008 because of her passion for exercise and sharing it with others. Meg directed the Physical Education Activities and Lifetime Fitness Programs at UNC Chapel Hill for 18 years and served as the Director of the Duke Faculty Club for 2 years.  She is currently working on a research project at the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center at UNC-CH.  Meg grew up a competitive swimmer, took up running and cycling in graduate school, and competed in triathlons for awhile. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for fitness, health, and the special qualities that they can foster with anyone who will listen.   Meg served as President of the board in 2009 and is now the Past President.

Susan Kitchen joined the Board of Directors of GOTR in 2009.  She received her Bachelors of Science from Meredith College and a Masters in Public Health in Nutrition and RD certification from UNC Chapel Hill in 1991.  Susan served as the Director of UNC's Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for 10 years.   Her dedication to fitness, healthy living and helping others achieve their goals has propelled her into a role model as an athlete, nutritionist and coach.   Already an accomplished marathoner, she has now completed 2 Ironman Races and is now training for her thrid.   As an advocate for children, Susan spends a great deal of time serving classroom needs at Rashkis Elementary School, is the chairperson for the NC Arts in Action program in Chapel Hill, serves on the board of the NC Children’s Hospital and is a former coach with GOTR in Chapel Hill.   She resides in Chapel Hill with her husband Jim and her son, Kenan (13) and daughter, Karsen (10)

Sarah Strunk is director of Active Living By Design (ALBD), part of the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill. ALBD creates community-led change by working with local and national partners to build a culture of active living and healthy eating. Sarah joined the GOTR board in 2009, having been a long-time enthusiast of the organization’s mission and focus. A graduate of Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill, Sarah resides in Durham and has lived in the Triangle area for most of her adult life. Although she was involved in team sports as a youth, Sarah is a relative newcomer to running. She averages 2-3 marathons a year and has seen firsthand how running can help build confidence, self-esteem, friendships and a healthy mind, body and spirit.     

Catherine (Cathy) Wides is new to GOTR Board but not to running or the way that running enriches life.  She has a 20-year passion for running and racing.  Cathy is a veteran of many races and holds North Carolina age group records at various distances.  She has previously served on the boards of the Springfield Road Runners and the Carolina Godiva Track Club.  Having raised two daughters, Cathy understands the importance of the mission of GOTR.  Professionally, Cathy is a CPA, and has worked for 30 years in various positions with the Internal Revenue Service.  

Jennifer Ma joined the Board of Directors in 2010.  A native of Raleigh, Jennifer graduated with a double degree in English and Economics-Operations Research from Columbia University in 2004.  After college, she taught in the public school system in Yilan City, Taiwan, on a Fulbright Fellowship.  She lived in Seattle briefly but realized she missed North Carolina, so she returned to the area to Duke University School of Law where she graduated, magna cum laude, in 2009.  During law school, Jennifer was heavily involved in public interest work, holding several positions on the law school’s Public Interest & Pro Bono Board.  Her work as a teacher as well as a guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children in Durham gave her a keen interest in fostering the healthy growth of children.  Although Jennifer is not a marathon runner by any means, she enjoys running and believes in the kaleidoscope of benefits it provides, particularly in conjunction with a program like GOTR.  Her most memorable race from recent times was a 5K on October 31, 2009 in Chapel Hill, done -- in costume -- with some of her favorite professors from law school.  Jennifer is currently an associate with Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein and lives in downtown Raleigh.  

 Amy Lau is serving her fourth year on the Board and her fourth season as Duke School's GOTR site contact. She learned about GOTR from her own running group. She runs often and greatly appreciates the social, personal, and physical benefits of fitness. Amy played a variety of sports while growing up -- softball, field hockey, basketball, etc -- and has been a runner since 1998. She has completed five marathons including Boston, NY, Charlottesville, and VA Beach. Professionally, Amy has been an elementary school teacher for ten years and currently teaches second grade at Duke School in Durham. She entered teaching as part of The NYC Teaching Fellows Program and taught in the Bronx for four years. AT WG Pearson Elementary School in Durham, she worked as a fourth grade teacher during 2006-2007 and the Technology Facilitator from 2007-2008. Amy has worked with children from a variety of communities and sees the daily impact of the GOTR mission

Tracy Harris joined the Board of Directors of GOTR-Triangle in January 2010 and is currently a partner at Parish Capital Advisors, a Chapel Hill, NC-based private equity firm with over $2 billion in assets under management.  Tracy brings experience in development, finance, and overall business strategy to the board. She became involved in Girls on the Run due to the positive impact that sports and running have made in her life – beginning in adolescence and continuing through today.  She is a passionate runner, having completed 10 marathons and numerous other  races over the past 10 years. Tracy lives in Chapel Hill with her husband, Rich