Erica Woda

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Erica Woda conceived the vision for Level The Field while teaching at a public school in the South Bronx. She taught elementary school for three years and earned her Master's in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service in 2009. Erica is an alumna of Columbia University where she played varsity soccer for four years and earned a degree in Political Science. Erica embodied the role of the student-athlete that she promotes through Level The Field, as she earned a degree from one of the top Universities in the nation while playing sports at the highest level of the NCAA. Erica was named to the All-Ivy Academic team twice and was awarded Second Team All-Ivy League honors when she captained the team her senior year.

Julia Nosov-Hoverman

Founder and Chief Operating Officer

Julia Nosov-Hoverman grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine where she graduated with a BA in Economics. Julia currently works as a hedge fund analyst at Measurisk, a subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase in New York City. Having played soccer and basketball throughout high school, Julia was able to experience the advantages of participating in team sports first hand. Because of these benefits, Julia feels it is important that other children are given the same opportunities to partake in organized activities outside of the classroom.

Hunter Hackney

Chief Financial Officer

Hunter Hackney originally hales from Dallas, Texas. He attended Jesuit College Preparatory, were he won a state championship in Baseball. Hunter played Baseball and Water polo at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut before transferring to Columbia University. After college Hunter lived in Dallas and coached a very successful select baseball team, the Dallas Barracudas, when not working in commercial real-estate. That team now has three players playing for Ivy League schools. After leaving Dallas, Hunter moved to China and won an Industrial League Championship for Dongguan China.

Anna Bacon

Director of Communication

Anna Bacon grew up in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. She attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and was a member of the Bates College Varsity Crew team as well as a ski racer. Anna and Erica Woda (the LTF Founder) met while studying abroad in Seville, Spain in 2003. Anna works as an Associate Buyer at Macys in New York City. Anna loves working with children and looks forward to updating the members of the LTF program on our progress, and also working to empower our participants alongside our student-athletes.

Jaclyn Chu

Director of Development

Jaclyn received her BA in English from Columbia University. After graduating from Columbia, she worked for a national media research company in New York. Jaclyn then relocated to Los Angeles where she worked at a premier word-of-mouth marketing agency and then at a start-up media software company helping to establish operations in Los Angeles and, subsequently, New York. She is now pursuing entrepreneurial ventures and is very active within the non-profit network in New York City for various charities. At Columbia, she was a member of the Women's Varsity Soccer team, teammates with Erica Woda, and a member of the Women's Varsity Lacrosse team. Being a native New Yorker, she has strong ties to the city and its people and looks forward to helping LTF students excel and succeed.

Tara DiGerlando

Graphic Designer

Tara grew up in Summit, New Jersey and attended college at Temple University in Philadelphia. After graduating with a degree in communications, Tara moved to New York City to pursue a career in the film industry, as an art department coordinator and graphic artist for film and television productions. The daughter of two teachers, Tara had always been drawn to the lasting impacts a person can have in the world of education. She ultimately decided to change careers and pursue a master's degree in general education and literacy as well as teach ceramics classes at P.S. 75 and the 92nd Street Y. Now, a graduate student at the Bank Street School of Education, Tara is putting her dreams of transforming the lives of students into action. After meeting Erica through a mutual friend, Tara teamed-up in the early stages of creating LTF, employed her artistic and graphic talents to create the logo of Level The Field.

Katie Jones

Director of Operations

Katie Jones is in her fifth year as the Director of Sports Camps at Columbia University. She oversees all of the sports camps at Columbia and has developed the successful Cubs Camp, a sports day camp for children aged 6 to 12, since its inception. Katie also served as the Director of Women's Basketball Operations during her first two years at Columbia, coordinating team travel and meal arrangements, managing community outreach and assisting the head coach with budget management.

Originally from Georgia, Katie earned a B.A. from Samford University, an M.A. in Physical Education from Columbia University Teachers College, and an M.S. in Sports Management from Columbia. Katie previously taught high-school Spanish and coached basketball and softball in the metro-Atlanta area, during which time she was named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers. In addition, she has organized Young Life programming and weekend camps and worked with inner city children in after-school programs.

Diana Parente

Education Specialist

Diana Parente grew up in Northport, Long Island and received her B.A. from Syracuse University. While at Syracuse University, Diana was a member of the soccer team and majored in Political Science. Diana has always had the dream of combining her passions for education and sports. Diana’s passions prompted her to get her Masters in Social Studies Education from New York University. Currently, Diana is a New York City Public School Teacher and soccer Coach for both her high school and the Empire State Big Apple Games. In addition, she is pursuing another Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy at New York University. Diana and Erica Woda, Founder and CEO of LTF, met while they were both being recruited to play soccer for Syracuse University. They reconnected later in life and realized they had the same goals of promoting education and athletics.

Lindsay Danielson

Lead Intern

Lindsay Danielson grew up in Tampa, Florida and attended Clearwater Central Catholic High School where she excelled in track and soccer. Both sports led her to Columbia University where she ran track her freshman year and is currently a member of the Women's Soccer team. She has loved working with children her whole life, whether it has been coaching youth swim teams or babysitting, being an active member of the Friends of Jaclyn organization or running youth soccer clinics. Lindsay is currently a junior at Columbia University where she is majoring in English and is part of the Education Program.