about us


	About Us

	On this page, you will find information about Girls on the Run, our founder, Molly Barker, our staff, our board and our coaches. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

	About Our Program

Girls on the Run is an after school program for third through fifth grade girls that uses the power of exercise and positive mentoring to “prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living”. Through interactive activities, running, playing games, and discussing important issues, girls learn how to celebrate being girls. The program focuses on building self-esteem and improving emotional and physical health.

Girls on the Run meets after school twice a week for twelve weeks. Girls are coached by women volunteers from the athletic and business community who serve as healthy role models. Girls are taught specific life lessons such as dealing with body image and the media, resisting peer pressure and making healthy decisions. At the end of the program, each girl has a goal to complete a non-competetive 5K run/walk event.

During the 12-week program, girls are empowered with a greater self-awareness, a sense of achievement and a foundation in team building to help them become strong, contented and self-confident young women.

Our goal is to empower all girls to:

have a strong sense of identity
give and receive support from a group
stand up for themselves in a healthy manner
have a healthy body image
understand the importance of their community
complete a 5k run/walk event

The girls will meet for an hour and fifteen minutes twice a week for 12 weeks, for a total of 24 lessons. At the end of the season the girls have worked up to, and complete a community 5k event to celebrate their accomplishments throughout the season. Upon completion of the program, the girls have learned lessons that apply to real life and have a set of “tools” to deal with peer pressure and other uncomfortable situations so they can live their lives according to their own values.

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	About Molly Barker, Founder

Molly Barker, MSW and four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete is a visionary. Using her expertise in counseling and teaching along with research on adolescent issues, she founded Girls on the Run® in Charlotte, North Carolina. Girls on the Run® is a non-profit organization with the mission of educating and preparing girls for a life-time of self-respect and healthy living. The innovative, experiential program combines training for a 5k event with life-changing self-esteem enhancing lessons that enhance social, physical and mental health in 8 – 12 year old girls.

Molly began running at the age of 15 - an age when she found herself stuck in the “girl box”, where only girls who were a certain size with a certain beauty were popular; where girls who wanted to fit in had to mold their bodies and their personalities to fit the requirements of the box.

Molly kept running. During a sunset run in 1993, she found the inspiration that grew into Girls on the Run®. In 1996 she developed the earliest version of the 24-lesson curriculum with the help of 13 brave girls. 26 girls came the next season, then 75, and so the program grew. In 2000, Girls on the Run International, a 501c-3 organization was born.

Today, there are Girls on the Run® programs in over 150 cities across North America, with tens of thousands of girls and women participating. In 2007, Girls on the Run® will host over 70 end-of-season 5k events across the United States and Canada. Molly and Girls on the Run have been featured in many media outlets including People, Runner’s World, Redbook, Women’s Day, O Magazine, Running Times, CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, NBC News, NPR, ESPN and Forbes. In 2006, Molly was the recipient of several prestigious national awards including Redbook magazine’s “Strength and Spirit Award” which recognizes individuals who are building a better future for all of us, the “Woman’s Day Award” from Woman’s Day magazine which salutes individuals who have used their vision and heart to help fix pressing problems and the highly prestigious “Heroes of Running Award” from Runner’s World magazine. Corporate sponsors for Girls on the Run International include New Balance Athletic Shoe and Apparel Company, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Goody’s Hair Products.

Molly’s book, “Girls on Track, A Parent’s Guide to Inspiring our Daughters to Achieve a Lifetime of Self-Esteem and Respect”, was an Amazon top ten pick for best parenting book of 2004. Her newest book “Girls Lit from Within” is written directly for young girls and shares an inspiring and positive message.

The true success of the program, however, is told in the words of its past and present participants. “I used to be shy, but now I’m not anymore.” “I know that whatever I set my mind to do, I can do.” “Girls on the Run helps me feel awesome about myself!”

That is success.

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	About Our Staff

Lisa Hilbert, Co-Director, has a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science, with Business and Math minors from Hope College, Holland Michigan. She spent 15 years in the computer industry in a technical sales and marketing roles. She has been coaching soccer and softball teams for over 15 years. Currently, Lisa is a Physical Education teacher at Grant Elementary school in Petaluma. She has always been involved in sports like softball, tennis and soccer, and she’s been an avid runner for 25 years competing in many races such as 10K's, marathons and triathlons. Lisa has three athletic children ages 15, 12 and 8, and finds time to keep running.

Catrina Dierke, Co-Director, holds an MBA in Strategic Leadership and lives in Sebastopol with her husband and children. She has over 10 years operations and management experience in the software industry, and is currently an independent marketing communications specialist. She is passionate about helping others reach their full potential. Running and other sports have been a part of her life since childhood. Now she runs to keep up with her three young kids.

Erin Devincenzi, Program Coordinator, is the mother of three children, six, ten and twelve years old. She is a graduate from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has a teaching credential from Dominican College. She was a first and second grade teacher for 11 years. She started running after her second child was born and ran her first marathon before her third child. She has completed a marathon a year since 2000 and has participated in many triathlons. She has coached her daughter's soccer team and enjoys watching all the various sports her children are involved in. She is grateful for the chance to work with young girls and share her love and enthusiasm for running and healthy living.

Liz Sinna, Running Buddy Coordinator, is passionate about physical fitness. During her more than twenty years of running experience, she has participated in many races and completed three marathons, including the Boston marathon. She is an active member of the Empire Running Club. Biking and walking are also ways she has found to stay active and fit. When an opportunity came for Liz to devote full time to physical fitness, she studied hard and received her Personal Fitness Trainer's Certificate. She now finds she enjoys helping people make fitness a part of their lifestyle and reach their personal fitness goals.

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About Our Board

Allen Cortez, M.D., is a graduate from the University of Michigan Medical School and spent six long years completing his residency in General Surgery at the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. As a physician, he knows the benefits of remaining active and healthy. As a father of two young girls, he understands the importance of instilling in girls a sense of self esteem and healthy behavior at a young age. He is relatively new to running, and has run a few non-competitive events, including a fund raiser for GOTR Sonoma County. Kelly Cooper has a degree in Economics and Art History from Dartmouth College and a certificate in Fashion Design from the Paris American Academy. She has been with Athleta as VP of Merchandising, Design and Product Development since moving from the East Coast in 2004. She is an avid downhill skier, tennis player, knitter and runner- having completing 2 half marathons. She is passionate about her career, her sports, her family- husband and Chef Willie and two girls, age 9 and 12, their animals including two English Cocker Spaniels (a.k.a. running buddies), and last but not least- her fantastic friends and coworkers. Erin Devincenzi is the mother of three children, 6, 10 and 12 years old. She is a graduate from the University of California Santa Barbara and has a teaching credential from Dominican College. She was a first and second grade teacher for 11 years. She started running after her second child was born and ran her first marathon before her third child. She has completed a marathon a year since 2000 and has participated in many triathlons. She has coached her daughter's soccer team and enjoys watching all the various sports her children are involved in. She is grateful for the chance to work with young girls and share her love and enthusiasm for running and healthy living. Catherine DuBay has a degree in Kinesiology and is the General Manager of Montecito Health Club. She coaches HS cross country and track and has raced as an elite runner since the early 1980’s. She has had recent success as a Master’s runner, winning the P.A. USTAF cross-country championships in 2004, was the 17th American female in the New York City Marathon in 2005 and won the Nike Women’s Half-Marathon in 2006. Running has made a significant impact in Catherine’s life. Together with her husband, Catherine is raising two young daughters and hopes they too, will be inspired by sport and grow to understand the importance of incorporating it into everyday life. Gopa Green, M.D., is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and completed her Internal Medicine and Nephrology training at the Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis. She is co-editor of the best-selling Washington Manual of Medicine and has a strong commitment to medical education. She is currently in practice as a nephrologist in Santa Rosa, specializing in the management of chronic kidney disease, dialysis, high blood pressure, and kidney transplant recipients. Her husband, Doug, is a vascular surgeon and an avid runner, and their 4-year old daughter keeps them both running. Victoria Linsky, D.D.S., is a graduate from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and completed her orthodontic residency also at UConn. As an orthodontist, she works primarily with children and teenagers she understands the importance of instilling healthy nutrition and lifestyle during these formative years. A former competitive swimmer, Victoria completed her first triathlon during her residency. Since moving to California, she has continued swimming, cycling and running with her very energetic Weimeraner Lili.

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