Amy joined The Depot as Executive Director in the spring of 2023. Amy has extensive experience in marketing, communications, events and sponsorship and has held leadership roles in organizations including Greenwich Education Group, the New York Yankees, Westfield Shopping Centers, Boston Properties and the Back Bay Restaurant Group. She has held board and leadership positions at non-profits including the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Back Bay Association and NYC & Co. 

Locally, Amy has been an active member of Greenwich Together, Stamford’s Cradles to Careers, and various Darien organizations, serving as Co-Chair of the Tokeneke PTO, Community and Nominating Chair of the Councel of Darien School Parents (CDSP), and is currently on the Executive Board of Thriving Youth Darien. Prior to joining the staff of The Depot, she served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Board for The Depot. 

Amy has lived in Darien with her husband and two children for over a decade. She is thrilled to be partnering with the community to showcase the benefits of The Depot to a new generation of Darien teens and tweens! 

James joined The Depot as the Youth Program Director in June of 2023. James has a vast background in working with students through middle school and high school ages. He previously worked for a non-profit at the Institute of Professional Practice where he served as their wrap-around worker. He also was a teacher and program director with the West Haven School System. Most recently, he has worked with the Wilton Parks and Recreation department and coached collegiate soccer at Albertus Magnus College. While he was coaching at Albertus, he also received his master’s degree in business administration. 

James looks forward to working with and getting to know Darien’s middle and high school students as he works closely with them to make The Depot their spot to connect, grow and give back! 

Terry joined The Depot staff in the spring of 2023.  She is a licensed School Counselor in CT and previously worked at Ridgefield Academy, Norwalk High School, St. Luke’s School and at Project Return in Westport. She especially enjoys  developing programming for and working with middle school students in a group setting.  

Prior to being a School Counselor Terry pursued a career in marketing, account services and business development at Time-Warner and Viacom.  Terry has a BA in history from Boston College, an MS in Advertising from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a Masters of School Counseling from Fairfield University.  

Terry lives in Wilton with her husband Scott, has two grown sons and two beloved dogs.  In her spare time she enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, reading, writing, traveling, cooking and practicing mindfulness. 

Tyler is in his Junior year at Darien High School. During his free time he throughly enjoys working on and restoring cars and motorcycles.  He also loves playing soccer and spending time with friends and family. He plans to go to a college with a great business program and possibly work towards a masters degree, and right now he also enjoys working part time at The Depot. Tyler oversees the kids as they play, cooks for them in the kitchen and helps to make sure they are safe and having fun!

Charlie Hatchett is the facilitator of M3 Mindset curriculum. In addition he is a USAYO speaker, business owner of Won Nutrition, founder of H.I.M., Inc. and a certified Power of Positive Leadership speaker and trainer. 

Before stepping into these roles he was an All-American athlete who played basketball, football, and track and field. After a successful college football career where he was an All-American 3 years in a row, he turned pro in 2012. After getting opportunities to work with the Jets and Falcons, but not landing an NFL contract, he was blessed with the opportunity to earn his first contract with the BC Lions of the CFL where he played linebacker and earned rookie honors. While at Cornerstone Christian Center, Charlie served as the Director of Student Ministries for five years and then in 2021 he became the Associate Pastor over children, youth and young adults. He has spent his time over the years ministering and discipling students and congregants. 

Over the past four years, Charlie has spoken to hundreds of individuals in both personal and large group settings as a speaker. He has visited universities such as Brown, Cornell, Yale and Quinnipiac, where he both encouraged and provided life-changing strategies to students and staff members. 

Charlie is now preparing for the 2024 Olympics to throw shot put, but more importantly is devoted to helping youth develop in mind, body and soul. Charlie was born and raised in Connecticut and is a husband to his wife Virginia and the father of three beautiful baby girls Charlotte, Violet, and Evangeline. 

Emily Larkin just completed eight years as The Community Fund of Darien’s Thriving Youth Program Director. In this role, she worked with community partners, administering state and federal grants aimed at youth mental health promotion and substance use prevention. Prior to this role, she worked for five years at a residential care and counseling program for high school students in Vermont. 

Emily is a licensed, master’s level social worker and earned her MSW from Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service. In 2018, she was selected as one of Fairfield County Business Journal’s “40 under 40.” Emily’s favorite part of her work at The Community Fund was serving as a mentor to middle and high school students and leading student groups. 

She is thrilled to join The Depot as the empowHER advisor!

Gary has been working with Darien’s youth for over 10 years and will be serving as Advisor for The Depot’s Student League of Darien (SLOD), a secular group for high school boys and youth who identify with male development run by upperclassmen with the goal of mentoring freshman and sophomore boys in a fun and relaxing environment.

Gary has been a Designated Pastor of Youth, Young Families and Community since 2018 at Noroton Presbyterian Church in Darien, he also preaches and helps lead Bible Studies, Mission Trips and Recovery Groups.  

Gary received a B.S. in Business Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and earned his M.Div. at New York Theological Seminary. 

Gary adores and delights in his family. He and his wife Erica, a registered nurse, who works for a local urology practice, their daughter Arianna and their two sons Caleb and Zachariah live in Darien, CT. Gary loves speaking his wife’s love language which means quality time and acts of service! 

Hope has been a coach and a teacher for the past 30 years.  She has been involved with rowing for the past 20 years.  Her sons began at Maritime 6 years ago and she has been enjoying the adult rowing program most recently.  As a middle school cross country and soccer coach she enjoyed watching kids challenge themselves. Hope resides in Fairfield with her husband and 5 boys. She is thrilled to be bringing the Mind + Body Rowing program to The Depot and working with Darien middle schoolers!

Nikkia Ellis is a Prevention Educator at the Domestic Violence Crisis Center with over five years of experience helping K-12 students develop the positive social skills they need for healthy interpersonal relationships. Through interactive workshops and training sessions, she engages participants in thought-provoking discussions and activities that challenge societal norms and foster a culture of empathy and respect. 

Nikkia received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Charter Oat State College and is pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at Baylor University. 

She is committed to educating and empowering today’s youth so they are equipped to build a brighter and safer tomorrow.

Laura Emerson has been an educator for the Darien Public School system for the past 18 years. Ten years ago she joined forces with Scarlett Lewis the founder and CEO of the Choose Love movement. Laura was one of the curriculum developers and writers for the Choose Love enrichment program and she continues to share her knowledge of social and emotional learning skills in seminars and at Choose Love events throughout the country. She’s been a part of the Choose Love Movement since it’s initiation and has been sharing Jesse’s message with The Depot for the past 4 years. In her spare time she loves to play tennis, paint and ski. Laura is very excited to “have a lot of fun” and to share Jesse’s message of nurturing healing love. 

Phoebe Oler (she/her) is the Program Manager and Facilitator of Lighthouse, a program of Kids In Crisis. Phoebe is passionate about fostering meaningful communal belonging for youth of all backgrounds and traditions, recognizing that LGBTQ+ youth are present in all demographics. She graduated from Boston University in 2019 with a degree in Anthropology because of her passion for understanding human social and communal behavior. She then graduated from Yale Divinity School in 2019, where she studied multi-belief chaplaincy, community systems, and non-profit management. Phoebe believes fiercely in the power of social support in a person’s life, especially when it comes to maintaining mental health. Phoebe facilitates youth through social skills and a variety of topic discussions, some that pertain to LGBTQ+ identity and some that pertain to general teenage experiences. She also guides youth through recreational activities that help teenagers remember how to play and have fun together. Phoebe is very excited to partner with The Depot to provide this vital service to the LGBTQ+ youth of Darien.