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Our Team
Issaquah Team
Coach Stanley | Issaquah Center Manager
Coach Stanley has been coaching at Chess4Life for over 10 years. He was born and raised in the Greater Seattle Area. He learned how to play chess from his cousin when he was seven years old, and the game has since become a lifelong passion of his. As a graduate of the University of Washington, Stanley has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy but decided to pursue chess coaching full-time after graduating. As a chess coach, Stanley focuses on trying to make chess fun and tries to have them adopt a "win, draw, learn" mindset when it comes to chess improvement. Aside from chess, Stanley enjoys traveling, photography, and playing basketball.
Coach Chris
Bio coming soon
Coach Langston
Bio coming soon
Coach Ben
Bio coming soon
Coach Atreya
Bio coming soon
Bellevue Team
Coach Joshua | Bellevue Center Manager
Coach Joshua has worked with Chess4Life for over 7 years, and has led our Nationals Training Team along with developing curriculum for our Online Premium Classes. He is a very calm and patient presence ready to engage his students in game analysis alongside some great sci-fi jokes! He is a tournament director and regular chess player in regional tournaments.
Coach Kyden
Coach Kyden learned to play chess when he was 7 and immediately fell in love with the game. Chess taught him so many lessons about patience, thoughtful attention, and sportsmanship. As a chess coach, his goal is to instill those life lessons in all of my students while also making sure they can understand and enjoy the beauty of the complex strategies of chess.
Licensing Team
Jill Downey | Instructional Designer
Jill Downey grew up with a chessboard on the kitchen table as soon as dinner was cleared. A life-long educator, Jill knows the benefit of turning a mistake into meaningful learning. She earned her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education in 2010 and in the same year joined Chess4Life as a chess coach to preschoolers after school. After twenty years as a classroom teacher, Jill now supports our partnering programs and writes curriculum mapped directly to learning objectives. Snow skiing in the winter and kayaking in the summer, Jill and her family enjoy all the outdoor activities available in the great Pacific Northwest.
Corporate Team
Angie Provenzano | Program Administrator / Customer Experience / Billing
Angie Provenzano has over 30 years of customer relationship and business experience. She is driven by providing the best care parents and students can receive and is passionate about creating a place where students can have fun while learning valuable life experiences.
Lauren Pruitt | Graphic Design / Program Administrator
Lauren Pruitt is dedicated to creating engaging visuals that spark joy and excitement about chess for parents and children. She enjoys helping to lead online tournaments, as well as creating vibrant learning and marketing projects.
Paul Faraca | Sr. Director of Operations
Paul Faraca has been helping kids learn and grow for over 20 years through various activities and programs. He believes learning through play is one of the best ways to empower children with essential skills to help them in all aspects of their lives. With a bachelor's degree in Recreation and an MBA, Paul gets the unique opportunity to combine his love of play and business here at Chess4Life.
Claire Flores | Executive Assistant
Claire Flores thrives on the intricacies of detail-oriented work and takes pride in using her organizational skills to provide support so that others are free to focus on educating and empowering students. Outside the office, she expresses her artistic talents through floral design, painting, and carpentry.
Elliott Neff | CEO/Founder
Elliott Neff is a National Master, CEO of Chess4Life, and author of A Pawn's Journey. What began for Elliott as a childhood fascination with chess has blossomed into an opportunity to positively impact tens of thousands of kids per week through Chess4Life programs. Elliott's coaching expertise is reflected in his certification as a USCF Level V Coach, an honor that fewer than a dozen top-level coaches in the US share. Elliott is a father and husband, and loves to spend time with his growing family!
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