Board Trustees

A distinguished group of professionals help guide the growth and fulfill the mission of Second Chance Toys:

Sasha Lipton - Associate Director, Production & Activation, Condé Nast

Bronna Lipton - Former Executive Director, Second Chance Toys

Sherry Marin Altman - Principal, Booz Allen Hamilton

Shelly Lipton - Managing Principal, GrownUpMarketing

Drew Trautman (Board Chairman) - Franchise Partner, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

Eddie Geller- Founder and CEO, SKOR

Sasha Lipton, SCT Founder - Associate Director, Production & Activation, Condé Nast (New York)

Sasha Lipton is no stranger to community service work and helping others. At a young age she spent time with her father delivering food to homebound seniors for Meals On Wheels. Over the years she has worked at numerous soup kitchens and also sponsored a child from the Dominican Republic through Children International. In the summer of 2006, Sasha volunteered as a counselor at Camp Sunshine, a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It was during the same summer that she got the idea for Second Chance Toys.

Driving with her mom through neighboring towns, Sasha saw many toys being disposed of at the curb, and most of them were as good as new. It got her thinking about how discarding toys was wasteful and terrible for the environment, and that many children would love to have them. As a result of her vision and efforts, Second Chance Toys is now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and tens of thousands of toys have been and continue to be donated to organizations throughout the United States and internationally.

Because of the uniqueness and dual nature of the program, Sasha's efforts have been featured in numerous newspapers and on television and radio shows, including locally on ABC TV and nationally on Good Morning America as well as NBC TV news stations, WOR News Talk Radio, NPR, Fox News, and cover stories in the New Jersey Star Ledger. In addition, Sasha has been a featured speaker at the Good and Green Marketing Conference in Chicago regarding the impact of Second Chance Toys on the environment and children.

Sasha's efforts have been recognized with a President's Volunteer Service Award on behalf of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. She was a Distinguished Finalist and recipient of the bronze medallion from the 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for outstanding volunteer work, and she was recognized with a Resolution from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders for her work in the community.

A graduate of Northwestern University, Sasha works in New York City where she is an Associate Director of Production & Activation at Condé Nast. Her vision for Second Chance Toys is to build it into a thriving national charitable organization with community involvement and impact coast to coast and far beyond.

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Bronna Lipton - Former Executive Director, Second Chance Toys (New York)

Bronna Lipton has been with Second Chance Toys (SCT) since its inception. She was there when her daughter and future founder of Second Chance Toys, Sasha, first spotted all the plastic toys being tossed at the curb in their neighborhood. Sasha consequently came up with the brilliant idea to rescue the toys that launched SCT.

Since that day in 2006, when Sasha picked up the toys and put them into their SUV, Bronna has been on the front lines, working to grow the organization, expanding the number of organizations served by SCT and instituting programs to rally recycling centers, schools, corporations, moms, children and families around the idea of helping disadvantaged children and the environment. 

Bronna has used her varied skill set and background as vice president Hispanic Media and Marketing, Burson-Marsteller Public Relations, teaching elementary and high school Spanish, and as a dancer on Broadway, to enhance her role as Executive Director at Second Chance Toys. During her tenure, SCT was recognized by the NJ Education Association, the Association of NJ Recyclers, Waste Wise, Sustainable Jersey, and SCT received the NJ Department of Environmental Protection Award. 

A graduate of Northwestern University, Bronna has a B.A. in Spanish, augmented by a summer studies program at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and a practicum at Colegio Internacional de Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela. 

Why SCT: “It has been one incredible journey since the very first day that Sasha decided to do something about toys being thrown out at the curb. The continued growth and evolution of Second Chance Toys has been both exciting and a learning experience. The amazing reaction and reception to the organization, and the acute need that it fulfills, propels me forward with enthusiasm.”

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Sherry Marin Altman - Principal, Booz Allen Hamilton (Washington, DC)

Sherry Marin Altman is an experienced professional in the areas of business strategy and environmental management. She is an MBA, an environmental engineer, and a career consultant — with over 15 years’ experience in management consulting, engineering consulting, and environmental consulting.

Sherry joined Booz Allen Hamilton in 2001, and is now part of the top 3% leadership of this 22,000 person, $5B strategy and technology consulting firm. As a Principal/Director, Sherry leads Booz Allen’s Commercial Strategy practice and Pivotal Growth service offering. She works with for-profit, non-profit, and government organizations, advising senior leadership on some of their most critical and strategic issues. Her projects include market analysis, market entry strategy, competitive intelligence, business planning, investment advisory, and organizational transformation. She has led alternative energy investment strategies for multiple clients, covering wind, solar PV and solar thermal. She also recently completed a diversification growth strategy for a client with an innovative technology for energy recovery from industrial processes.

Prior to Booz Allen, Sherry was an Energy and Environmental consultant with Sentech, where she managed DOE and EPA projects, including support to the ENERGY STAR program. Sherry was also previously a Transportation Planner with Urbitran Associates, where she supported State transportation agencies, including MTA Metro North Railroad and Connecticut DOT.

On the volunteer front, in addition to SCT, Sherry is an inaugural member of the Mentor Capital Network, where she reviews business plans and advises early-stage social and eco-entrepreneurs on their multi-bottom-line companies.

Sherry holds an MBA and a Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) from Yale University, and a bachelors in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University.

Why SCT: "I loved the premise of SCT from the moment I read about it. I am a mother of 3 young children and an environmental professional. With each child’s birthday, and with each holiday season, I watch as my children unwrap far too many toys -- and while I appreciate the generosity of our friends and family, I also cringe at the piles of plastic parts accumulating in my home; toys thrown astray after their fun has worn off. I know these toys have a longer life to live, and Second Chance Toys is an opportunity to take action; where I can reduce environmental impacts while also bringing the joy of toys to children in need."

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Shelly Lipton - Managing Principal, GrownUpMarketing (New York)

Shelly brings considerable experience in direct and digital marketing, business development, and social media to strategic business engagements. His mastery of the entire spectrum of 'commercial persuasion' gives him a particular vantage point that enables him to conceive and manage business concepts that integrate the ideal mix of marketing touch points.

Shelly honed his integrated marketing skills early on when as a vice president at Young & Rubicam (Y&R) his responsibilities included strategic planning, involving integrated advertising, direct marketing, and public relations activities. As part of an internal marketing task force, Shelly spent time with sister agencies including Wunderman, Y&R’s direct- marketing arm where is was attracted to the quantifiable aspects of direct response.

After nearly a decade in the corporate world, Shelly took to the entrepreneurial side and founded LCG to develop integrated direct and digital marketing initiatives targeting the multicultural consumer markets. Following 10 years of double-digit growth, Publicis Groupe acquired LCG, and the newly formed Bienestar LCG Communications subsequently merged with a sister agency creating a top-ten multicultural marketing agency.

With a continued thirst for the start-up world, Shelly founded Community Direct, a direct marketing company where he developed a mobile-based customer acquisition platform resulting in successful programs for Fortune 500 companies.

After four years building Community Direct, Shelly exited to become part of the executive leadership strartup team at Grandparents.com. As chief marketing officer, he was responsible for directing growth strategies and the consumer and trade marketing for the premier online community. Under his leadership the company grew its subscriber base and monthly traffic tenfold. Following three years at Grandparents.com, Shelly formed GrownUpMarketing, a strategic marketing consultancy that includes top digital, social and mobile media companies as clients. He is presently building CoreBarreFit, an online community for health & wellness.

Why SCT: “As Second Chance Toys became a family affair, I quickly assumed the role as webmaster. After launching our website, it was exciting to witness firsthand the power of the Internet and watch Second Chance Toys grow exponentially as a result. It is a pleasure to devote time to growing an organization that is rooted in helping children and the environment. The evolution of Second Chance Toys is a confirmation that we all can make a difference if we put in the time and the effort.”

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Drew Trautman (Board Chairman) - Franchise Partner, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? (New Jersey Northeast)

Drew Trautman is the owner of one of the most successful franchises in the 1-800-GOT-JUNK? system. Opening the franchise in 2007, he has been recognized as a leader in the organization and has won multiple Top Performer Awards including Franchise of the Year in 2008.

Drew is passionate about giving back to the community. Through his businesses, he actively partners with local organizations such as Susan G. Komen, Soles4Souls, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, NYC Aids Walk, NYC Botanical Gardens, Community Food Bank of NJ, and of course, Second Chance Toys.

Prior to Drew’s current ventures, he worked for the corporate headquarters of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. He coached and worked on-site with Franchise Partners consulting on all aspects of their businesses.

Before 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Drew worked for the Entrepreneurs Organization. He holds the distinct honor of being the first employee to return as a full member of the prestigious organization.

Drew has a B.A. in Economics and Environmental Science from the University of Virginia; He is an accomplished athlete having completed over 20 triathlons including three Ironman and five half-Ironman distance races. In addition, he’s run over 10 marathons. Drew currently resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and daughter.

Why SCT: “Being in the waste/junk business, I’ve seen first-hand the amount of plastic toys that are discarded and ultimately could (and sometimes do) end up in landfills. In 2007, shortly after launching my business, I ran across a story about Second Chance Toys and reached out to see if we could help their cause. It’s been an absolute pleasure partnering with SCT to help children and the environment. It’s a natural fit for my business and my personal beliefs and I can’t be more excited to assist in helping shape the future of SCT!”

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