Our Team
Second Chance Toys is kept up and running with the help of a number of great staff members and volunteers.
Zoe Cook-Nadel, Director
Dan Gervais, Chief Technology Officer
Zoe Cook-Nadel is an active conservationist and very proud to be a part of the SCT team. She previously worked as a conservation and animal educator at New Jersey’s largest zoo, where her passion for environmental stewardship blossomed. In this position Zoe led participants of all ages to understand the importance of sustainability by creating interactive programming and utilizing animal ambassador encounters to build more personal connections. She also led private tours, handled and presented about a variety of animals, and co-created a seasonal science-themed children’s subscription box service. Zoe’s time at the zoo not only solidified her strong dedication to our natural world but also honed her interpersonal skills.
Zoe graduated from the Pennsylvania State University where she earned her B.A. in Economics with a focus in Public Health and Human Resource Economics as well as minors degrees in Hebrew and Italian Language. Zoe also worked as an Italian language tutor and a development specialist with the fundraising team for the university.
Why SCT? “The decision to join Second Chance Toys was an absolute no-brainer. Both aspects of our mission: preventing plastics from entering landfills while simultaneously providing enriching experiences to children are both extremely close to my heart. As humans it is our responsibility to gain a more sustainable mindset and participate in the conservation of natural resources and all of earth’s habitats. SCT proves to us that these seemingly impossible or unnecessary goals are in fact attainable and of the utmost importance for our planet and our people.”
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Dan Gervais, Chief Technology Officer
Dan Gervais is a seasoned C-level technology and operations executive with over 20 years of experience building on-line Internet SaaS model business information systems for start-up organizations. He has deep knowledge of the software, hardware, and staffing challenges in designing, building, and supporting web products that handle large amounts of users, transactional data, content management, search systems, and advanced dynamic user profiles and access control. He has overseen application software development, UX, content development, product development, customer service, systems administration, cloud systems, vendor relationships, back office software and hardware design and implementation, communications systems, and data center management.
He earned his undergraduate degree from University of California, San Diego and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from University of California, Irvine. Dan also serves as President of the Eureka Springs community home owners association a 340 home suburban community in Escondido, CA
Why SCT: "I joined the team because Second Chance Toys has a wonderful vision of helping others as well as doing good for our planet. Sasha has inspired me and I hope to have the same type of drive and compassion in my 6 year old boy and girl twins. Giving and conservation are excellent values to instill in all people, plus having something that touches the numerous underprivileged children out there is an even better bonus."
