The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas is proud to announce its 2026-2027 Teen Leadership Board cohort.
The Teen Leadership Board has quickly become the leading youth service organization of the Upstate, empowering the youth of tomorrow to grow into confident leaders with civic engagement at heart. It offers a unique combination of professional development and philanthropic programming that cannot be replicated by any other organization, led by RMHC’s Development Manager, Nicolette Occhifinto.
“The cohort we have this year is full of powerhouses,” said Nicolette. “These students are your movers, shakers, and the students who truly care about the impact they’re making on the RMHC mission. Once they set their mind to something, there’s nothing stopping them from achieving it.”
This year’s application cycle was the organization’s most rigorous yet, with only 12% of new members accepted into the program. Together, the board will host monthly meetings, volunteer shifts, and spearhead signature fundraisers and events. Their largest event, Lights of Love, will be coming up soon on Giving Tuesday, inviting the public to fundraise and experience a holiday open house at RMHC. With their strong leadership team in place, we’re anticipating this to be the best year yet.
Congratulations to all 2026-2027 members!
Executive Committee
- President Caroline Bruner, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Vice President Ella Grace Patrick, Veritas Preparatory School
- Secretary Harsha Patil, Riverside High School
- Fundraising & Development Chair Sheamus Schellinger, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Marketing Chair Kayla Patel, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Social Chair Mia Stewart, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Community Outreach Chair Hazel Lewis, Christ Church Episcopal School
Lights of Love Committee
- Chair Nora Woodward, Wade Hampton High School
- Fundraising Lead Hadley Miller, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Outreach Lead Emma Grace McGuire, Greer Middle College
- Logistics Lead Alex Hoffman, Greenville Senior High School
General Members
- Darby Baker, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Natalie Baker, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Miller Blevins, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Kaylee Boylan, Greenville Senior High School
- Ben Brownlee, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Farra Bryan, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Emma Bugle, J.L. Mann High School
- Cooper Cuttino, Wade Hampton High School
- Mary Deck Patrick, Veritas Preparatory School
- Mason Donlan, Greenville Senior High School
- Vivian Donlan, Greenville Senior High School
- Elijah Ephrussi, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Jerry Gan, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Harper Jacobs, Greenville Senior High School
- Jillian Killburn, Greenville Senior High School
- Barbara Lucena Canas, J.L. Mann High School
- Taylor Lyle, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Emily Lu, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Grace Lore, Greenville Senior High School
- Hadley Miller, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Tori O’Loughlin, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Lucy Craven, Riverside High School
- Reese Reed, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Emi Reese Hand, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Reese Rosenfeld, St. Joseph’s Catholic School
- Eli Stone, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Sriman Tikkala, Southside High School
- John Theodore, Greenville Senior High School
- Brooks Theodore, Greenville Senior High School
- Mac Thomasson, Greenville Senior High School
- Sullivan Cunningham, Christ Church Episcopal School
- Sawyer Tucker, Greenville Middle College Charter High School
- Thais Tucker, Greenville Middle College Charter High School
- Skye Sweeney, Greenville Technical Charter High School
The Teen Leadership Board prides itself on being more than just a resume booster. The program is intentionally designed to help students become civically engaged, apply critical thinking skills outside of the classroom, and teach professional skills that will prepare members for the next phase of their lives. Most importantly, it provides Upstate students with the opportunity to meet and bring comfort to the families at RMHC who need them most. This dynamic program has been recognized as a Kidding Around Greenville’s Best Youth Organization 2025, and is also currently nominated for the Post & Courier’s Best of Greenville After School Program.
The exponential growth and success of the Teen Leadership Board is due to none other than the passion and determination of each of our board members, coupled with the generosity and encouragement of our community. On behalf of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas, we thank everyone involved with this program for helping transform dreams into a reality. If you are interested in sponsoring or donating to this group, please reach out to Nicolette Occhifinto.