.png)
Our Advisors
Pete
DeCandia
Pete is a former student-athlete who taught for a fourth year teaching at St. Paul's School for Boys, as he worked part-time getting Teacher Props off the ground. Now in addition to Teacher Props, Pete works as Program Director of Student Athlete Development at the Fund For Educational Excellence. Pete has three passions: helping students, helping teachers, and entrepreneurship. He believes that with the help of other service-oriented Baltimoreans, he can ensure all new teachers have a seamless transition into our great city.
Marques
Ogden
Marques grew up in a single parent home with a father that inspired perseverance and fairness, Marques Ogden learned how to define his values and set goals. Ogden attended Howard University from 1998-2002 where he played Division I football. He then followed his dream and his brother Jonathan’s footsteps, eventually getting drafted into the NFL in 2003. Overall, he played for 5 years as an offensive lineman with the Titans, Bills, Ravens and Jaguars. Even during the off season, Ogden helped train football players in Europe, both physically and mentally.
Danielle
Berman
Danielle Berman has dedicated her career to helping athletes understand their full potential. She believes that athletes should be supported as individuals with unique skills, passions and interests rather than a cog in the sports industry machine.
That's why she founded Tackle What’s Next, where she serves as CEO, to provide athletes with the structure, community and accountability they need to be successful in all aspects of life after the game. Tackle What’s Next aims to provide athletes with a safe space to discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with transitioning out of sport, plus share important resources that can help. Danielle is a super connector and finds so much joy in connecting people to the contacts and resources they need to reach their goals.
Athletes also do so much great work in the community, and it inspires her to see the good that so many athletes continue to create. Danielle works to further educate athletes and nonprofits on the best ways to work together to create social impact. Rather than recreating the wheel or competing against like-minded initiatives, she encourages athletes and nonprofits to work together and bridge the gap between sports and philanthropy to create sustainable community impact.
Danielle has worked with both current and former college and pro athletes for nearly a decade and is passionate about helping every one of them achieve their goals outside of sport.
Ashley
Zapata, PsyD
Dr. Zapata was born in Panama City, Panama and credits her Afro-Caribbean roots as the foundation for her values and worldview. She grew up in Newport News, Virginia having learned the art of adapting and flexibility early as a military dependent. Throughout her lived experiences she has identified strengths related to resiliency, resourcefulness, and sheer will and motivation.
​
As a first-generation college student Dr. Zapata earned a BA from Marymount University, her first graduate degree from the George Washington University, and continued to earn a MA and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) at Alliant International University in San Diego, CA.
​
She has provided mental health and sport performance services to Division I collegiate athletes, elite and professional athletes, and has curated training programs for teams, coaches, and affinity groups such as injured athletes, LGBTQIA+ and athletes of color.
​
Dr. Zapata currently serves as a co-coordinator of the Diversity in Sport SIG for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).