Ana Reyes is a highly experienced professional with a diverse background in program development, nonprofit management, curriculum design, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, grant making, grant writing, staff and volunteer management, budgeting, and sports-based youth development. She has over 20 years of experience in these areas.

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Ana is the Founder and former Executive Director of I Challenge Myself, a nonprofit organization based in New York City. She led the organization for 18 years, starting from its inception. During her tenure, I Challenge Myself evolved from a seasonal after-school program with two part-time staff members into thriving in-school and after-school programs. These programs provide public high school students with challenging and supportive experiences such as a 100-mile 1-day bike tour, a 2-hour fitness obstacle course, or a 400+ mile 7-day bike tour of colleges in upstate New York. Over 4,000 high school students have participated in I Challenge Myself programs since its launch in 2005. The organization aims to strengthen students' bodies, minds, and spirits while developing habits and life skills that prepare them for college and the workforce.

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Before founding I Challenge Myself, Ana was involved in a significant reform of NYC secondary schools through her work at New Visions for Public Schools. This reform led to the creation of over 80 small, high-quality public high schools that replaced underperforming comprehensive high schools in the city. Ana has also taught English and Spanish in public high schools in Washington D.C., Spanish at a Jesuit high school in East Harlem, and English communications and business classes at a private school in Culiacan, Mexico.

 

Ana holds a Masters in Secondary Education from George Washington University. Additionally, she is a certified Happy for No Reason trainer. Ana was born in the Dominican Republic, raised in the South Bronx, and currently resides in New York City.