Meet the Team
Julie Hudash, a devoted child advocate, is the founder and chief executive officer of Team Kids. Team Kids is an Orange County-based nonprofit which runs school-based and community-wide service learning programs.
Ms. Hudash leads a board of directors in developing and implementing innovative programs that empower young people to take action to improve their communities and the world in which they live. Under her leadership, Team Kids has developed powerful partnerships with police and fire firefighters to help implement Team Kids’ school programs. In the past 10 years more than 21,000 students have completed Team Kids month-long, school-based service programs.
Ms. Hudash is also a writer who tackles difficult issues on behalf of children and has published several pieces in the Los Angeles Times and The Orange County Register. Julie is a graduate of the University of Southern California where she majored in Communications. She and with her husband Ray are the parents of five children.
Julie Tapp joined Team Kids as Chief Program Officer in September, 2008. Prior to joining Team Kids, Julie was a Research Associate at Children and Family Futures, a California-based nonprofit whose mission is to improve the lives of children and families across the U.S., particularly those affected by substance use disorders. Dr. Tapp also served for four years as Chief Program Officer at the Irvine Public Schools Foundation, whose mission is to provide enrichment programs and generate revenue to benefit all students in the Irvine Unified School District.
Julie received her Ph.D. in Public Policy Development and Program Evaluation from Vanderbilt University. Her professional experience has focused on development and evaluation of programs serving children, youth, and families.
Dr. Tapp is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Irvine Public Schools Foundation, the Orange County Peace Corps Association, and the American Evaluation Association, and has served on a number of community advisory committees. She and her husband, Peter Jipsen, have two children.
Shortly after graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2009 with a degree in sociology, New Jersey native Jenny Heenan headed west to sunny California. Her mission was simple, to soak up the sun and follow her heart in finding a career that caters her desire to help others.
Jenny has dedicated her free time throughout high school and college traveling the world and helping others. At just a glance, she has spent her summers volunteering at orphanages, building homes, and working for the conservation of sea turtles. Her volunteer work has taken her across many countries including Kenya, Peru, Mexico and Spain.
Jenny joined Team Kids in August of 2009 and is our lead facilitator in our community and flagship programs, such as the Team Kids Challenge program. She is grateful to not only work with such playful and passionate colleagues, but even more so to work for a non-profit who's mission is to empower and inspire young people to find the joys of helping others.
