Our Team

Built by young people,
for young people

Synap Kids is proudly youth-led. From our national executive board to our chapter presidents on the ground — the people closest to the problem are leading the solution.

Youth-Led Organization
Over 85% of our leadership is under 25 years old.   We believe young people should lead the pediatric brain health movement — not just participate in it.

Three Tiers of Leadership

Our structure is simple: a national Executive Board sets strategy, General Members do the programmatic work, and Chapter Presidents lead on the ground in their communities. Every role matters equally.

4
Executive Board members guiding national strategy
9
General Members powering programs & content
47
Chapter Presidents leading locally across 12 states
Executive Board

The four-person board responsible for organizational strategy, partnerships, and national direction. They set the vision — the rest of the team makes it real.

4 Members
Photo of Adi Veluvolu Founder
Adi Veluvolu
Founder & CEO & Board Director
Licensed child psychologist turned nonprofit founder. Started Synap Kids at 24 with a mission to make pediatric brain health research accessible to the children and communities who need it most.
Founded at age 24
Photo of Prerana Bandaru Age 22
Prerana Bandaru
Board Director & COO
College junior managing day-to-day operations across all 47 chapters. Joined as a chapter leader at 19 and grew into the national ED role by 21.
Age 22
Photo of Harshika Lekkela Age 20
Harshika Lekkela
Board Director & CFO
Sophomore at Howard University running all external communications. Built our social presence from 0 to 80k followers in two years.
Age 20
Photo of Braeden Belvedere Age 23
Braeden Belvedere
CTO & Trustee
Braeden Belvedere is a central leader for Synap Kids, serving as a Board Member, Chief Technology Officer, and President of the North American Chapter.
General Members

Clinicians, researchers, educators, and creatives who develop our programs, review our content, and power our day-to-day work.

9 Members
Photo of Dr. Amir Hassan
Clinical
Dr. Amir Hassan
Clinical Director

Child & adolescent psychiatrist specializing in anxiety, ADHD, and trauma-informed care. Ensures all our content meets rigorous clinical standards.

Photo of Dr. Leila Okonkwo
Clinical
Dr. Leila Okonkwo
Licensed Family Therapist

Brings family systems therapy to every resource. Believes healing happens best in community, not isolation.

Photo of Dr. James Rivera
Research
Dr. James Rivera
Pediatric Neuroscientist

Translates cutting-edge brain science into age-appropriate content. Believes every child is a natural scientist of their own mind.

Photo of Dr. Sophie Nakamura
Research
Dr. Sophie Nakamura
Developmental Psychologist

Studies emotional regulation across development stages. Her research directly informs our content for each age band.

Photo of Sam Torres
Education
Sam Torres
Head of Education Programs

Junior at Michigan State designing our K-12 curriculum. Piloted the first Synap Kids school program in Pontiac, MI.

Photo of Marcus Webb
Education
Marcus Webb
School Curriculum Specialist

Former school counselor building classroom-ready programs that teachers genuinely love to use.

Photo of Grace Kimani
Education
Grace Kimani
Early Childhood Educator

Specializes in social-emotional learning for ages 3–7. Makes big concepts tangible and fun for little ones.

Photo of Priya Patel
Creative
Priya Patel
Creative Director

Design student creating the visual identity of Synap Kids. Former chapter member who found her voice through our programs.

Photo of Dana Osei
Operations
Dana Osei
Director of Operations

Keeps everything running on time and on budget. Making sure the mission translates into real action every day.

Chapter Presidents

Youth leaders who founded and run active Synap Kids chapters in their communities. Each one is the face of this mission where it matters most — on the ground.

12 Chapters Shown
Photo of Sofia Tran
Sofia Tran
Pontiac Community Chapter
Pontiac, MI
K–8Founded 2024Age 20
Photo of Kofi Jackson
Kofi Jackson
Detroit Metro Chapter
Detroit, MI
High School4 SchoolsAge 22
Photo of Lucia Mendez
Lucia Mendez
Houston Heights Chapter
Houston, TX
All AgesWorkshopsAge 21
Photo of DeShawn Williams
DeShawn Williams
Chicago South Side Chapter
Chicago, IL
Elementary3 CPS SchoolsAge 23
Photo of Aisha Nakamura
Aisha Nakamura
Oakland Unified Chapter
Oakland, CA
K–12BilingualAge 24
Photo of Tariq Patterson
Tariq Patterson
Atlanta Youth Chapter
Atlanta, GA
Youth-LedSummer CampAge 20
Photo of Remi Okafor
Remi Okafor
Columbus Central Chapter
Columbus, OH
Middle SchoolFounded 2023Age 19
Photo of Zara Hussain
Zara Hussain
Brooklyn Bridges Chapter
Brooklyn, NY
K–82 SchoolsAge 22
Photo of Carlos Leal
Carlos Leal
Miami Shores Chapter
Miami, FL
BilingualWorkshopsAge 21
Photo of Nia Brooks
Nia Brooks
Phoenix Desert Chapter
Phoenix, AZ
All AgesFounded 2024Age 23
Photo of Marcus Kim
Marcus Kim
Seattle Eastside Chapter
Seattle, WA
High SchoolPeer MentoringAge 20
Photo of Fatima Diallo
Fatima Diallo
Nashville Harmony Chapter
Nashville, TN
ElementaryFounded 2025Age 19
35 more chapters across 12 states

Every chapter president starts the same way — by applying. Could the next one be you?

Start a Chapter →