Ana Reyes brings over 20 years of expertise in program development, nonprofit management, curriculum design, fundraising, financial management, operations, and strategic planning. As the founder and former executive director of I Challenge Myself (ICM), a youth development nonprofit in NYC, Ana built a sustainable organization that empowers underserved high school students through fitness, bicycling, and workforce development. Her leadership impacted over 4,000 youth, helping them build resilience, confidence, and life skills for college and careers. Ana’s innovative approach leveraged bicycling as a tool for empowerment, urban planning, and social justice, including a notable partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation that enabled students to contribute to community street improvement projects. These projects not only created safer streets but also promoted active transportation, benefiting thousands of residents. ICM continues to thrive following Ana’s departure.
After transitioning from ICM in 2023, Ana founded Our Thriving World LLC, where she supports nonprofits in building sustainable strategies, strengthening development efforts, optimizing systems, and enhancing well-being initiatives. She has also refined her well-being services to emphasize the connection between humans and nature, promoting mental and physical health benefits and encouraging environmental stewardship.
Before founding ICM, she served as a Program Officer at New Visions for Public Schools, where she played a key role in awarding multi-year grants that led to the creation of over 80 small public schools within the NYC Department of Education (NYC DOE). She worked closely with funders, NYC DOE district leadership, union leaders, and community organizations to support grantees throughout the planning and implementation phases. Ana has also taught English and Spanish in D.C. public schools, Spanish at a Jesuit high school in East Harlem, NYC, and business and communications in Culiacan, Mexico.
She holds a Master’s in Secondary Education from George Washington University. Additionally, as a lifelong learner, she completed extended learning courses in Managing Happiness and The Health Effects of Climate Change, in 2023. She is also certified as a Happy for No Reason trainer and a Level 1 qigong instructor.
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the South Bronx, Ana is passionate about addressing climate change, reducing her carbon footprint, and participating in NYC’s climate community. She resides in NYC, enjoys hiking, being outdoors, yoga, qigong, cooking and looks forward to participating in her first Climate Ride event.