BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 Nell Coonen-Korte | Board Inclusion Officer
Special Olympics Minnesota

Nell is a highly decorated Health and Wellness Ambassador for Special Olympics Minnesota, as well as a Special Olympics North America Health Messenger who has shared her journey with audiences in Washington D.C, Atlanta, and Seattle.

She's public speaker who's mission is to give a voice to those who don't have one. She's spoken in front of various corporations including Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Voya, United Health Group, I Heart Radio, Delta Airlines, US Bank, and JNBA.

She's spoken to Minnesota Senators at the State Capitol about inclusion and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities and she's presented in front of various nonprofit leaders in our Minnesota community.

When she's not out making the world more inclusive, she trains and competes on the Hardshell Barbenders SOMN Power lifting team and enjoys reading, writing, and networking with other passionate humans. 

TEAM

Ben Swarts | Founder and Executive Director
Ben.Swarts@ThriveMighty.org

Ben's reason for getting up in the morning is to make the world a better place by impacting individuals and building a community around what it means to be human - health and wellness.

Ben has 14+ years of working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. In 2013, he shifted his career from being a service coordinator at Opportunity Partners to helping run sporting events at Special Olympics Minnesota. 

Of particular note, Ben was instrumental in creating and implementing the SOfit Unified Wellness program, which is now impacting people in Special Olympics programs all over the world. In addition, he's been part of panels, presentations and trainings focused on inclusive wellness at a national level as well as consulting gyms on becoming more inclusive.

He's the head coach and founder of the Special Olympics Minnesota HardShell Barbenders powerlifting team. They're a group of lifters with and without disabilities who train together because iron sharpens iron! Since 2016, our athletes have consistently placed at the top in the state while showcasing determination, coach-ability and discipline in their training. (Needless to say, he's PROUD!) 

Ben enjoys helping people realize their ability, and he loves seeing the 'domino' effect happen when people find success in one part of their life as it carries over to their overall quality of life. He knows being a good coach and leader is more than making decisions - it's meeting people where they're at, listening to what they want and helping them get what they need while providing space for success.  
 

Katy Lee | Thrive Mighty Team Member

Katy joined the Thrive Mighty team in February 2022  by way of meeting Ben and training at Hardshell Fitness, starting in October 2020. Her background is in non-profit work, mostly in the religious field: she is an ordained United Methodist pastor who got her Masters of Divinity at Princeton Seminary in New Jersey in 2014. Her decision to go into ministry was because of her love of engaging people in conversations about purpose and finding meaning, as well as her interest in social justice and community organizing. Katy has 10 years of experience in story-telling, writing, public speaking, and group facilitation: she is gifted at bringing a wide variety of people together and making them feel comfortable and seen.

Katy loves the outdoors and exercising, through biking, hiking, running, rock climbing and (of course) weight lifting. She loves gardening and cooking vegan food, and also loves going out for barbecued pork. She hopes to one day own and operate an ice-cream bike business, and is currently working on a podcast called How (Not) to Pray, which seeks to lift up minority and marginalized perspectives on spirituality and religion. You can find her at Thrive Mighty organizing events and building networks.

Lindsey Flicker  | Thrive Mighty Team Member

Lindsey joined the Thrive Mighty team in March 2022 and brought her experience in marketing and love for working with people of all abilities. Since studying human resource management at Mankato State University, she has been working in the disability field in a caring and supportive role for ten years, in non-profit marketing for five, and has been an athlete for twenty years. She plays soccer, boulders, rides her bike and loves to get outside. She found Thrive Mighty to be a beautiful intersection of her interests and professional skills.

Building community and inclusion are deeply rooted in Lindsey- she volunteered with an intentional community called Camphill Village Minnesota for two years where she lived and worked with a group of neurodiverse adults and other live-in volunteers from around the world.. This experience sparked a deep desire for building community and inclusion in all aspects of her life. 

Now Lindsey is living in the same neighborhood as Hardshell and loves seeing the community come together to build confidence, resilience, and friendship. In her role with Thrive Mighty you can find her helping with event planning, managing the social media and taking photos at our events.

ADVISORY CIRCLE

PARTNERS