Founding Team

Elizabeth A. Wolfson

The Girls Athletic Leadership Schools is the vision of Elizabeth A. Wolfson, who currently serves as Head of School of the flagship school here in Denver. Elizabeth Wolfson is an organizational development specialist with senior level consultancy and management experience in the profit and non-profit sectors in local, national, and international settings. She has spent seven years living and working professionally in Israel. Highlights of her professional work include designing and developing the first corporate plan for global internal communications (including technical infrastructure) for a world leader in telecommunications; leading the start-up of a progressive adult education organization; representing a major international political leader; serving as consultant to the executive of a large sports-oriented non-profit where she has contributed to projects such as the World Scholar Athlete Games, National Sportsmanship Day, and the Center for Sports Poetry; and bringing the United Way to the Middle East. Elizabeth Wolfson captained the Division I Field Hockey program at Brown University, graduating with a degree in Organizational Behavior and Management. She studied for her Master’s degree in Public Administration at the University of Southern California, simultaneously earning a Master’s degree in Jewish Communal Service from the Hebrew Union College. She was inducted into the Sussex County, New Jersey, Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. This past February, Ms. Wolfson was invited to participate in the Aspen Institute Seminars program.

Nina Safane

A graduate of Brown University with a degree in Education Studies, Nina Safane has been working on the creation and development of the Girls Athletic Leadership Schools since January of 2008. Previously, Nina served as a head undergraduate teaching assistant in Brown’s community health and education departments, where she led the courses’ respective service-learning initiatives and researched program evaluation, effective community partnerships, and the impact of service-learning on academic achievement. She also worked for an alternative, urban high school offering individualized student support and skill development in core subject areas. Nina served as the Chief of Staff for Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston during the passage of Colorado’s landmark education reform bill, Senate Bill 191. She is a 2009 collegiate, All-American rugby player and captained Brown's Division I Women's team for their 3rd place finish in the national championship; she currently plays for the Glendale Raptors. Nina is a 2010 Teach for America corps member serving as the Response to Intervention Coordinator at GALS.

The flagship school of the GALS network is located in Denver, CO. Click here for more information