natalie Yasson

Founder and Director, Kalahari Collective

Natalie’s connection to the Kalahari began in 2006, when she arrived in the village of Karakubis in Botswana's Western Kalahari as a Peace Corps volunteer. For over two years, she lived and worked alongside the community, and the relationships she built there have shaped her life and work ever since. She founded Kalahari Collective to expand education and opportunity for children in the region.

Natalie brings more than twenty years of nonprofit experience to the Collective. She served as the Client Services Manager with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, where she connected over 100 nonprofits with volunteer attorneys and helped organize workshops, webinars, and large-scale service events. Before that, she was the Director of Refugee and Immigration Services at Lutheran Services of Georgia. During her time with the organization, they served over 1,500 refugee and immigrant clients each year in both the Atlanta metro area and Savannah.

Natalie holds a B.S. in Government from Berry College and an M.S. in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and son, and loves traveling the world with her family.

Nicole Cheng

Nicole Cheng, PA-C, MHS, MMS, is a physician assistant with 20 years of experience in outpatient healthcare settings throughout the Southeast. She holds a Master of Health Science from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Master of Medical Science from Emory University, and is excited to bring her healthcare expertise and passion for children’s health, development, and play to the board. As the mother of two active boys, Nicole has seen firsthand the impact that sports, play, and opportunities to participate can have on children and families. She looks forward to her first visit to Africa and to contributing to the organization’s mission of helping children and families in the Kalahari live, play, and grow.

Rachel Gomez Peterson

Bio to come

Caeden Price

Caeden Price serves on the Kalahari Collective Board, where she supports initiatives focused on providing sports equipment and expanding opportunities for communities through the power of athletics. She believes sports have the unique ability to inspire confidence, build character, and bring people together across cultures. Passionate about service and meaningful connection, Caeden is honored to help advance the Kalahari Collective's mission of creating lasting impact through compassion, partnership, and hope.

Lauren schultz

Lauren Schultz, CPA, is a staff accountant at Holland, Bromley, Barnhill & Brett, LLP where she assists with the audits, preparation of financial statements, and tax filings for nonprofit and industry clients. She also assists with the preparation of individual and corporate tax returns. Prior to obtaining her CPA license, Lauren worked as a nonprofit program manager and oversaw a refugee resettlement office in Savannah, GA for five years, and she has over a decade of nonprofit program management experience. She has volunteered on the executive board of CEDRC (Coastal Empire Disaster Recovery Committee), the adult advisory committee of Savannah Technical College, and as President of COVA (Coastal Empire Council of Volunteer Administrators). Lauren earned a double B.A. in Foreign Affairs and Studies of Women and Gender (SWAG) at the University of Virginia and holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from The University of Texas at Austin.