Queens Gambit: Recent Episodes
Queens Gambit
We are the official podcast of Queens Gambit, a national organization using chess as a catalyst for change.
Abigail Hilton is a Queens Gambit instructor and American chess player.
QueensGambit #WomeninChess
Nadya Ortiz is a chess champion who is the first and only female Chess Grand Master in Colombia.
QueensGambit #WomeninChess
Somdatta Basu is a Queens Gambit instructor and American chess player.
QueensGambit #WomeninChess
Christian Moore serves as the Manager of Engagement & Talent at CORO Pittsburgh, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance ethical leaders and build leadership capacity in order to create a more connected and inclusive community.
QueensGambit #Features
Leslie Orbin is a communications specialist at Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness of domestic violence and its effect on the community, to empower those victimized by providing advocacy and safe and effective services, and to work for social change designed to eliminate domestic violence.
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Kaitlyn Brennan is an education policy consultant who took some time to chat with Ashley Lynn Priore about her work, goals for the future, and how we can all impact Pittsburgh locally to make a national impact.
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Kate Colligan serves as the Director of Development and Communication of Basic Health International, a globally recognized nonprofit and leader in the prevention of cervical cancer.
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Daren A. Ellerbee began her career with the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 as the inaugural Director of Pitt’s first Community Engagement Center (CEC) in Homewood. Prior to this role, she was a Community Affairs & Equity Strategist for the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
In her role as Director of the CEC in Homewood, she is described as the architect behind the University’s engagements in the community charged with being “boots on the ground” representing Pitt, and acting as a bridge furthering connections between the community and the university. Ellerbee interacts with various stakeholders from organizational heads and elected officials, to community leaders, activists, and residents. Her role is very collaborative as she convenes and works alongside a Community Advisory Council who meet regularly to ensure that the CEC’s work is in alignment with the community’s vision for itself.
Kia Ingram serves as the CEO of Cultivating Resilient Youth, a nonprofit organization in the city of Pittsburgh that empowers teens for success in life through mentoring, academic preparation and creating opportunities for social change.
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Fawn Walker-Montgomery is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Take Action Mon Valley (TAMV) which started in 2014 after Autumn Perkins (We Need Justice To) put a call out regarding homicides of black people getting solved in Pittsburgh.
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Tiffany Huff-Strothers currently serves as the CEO of When She Thrives, an organization dedicated to equipping single mothers to move their families from poverty to prosperity through advocacy, education, personal + professional development.
Judit Sztaray is the General Manager of Events and Youth Outreach at Mechanics' Institute, a cultural center and chess club in San Francisco.
QueensGambit #WomeninChess
Abbey Mui is a recent CMU graduate and the founder re:Bloom, an organization that provides simple, clean, and easy to maintain websites for small businesses. They are dedicated to helping small businesses and nonprofits succeed.
QueensGambit #Features
North Hills Community Outreach is a community-and interfaith-based organization addressing the needs of people in crisis, hardship and poverty. Tom Baker serves as the Executive Director, and Erica Cochran serves as the Development Director.
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Natalie Ahwesh serves as the Executive Director of Humane Action Pittsburgh, a non-profit organization with nonpartisan members who are dedicated to advancing animal protection through education, policy, and community action. Natalie monitors and evaluates pending policy, regulatory, and legal action at the federal, state and local level that may have an impact on animal protection. She works with local stakeholders, including policy makers, police officers, public safety officials, and elected officials to ensure current laws and policies are being enforced. Natalie was recently named the PA State Director for Animal Wellness Action.
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Brad Eddy is the Volunteer and Community Engagement for the Education Partnership, an organization providing school supplies for students and their teachers in low-income schools in Southwestern PA.
QueensGambit #Features
Heather Hackett is the PA Engagement Associate and Communications Consultant for Benefits Data Trust, an organization transforming benefits access by utilizing private sector strategies for public benefits. Heather also serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for Ten Thousand Villages in Pittsburgh, PA and remains an active volunteer in the nonprofit community.
QueensGambit #Features
Carlos Rafael Rivera is an Emmy Award-winning composer, whose career has spanned several genres of the music industry. He mentored with the incomparable Randy Newman while earning a DMA in Composition at USC’s Thornton School, where he studied with Donald Crockett and Stephen Hartke.
His work for Film and TV includes scores for Netflix’s THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, the EMMY Award-Winning GODLESS, directed by Scott Frank and produced by Steven Soderbergh, starring Jeff Daniels and Michelle Dockery, as well as Universal Pictures’ A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES, starring Liam Neeson.
As a guitarist, he has performed onstage as the opening act for The Who at the Hollywood Bowl; recorded studio sessions for Island/Def Jam, and Universal Records; as well as had songs featured on ABC’s Scrubs, MTV, and VH-1.
His work for the performing arts has been featured by some of the most prominent ensembles and soloists, including Arturo Sandoval, Colin Currie, Chanticleer, Cavatina Duo, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the American Composers Orchestra (ACO), and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ); commissioned by the Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony and the American Wind Symphony; recorded by Warner, Sony, Naxos, and Cedille labels; and awarded by the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Guitar Foundation of America, BMI, and twice by ASCAP.
As an educator, Carlos is Assistant Professor and Director of the Media Writing and Production Program at the acclaimed Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.
He is represented by Bradley Rainey at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME).
Stephen Santa is a theatre director, arts educator, and advocate currently based in Pittsburgh, PA. He also serves as the co-founder and Artistic Director of Jumping Jack Theater, a children's theater production company in Pittsburgh, PA which creates original works for audiences that would benefit from sensory and autism-friendly strategies.