Our team
Mechelle Lewis Freeman
Founder
Mechelle Lewis Freeman, a two-time Olympic gold-winning coach at the 2024 Paris Games and 2008 USA Olympian, is a seasoned expert in building high-performing teams. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in integrated marketing communications from the University of South Carolina, she managed advertising and marketing accounts for global brands before pursuing her Olympic dream as an elite athlete and coach. Now serving as USA Track & Field’s Head Women’s Relays Coach, Mechelle is also the founder of TrackGirlz, a nonprofit organization supporting girls’ mental, physical, and social development through track and field empowerment programs.
Connect with Mechelle on Instagram.
Kelcei Young
Operations Manager
Born and raised in the Great Lone Star state, Kelcei Young has a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Abilene Christian University and a Masters in Journalism from the University of North Texas. This background allows Kelcei to be a great communicator who is able to build relationships and manage stakeholders.
She is a creative thinker and highly organized leader who is adept at quickly understanding complex problems and developing innovative solutions. With more than five years of experience in the corporate and non-profit world, Kelcei brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her work, from developing strategies to leading teams in execution.
Beyond her professional work, she is an avid cinephile who loves watching movies and dissecting what they mean on her film review podcast, Spoiler Alertz. When not in the office, you can find her at Target or enjoying some ice cream watching a movie at home.
Executive board
Jennifer Forrester
VP Chairman of the Board
Before joining Trackgirlz, Jennifer impacted thousands of fitness enthusiasts through online fitness and nutrition training programs. Born and raised in Sacramento, CA, Jennifer began her athletic career at eight, competing in track and field. She later became a collegiate sprinter at the University of Washington. Today she balances being a wife, mother of three, and a business owner. Over the years, she has trained numerous student-athletes in a wide range of sports, including track and field, basketball, football, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer, and golf.
Her passion is to motivate women and girls to be their authentic selves and teach them how to lead healthy, active, and well-nourished lifestyles. She enjoys sharing her life lessons and experiences with the next generation so they can be inspired to achieve their dreams.
Jennifer’s commitment to promoting health and wellness and empowering women to live their best lives was recognized when she was named one of the honorees of the Women’s Running magazine Power Women of the Year in 2022. Her work has also been featured in numerous publications, including SHAPE, SELF, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Runners World.
Latoyia R. Williams
Development Committee Chair
With over 20 years of experience in people management, nonprofits, and operations, Latoyia supports TrackGirlz by reviewing and evaluating business procedures and processes to ensure the company operates efficiently. She oversees all employee-related matters, including onboarding, benefits, employee engagement, and capacity building. Her critical attention to detail allows the team to deliver high-quality services consistently.
A southern Michigan native, Latoyia obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan. Shortly after college, she left for New York City and, after a brief career in sales, switched gears to the nonprofit world. Latoyia earned her Master’s Degree in Public Affairs and Administration from Metropolitan College of New York and has worked in operations and administration for Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and KIPP Through College NYC & Dallas-Fort Worth. She most recently worked as the Chief of Staff for Mission Advancement in McKinney, TX.
Michelle Mock
Michelle Mock is a Senior Manager, Mergers & Acquisition Center of Excellence with Corning Incorporated. She is a highly skilled professional with more than 30+ years’ experience working in M&A, accounting, and finance. She is a proven leader, results-oriented, team player, driven and enjoys positively impacting her community.
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Michelle obtained her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Wayne State University, her Master’s Degree in finance from Walsh College, and numerous leadership certifications including the Harvard Business School Women of Color Executive Leadership Program. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated where she has served on numerous committees giving back to the community.
She is most proud of her leadership for Teen Summit where she developed a virtual conference in the metaverse, winning a regional award from her sorority chapter.
Once a track girl always a track girl, Michelle a former sprinter ran the 4X400M relay and 100-yard dash in high school. As an avid exercise enthusiast, she believes in the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, mind, body, and soul.
Latrice Mitchell, Ph.D.
Programming Committee Chair
With 20 years of experience in youth and community development, Dr. Latrice Mitchell is a dedicated advocate for community well-being, having played impactful roles in non-profit organizations such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and local Boys & Girls Clubs across Georgia, Indiana, and Texas.
Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Dr. Mitchell earned an undergraduate degree in health promotion and business management from Coastal Carolina University. During her time at Coastal, she not only excelled as captain of the track & field team but also later coached and worked with the football and men’s golf teams as a strength and conditioning coach. She obtained a master’s degree in kinesiology from Georgia Southern University, with a research focus on implementing and evaluating programs that support youth health and fitness.
Dr. Latrice received a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin, with research focusing on gender equity in sport policies and their impact on Black women and girls. Currently an Assistant Vice President at U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance, Dr. Latrice channels her passion for community development into the finance sector.
advisory board
Sasha Spencer Atwood
Advisory Board Member
Sasha Spencer Atwood is the Director of External Affairs for TrackTown USA, Inc. Her experience in track and field and familiarity with the organizations that govern the sport position her well to foster relationships and maintain dialogue with major stakeholders, including USATF, IAAF, USOC, state government and many community partners. Sasha joined TrackTown in 2011 as the Director of Athlete Services, a focus she maintains in her current role.
She is a member of the team responsible for delivering the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Track & Field Olympic Team Trials and has played a meaningful role in the successful international bids for the 2014 IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships, the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships and the 2021 IAAF Track & Field World Championships.
In 2001, Sasha earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Georgetown, where she was a 3-time Big-East individual Champion and an 11-time NCAA All-American, as well as a member of the Big East Athlete Advisory Committee. In her time on the Hilltop, she was recognized with team captain and Most Valuable Student Athlete honors by the Hoya coaching staff. After completing her decorated collegiate career at Georgetown University, Sasha competed as a professional 800m runner for Nike from 2001-2008, where she ran on the international circuit, representing Team USA on several occasions. She was actively involved in USATF’s Athlete Advisory Council, serving as Women’s Middle Distance representative for two terms.
After her retirement as a professional track and field athlete, Sasha started Food 4 Fuel, a business that catered to the unique nutritional needs of professional athletes and Hollywood entertainers. Clients included Michael Johnson and Andre Smith of the Cincinnati Bengals, light middleweight boxing champion Vernon Forrest, and The Blind Side star Quinton Aaron. She went on to work in feature film production until her move to Oregon. Sasha and her husband are the loving parents of daughter Eden and son Major, who enjoy the adventures each day brings on their rural Oregon farm.
Joy M. Woods Bennett, Ph. D.
Advisory Board Member
Joy M. Woods Bennett, Ph. D. is a Health Communication scholar who specializes in health equity messages and campaigns. She has more than 8 years of experience in education and health program design and evaluation, gained through various roles throughout her academic career. Joy holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Texas Wesleyan University, a Masters of Arts in Education Policy and Leadership Studies with a concentration in Sociology of Education from the University of Iowa, and a doctorate in Interpersonal Health Communication from the University of Texas at Austin.
Before pursuing her doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin, Joy worked as a NCAA diversity Intern with the Big Ten Conference at the University of Iowa in their Student-Athlete Academic Services. In this role, she designed programing for incoming freshmen and mentored student athletes throughout their tenure at the university. In addition to working for the University of Iowa’s athletics department, Joy has also worked for the YMCA, Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, Dell Medical School, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and the Iowa Institute for Public Health Research and Policy.
Joy is passionate about improving health outcomes for Black women across the country and is a vocal advocate for mental, reproductive, and maternal health. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and enjoys reading and spending time outside with her two dogs when she is not working. (or you can find her binging Living Single for the 100th time)
Faith Rein Haslem
Faith is a former competitive track girl but always and forever a track girl at heart! Track and field have been a part of her life since she was eight years old, and her lifelong passion for the sport resulted in a full scholarship to the University of Florida, where she was an All-American sprinter and Academic All-American. Upon graduation, Faith continued to focus on her love of sports and worked as a producer for HBO’s Real Sports with host Bryant Gumbel. Faith currently resides in South Florida, where she’s a devoted wife to her husband, Udonis Haslem, and a sports mom to their two sons, Josiah and Elijah.
Jelanii Reed
Advisory Board Member
Jelanii Reed is a proven team leader and motivator with exceptional networking skills and negotiating capabilities. Jelanii is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Authentique Agency. With over 15 years of marketing and strategic planning experience, delivering proven go-to-market strategies and compelling programming for clients resulting in volume growth and enhanced brand perception for various consumer segments
She has event planning experience for celebrities and national brands, including brand positioning, communication strategies, designing marketing collateral, online web presence, community initiatives, sponsorship kits, and public relations outreach to meet strategic imperatives and business objectives.
Simone Jordan
Advisory Board Member
Simone brings to TrackGirlz not only the enthusiasm she’s developed from the sidelines of the track world, but skills sharpened on the front-lines of the marketing and advertising business. She started off, armed with a Marketing degree from Salem State University, by diving headfirst into NYC’s notoriously competitive agency world, first as an Account Executive at Young & Rubicam. Her experience later brought her to such disparate places as Crispin Porter + Bogusky (during some of their hottest years), CBS Interactive’s mobile sports department, and even Spike Lee’s own boutique DDB agency in her hometown of Brooklyn. But a common thread throughout Simone’s career is helping teams work their best, which she can still be found doing, day-in and day-out, as Senior Project Manager for Carnival Cruise Line’s in-house creative team. There she’s found something of a home helping reliably deliver serious business results to departments across the corporation, all in service to Carnival’s signature brand of vacation fun.
Sandra Farmer Patrick
Advisory Board Member
One of the world’s best-ever women’s 400m hurdles, Sandra set an American Junior record of 58.90 in the 400m hurdles at age 14. Her collegiate competition for the University of Arizona and Cal State Los Angeles yielded a few high NCAA finishes. However, her career really took off in 1984 when she finished 8th at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles (57.15) for her native Jamaica. Moving on to compete for the U.S., some of her track and field career highlights in the 400m hurdles include a Silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games, Gold medal at the 1989 World Cup (53.84), Gold medal at the 1992 World Cup, Silver medal at the 1993 World Championships (52.79), Silver medal at the 1987 Pan American Games (54.59) and Gold medal at the 1990 Goodwill Games (55.16).
During her career in track and field, Sandra obtained her B.A. in Industrial Psychology and M.S. in Healthcare Professions – Human Resources. Upon retirement in 2001, she devoted her energies as a full-time mother to her daughter Sierra Channel Patrick and son David–Marquis Patrick. She also served as the Chair of USA Track & Field’s Athletes Advisory Committee. In her role as Athlete’s Advisory Chair, she spent most of her time creating and implementing Athlete Service Programs for Elite Athletes, which included: Developing strategies to enhance relations and communications with athlete goals and performances, post-collegiate scholarship funds, and athlete support programs.
She currently resides in Texas with her family, where she is an HR Manager for Staffing and Recruiting for Seton Healthcare Family. Her passion for the sport continues today, as she spends time behind the scenes as USA Track & Field Athlete’s Advisory Committee Advisor, working in a sport where she can be effective and make a difference.
I originally started TrackGirlz in 2015 when I realized the impact of the talented and successful women and girls in the sport was not reaching its full potential. We want the world to know the power of track girls around the world and the opportunities in the sport that can lead to long-term success for those involved.
I’ve been called a “Track Girl” since I started in the sport at age 14. If you are a female actively competing in the sport, you are called a Track Girl – no matter if you run, jump, or throw. And, once a Track Girl, always a Track Girl. It’s a community of powerful women and girls who compete or have competed in the sport and live the lifestyle of being a person confident in their skin and a competitor both on and off the track or field.
The essence of a “Track Girl” is strong, beautiful, and bold, with the sport as a source for these attributes. It has provided a way for me to learn through healthy competition – how to lose and how to win. I’ve learned how discipline, commitment and hard work yields positive results and how cutting corners and bad habits lead to disappointment.
Embracing self-expression among track girls is an important part of our strong community. From personalities to hairstyles and lip stick choices, the sport allows you to showcase who you authentically are, while learning the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. I use track and field work outs and channel that Track Girl confidence still to this day. “
