Brendan Buckley is an accomplished NCAA Division I coach turned nationally recognized nonprofit executive, with over two decades of experience leading championship wrestling programs and youth development initiatives. He is the former Executive Director of Beat the Streets New York, where he led the nation’s largest urban wrestling-based youth development organization for more than nine years. Under his leadership, BTS expanded to serve 2,500+ student-athletes across 125 programs and launched a state-of-the-art Midtown Manhattan training center, which became a national model for sport-based youth development.

Brendan spearheaded over $15 million in fundraising, much of it driven by producing some of the sport’s largest and most high-profile events at iconic venues such as Times Square, Madison Square Garden, and Prudential Center. These events were powered by strategic partnerships with USA Wrestling, UFC, and Jersey Mike’s, bringing national visibility and amplifying BTS’s mission across both grassroots and elite levels of the sport.

Before transitioning to the nonprofit sector, Brendan spent 19 years coaching at the NCAA Division I level, beginning as an assistant at UC Davis and the University of Virginia, where he quickly earned a reputation as a top recruiter and technician. At just 25 years old, he became the youngest NCAA Division I head coach in the country when he took over at Columbia University. During his 11-year tenure, he led Columbia to multiple historic milestones — including the program’s first NCAA All-American in 24 years, its first-ever Top 25 national ranking, and record-breaking EIWA Championship finishes. Brendan also raised over $3 million in alumni support, secured naming rights for the Andrew F. Barth Wrestling Room, and established endowed head and assistant coaching positions.

At Cal Poly, he led the Mustangs to a Top 25 NCAA Championship finish, produced multiple NCAA All-Americans, and made history by producing the first outdoor wrestling match on campus. He also spearheaded record-breaking fundraising efforts that resulted in a renovated wrestling room and increased alumni engagement and program investment.

A former NCAA All-American himself, Brendan has earned numerous accolades, including the Bob Bubb National Coaching Excellence Award and EIWA Coach of the Year. Whether building championship teams, staging marquee fundraising events, or forging transformative partnerships with global sports brands, he is known for his visionary leadership, strategic fundraising acumen, and unwavering commitment to empowering student-athletes through wrestling.

Born and raised in Trenton, Ray began wrestling at the age of 7. He attended Trenton Central High School, where he was a 4 four-year varsity wrestler, and three-year captain for the team.  During his time at Trenton Central High School, Ray compiled a record of 132 wins and 11 losses.  He won four Mercer County Championships and four District Championships.  He became the first wrestler in Mercer County history to become a four-time state qualifier. He finished his senior season by winning the New Jersey state championships with an undefeated record of 37 wins and 0 losses, becoming Trenton’s first state champion.
 
Ray went on to wrestle at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating from Penn in 2016. He later wrestled at the University of Virginia for one season, while pursuing his master’s degree in Higher Education. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2017, Ray worked with Athletes In Action at UVA as a Campus Intern. In addition to coaching, Ray currently serves as the Director of Operations for TYWLC.

Johnae Drumright is a proud Trenton High School graduate, where she made history as the first female wrestler from Trenton Central to place at the New Jersey State Championships. A two-time regional placewinner, two-time state placewinner, and 2020 NJ State finalist, Johnae also served as team captain during her high school career.

 She continued her wrestling and academic journey at New Jersey City University. Today, Johnae serves as head coach at Clara Parker Intermediate School, assistant coach at Monument Intermediate School, and Assistant of Operations for Trenton Youth Wrestling & Learning Center (TYWLC).

Robert D. Prunetti is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Ventures, LLC., a government relations, business development, and management consulting firm. Mr. Prunetti currently serves on the Trenton Literacy Foundation Advisory Board, Trenton Public Education Foundation, is the Chairman of the Trenton Workforce Advisory Board and serves on the Capital City Redevelopment Authority. He is also a charter member of the Community Advisory Council of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at The College of New Jersey.  

Lawrence Parker has worked for over four decades at Trenton Central High School and started as a teacher of Drafting and Cisco Networking Technology, eventually working up to his current position as Vice Principal of the Medical Arts Small Learning Community. During this time, he held positions as Head Coach of Football, Wrestling, and Assistant Track Coach. In addition to coaching on the High School level, Lawrence also coached midget football and wrestling.

Gloria Bethea has previously served as the Director of Learning for Trenton Youth Wrestling. Gloria served as a Trenton Public School teacher for over 30 years. In addition to serving on our board, she is the Learning Academy Director for Capital Harmony Works, which provides musical instruction and artistic opportunities for Trenton youth. Gloria is an educator and lifelong learner.

James Ware Jr. MD is the current Medical Director of the Primary Stroke Center at CentraState Medical Center.  He was previously the Director of Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers at Capital Health. Dr. Ware wrestled at the Pingry School in high school and was a wrestling partner on the same team as Dr. McLaughlin. Dr. Ware went on to wrestle in Pitzer University and then went on to get his medical degree at UMDNJ.

Danielle Gletow has been a passionate advocate for children’s rights for over two decades. Through her nonprofit organization, One Simple Wish, she empowers everyone to grant simple wishes to individuals impacted by foster care and crisis, spreading love, hope, and joy every single day. What began in her NJ home with a small personal investment has grown into a multi-million-dollar nonprofit through a nationwide network of 2,000+ Community Partners.  Since 2008, One Simple Wish has granted over 350,000 wishes.

Matthew Tormenti, MD is a board-certified neurosurgeon with Princeton Brain, Spine & Sports Medicine in New Jersey. Dr. Tormenti is a native of Pittsburgh, PA where he was a standout high school wrestler who went to wrestle at Virginia Tech, one of the nations top wrestling institutions. Dr. Tormenti us a huge supporter of our military and is a leader in the Travis Manian Foundation.

Dr. Channing C. Conway was elected to a three-year term as a member of the Ewing Township School Board.  Dr. Conway is a longtime educator who began his career as a teacher and has worked his way up the administrative ranks.  He currently serves as an Assistant Superintendent in the Trenton School District and an adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey.  In addition, he is also a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.

Gennaro Costabile is a long time restauranteur and has built a variety of businesses under the umbrella of hospitality for more than four decades.  He is recently retired but has not stepped away from his true passion, philanthropy.  Gennaro is the founder of two organizations aimed at improving the lives of those in need, with a focus in children, including Food for America and Caring Cooks Academy.  He has also served on the Honorary Board of Directors for the Children's Home Society of NJ, as well as the NJ Farmers Against Hunger association.  Gennaro's vision extends beyond charity; his mission has always been to foster a profound sense of community and togetherness. 

John Cassar is an experienced construction professional who began his career as a carpenter and soon established his own construction company. In addition, he worked in his family’s HVAC business for several years. He advanced his carrier working in commercial construction as an estimator, superintendent and project manager. He
has successfully worked in both residential and commercial construction for more than 35 years.

Chris Kuenne, founder of Rosetta and Rosemark, is a highly successful entrepreneur, business builder, best-selling author and member of Princeton University’s faculty. Throughout his career, he has been fascinated by the question of what motivates people to act as they do in a commercial context. He has devoted his career to translating insights about customer motivation into personalized sales and marketing techniques that accelerate enterprise growth.  
 
He published a Wall Street Journal best-selling book entitled, Built For Growth, with his Princeton colleague, John Danner.

Chris received his MBA with Honors from Harvard Business School, and his BA from Princeton. He is the proud dad of three sons, Peter, William and Matthew and lives in Princeton, NJ, and Shelburne, VT with his wife, Treby Williams.

At 55, Robert Brams' thriving career was upended by a brain cancer diagnosis. Following two intense surgeries and life-threatening complications—including a stroke, coma, and life support—Brams defied a 1% survival chance. Years of rehabilitation helped him regain the ability to walk, speak, and think, a testament to his resilience and the discipline he honed as a wrestler.

A lifelong advocate for the sport, Brams represented USA Wrestling in its fight to stay in the Olympics and serves on the board of Beat the Streets, which supports inner-city youth. His passion also led him to help launch the University of Montevallo’s wrestling program and the Brams Courage Over Cancer endowed scholarship.

David S. Leonardis was the State Chief Resiliency Officer overseeing the NJ Law Enforcement Resiliency Program. He helped develop the Program, which was put in place under an Attorney General’s Directive to help law enforcement members deal with trauma and stress to better serve themselves and the public with the goal of reducing officer suicide. Dave was also the Training & Outreach Liaison for the Office of the Attorney General, Division of Criminal Justice. In that role, he was responsible for specialized training for law enforcement officers, as directed by the Attorney General and the Director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice.