Ben Duda - KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play Manager

While growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., Ben Duda spent most of his childhood outside. Organizing two-on-two football, exploring parks and forests, and leading street hockey games by sunlight and street light were favorites among many play activities. Inspired to serve his country after hearing Harris Wofford speak, Ben graduated from Cornell University and went on to explore the Mid-Atlantic and West Coast as a two-year member of the AmeriCorps*NCCC program. Ben then led Boston middle schoolers as a Teaching Fellow for Citizen Schools, an after-school education based non-profit. His passion for community service next took Ben to Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University, where he worked in city government and completed a Master of Public Policy degree, concentrating in Urban Policy and Non-Profit Studies. Ben built his first KaBOOM! playground in 2000 as a member of the NCCC, and became a full-time Boomer in June 2006.