PowerUP Scholarship

News

News

Mentorship Matters

First Belt Test

•
June 2, 2017

Proud moment! Our first group of scholarship students at Power Up Martial Arts passed their …

Week four video

•
June 2, 2017

We've got 11 kids on scholarship - they're learning respect, self-control, integrity and academics!

Intro to Trey

•
May 2, 2017

Tomorrow wraps up week two of PowerUP. Meet Sensei Trey Lambert talking about teaching kids self-control and integrity.

Quick update on PowerUp

•
May 1, 2017

Charlie Yates filed the incorporation docs, and is working on the 501c3 designation. Kim Lambert is interviewing underprivileged kids at Garden Hills Elementary for the program. Dianne McAnallen is helping get the word out. Tom Avery agreed to join the board. Mike Gandy is working on the business plan.

Austin announces Power Up Scholarship Fund

•
February 2, 2017

I’m teaming up with my ‘little brother’ Michael Gandy and local gym owner Kim Lambert …

Police and Black Teens: ‘If I Get Pulled Over Today’, interview with Austin and Mike, Youthtoday.org

•
September 16, 2016

At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, Michael Gandy, now 28, draws from personal experience as a young black teen. He talks to his mentor and “big brother” Austin Scee, 44, about police, mentorship and the community’s responsibility in the nationwide conversation concerning youth and law enforcement.

Categories:

Be a Hero!

For only $500, you can sponsor one of our kids for a year.

Donate Now

Mike Gandy Auzenne

Co-founder, Board Director

Mike Gandy Auzenne

Co-founder, Board Director

Mike is currently a senior director in strategic marketing at Buffalo Wild Wings, and Inspire Brands company. Previously, Mike was a consultant for The Boston Consulting Group (“BCG”), and an investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Mike was matched as a Little Brother by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlanta with Austin in 1997, and has been a Big Brother himself twice. Mike holds a BA from Colgate University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mike is married, and lives with his wife in the Old Fourth Ward area of Atlanta. He enjoys training for marathons.

Linkedin Envelope

Pradheep Padmanathan

Head of Operations

Pradheep Padmanathan

Head of Operations

Strategy& Operations – Technology

Linkedin Facebook Link

MIKE GANDY

Board Director

MIKE GANDY

Board Director

Mike is currently a consultant for The Boston Consulting Group (“BCG”). Prior to BCG, he spent several years on Wall Street with Bank of America Merrill Lynch focused on the insurance industry. Mike was matched as a Little Brother by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlanta with Austin in 1997, and has been a Big Brother himself twice. He is also a member of the Young Leaders Council with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. Mike holds a BA from Colgate University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mike is engaged to be married, lives in the Old Fourth Ward area of Atlanta, and enjoys training for marathons.

Envelope

TREY LAMBERT

Sensei and Gym Owner

TREY LAMBERT

Sensei and Gym Owner

Trey spent 30 years at Delta Airlines in various customer service roles, and worked part time in event security for 20 years while at Delta. Trey has been a black belt for over 15 years, and started volunteering his time teaching karate in the after-school program at Garden Hills Elementary, where his two sons attended. That volunteer work prompted Trey to follow his true passion, teaching martial arts and helping kids. Trey has an AS degree from University of West Georgia, and completed his martial arts training at Kaizen Martial Arts under Sensei Nathan McCleskey. Trey lives near the gym, and is married with two sons, both of whom help at the gym.

Envelope Linkedin Facebook Globe

RICHARD TRAMMELL

Sensei and Gym Owner

RICHARD TRAMMELL

Sensei and Gym Owner

Richard Trammell is a world champion in Shidokan Karate and Kickboxing. He has won national and international titles in Kickboxing, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do. Richard started Trammell Fitness and Martial Arts in 1999 Shidokan Atlanta in 2001. Trammell Fitness and Martial Arts provides services in fitness and martial arts. Richard has promoted amateur boxing, kickboxing, karate, judo and professional MMA events. Richard is also the author of “How To Be A Champion”.

Envelope Linkedin Facebook-f Globe

JOSHUA WHITE

Sensei

JOSHUA WHITE

Sensei

Joshua White is a multiple time national champion in Judo. He hold black belts in in Judo, Ju Jitsu, and Karate. He is the NFC Welterweight MMA Champion.  He is a volunteer coach for Boys and Girls Club in Atlanta. He has coached kids in national and international championships for Judo and promotes annual youth tournaments.

Envelope Facebook Globe

YALITZA FREYTES-RUIZ

Project Coordinator

YALITZA FREYTES-RUIZ

Project Coordinator

Project Coordinator

  • Two decades of service
  • Boys and Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico
  • Professional counselor
  • Bachelors degree in Psychology
  • Masters degree in counseling
  • Born in Puerto Rico, Moved to US in 20xx
Envelope Linkedin

STÉPHAN DONZÉ

Board Director

STÉPHAN DONZÉ

Board Director

Stéphan is a software entrepreneur with 20 years of experience, first with Exalead (founded in 2000 and acquired by Dassault Systèmes in 2010), and now as founder and CEO of AODocs, a new generation cloud document management platform. Born in France, Stéphan moved to California in 2009, before relocating to Atlanta in 2019. He has two passions in life, entrepreneurship and martial arts, and earned his karate black belt in 2018. His three children are all martial artists as well.

Linkedin

TOM RAWLS

Board Director

TOM RAWLS

Board Director

Tom spent his legal career in Atlanta focusing primarily in the areas of video entertainment, internet and cable TV law. He retired in 2015 after 30 years as in-house counsel for AT&T and Bellsouth. In addition to his work with PowerUP, Tom serves on the board of Tapestri, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to supporting immigrant victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. Tom also serves as an advisor to New American Pathways, Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network, and Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta. Tom earned a B.S. in Management from Georgia Tech and a J.D. from Emory School of Law. Tom is married with three grown children. He enjoys martial arts and is a black belt in Taekwando.

Linkedin

AUSTIN SCEE

Co-Founder, Chairman

AUSTIN SCEE

Co-Founder, Chairman

Over the past 20 years, Austin has split his time roughly evenly between running software companies in different operating roles and buying software companies. Austin founded Razorhorse Capital in 2012, and since that time has acquired or invested in over 60 companies with several different private equity sponsors. Austin has been a Big Brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program twice and has served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlanta. Austin holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Austin lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and middle-school aged son. He and enjoys martial arts training.

Envelope Linkedin

TOM AVERY

Board Director

TOM AVERY

Board Director

Tom spent his career in investment banking and venture capital in Atlanta. He retired from Raymond James in 2016. In addition to PowerUP, Tom is on the board of KIPP Metro Atlanta (Knowledge is Power Program). KIPP is an open enrollment charter school dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. Tom earned a BS in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Tom is married with three grown children, and lives north of Atlanta. In addition to serving his community, Tom is enjoying traveling the globe with his wife.

Linkedin

MIKE GANDY

Board Director

MIKE GANDY

Board Director

Mike is currently a consultant for The Boston Consulting Group (“BCG”). Prior to BCG, he spent several years on Wall Street with Bank of America Merrill Lynch focused on the insurance industry. Mike was matched as a Little Brother by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlanta with Austin in 1997, and has been a Big Brother himself twice. He is also a member of the Young Leaders Council with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. Mike holds a BA from Colgate University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mike is engaged to be married, lives in the Old Fourth Ward area of Atlanta, and enjoys training for marathons.

Envelope