Empowering teens to face today's complex information environment and become resilient to misinformation and disinformation online
Board of Directors
Matt Verich Co-founder and CEO
Matt Verich recently retired from the US Navy and founded the Project after watching his teenage kids engage online. Already familiar with how disinformation is used by state actors, he was motivated to get involved after observing how technology trends, politics, great power competition, the pandemic, and social media habits have conspired to create the perfect storm for online disinformation.
Chris Odell Co-founder and CFO
Chris Odell is a career naval intelligence professional who has served over 2 decades in both active duty and government civilian roles. He is a leader and mentor with several community youth organizations and is passionate about our mission of empowering young people to be savvy users in the information environment. Chris is proud to serve as the founding treasurer for The Disinformation Project.
Gabrielle Fong Co-founder and CPO
Gabrielle Fong is a Naval Officer. In her spare time, she initiates and manages partnerships that help further and promote our mission. She also volunteers with the Yale Veterans as court appointed special advocate (CASA) for children in need of assistance, and an ambassador for Service to School, which recruits veterans to attend Yale University.
Rachel Greenspan Co-founder and CMO
Rachel Greenspan is Chief Media Officer for the project. Rachel is employed as a systems engineer by the MITRE Corporation and has experience conducting research and analyses in support of counter-disinformation projects at the national level, as well as in her graduate level coursework through Johns Hopkins University.
Allison Verich Co-founder and CCO
Allison Verich teaches in a Spanish immersion school in Fairfax County Virginia. She has committed her life to education and improving her community. As Chief Content Officer she creates engaging material to help teens learn about disinformation and its negative consequences so they are empowered to develop solutions.
Anna Verich Co-founder and Student Advisor
Anna Verich is a junior at West Potomoc High School and founding member of the first chapter of The Disinformation Project. She also serves as student advisor on the Board of Directors. In this capacity she represents the needs and perspectives of our teen leaders and members
Emil Thomann Co-founder and CTO
Emil Thomann is the Chief Talent Officer for the Project. In this role he leads recruitment efforts and advises the Board on personnel matters. He is a Naval officer.
Connie Matthews Co-founder and At-Large Director
Connie Matthews Reynolds is a cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur. She founded and leads ReynCon Educational Services and Training (REST) and is actively involved in her community as a mentor and leader.
Anthony "Tio" Totaro At-Large Director, Grant Proposals
Anthony retired in 2018 after 36+ years in the National Security community. Tio served in uniform as an officer in the Active-Duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, performing as a Missile Launch Officer, Intelligence Officer and C-130 Navigator. As a civilian he served with the Central Intelligence Agency and 21 years as an International Security Analyst at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.