Our Team

Samantha Kelley

Founder and President, Vice Chairman

Samantha Kelley is an international presenter, author, and speaker. She is the Founder and current President of FIERCE Athlete Inc. She was a 9x state champion in high school between soccer, ice hockey and track. She played Division I Soccer at UConn and is currently involved in competitive rowing, pickleball, and triathlons. She holds a Masters in Catholic Psychology, Certification in Strength & Conditioning and has extensively studied the Theology of the Body. Through FIERCE she desires to reach female athletes, coaches, and parents across the world and change the culture of female athletics. She currently resides in Pennsylvania with her golden retriever Birdie.

Tracy Guerrette

FIERCE Coach Director

Tracy grew up in a tight-knit Catholic family in a beautiful northern Maine town called Saint Agatha. She was a three sport all-state athlete in high school, winning a state championship in basketball her senior year. Tracy played Division I basketball at the University of Maine, while majoring in Biology/pre-medicine.  Upon graduation, she began teaching and coaching varsity sports at the high school level before becoming the Head Women's Basketball Coach at UMaine Presque Isle, a NCAA Division III University. She also served as Sports Information Director for the Athletic Department during this time.  In 2011, Tracy became an assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of Maine, serving as the Director of Women's Basketball Operations for the Black Bears.  Tracy has served in many capacities of ministry throughout the Diocese of Portland, Maine and also played/coached on several missionary basketball teams which traveled throughout the United States, to Africa and South America.  In 2021, Tracy earned a Master's Degree in Theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Washington DC.  Always an athlete, Tracy now enjoys training and competing in running, especially at the marathon distance. Pictured Left, winning the Maine Marathon and qualifying for the 2020 US Olympic Trials.

Danae Weaver

Operations and Expansion Manager

Danae Weaver grew up on a farm in Central Kansas as the youngest of 9 children. Her parents were her heart and soul and taught each of their children how to persevere through adversity and how to love fearlessly. Athletics runs deeply in Danae’s veins. She won multiple state titles in high school, played volleyball and softball at Butler community college in Kansas where she won a Junior College National Championship, and then transfered to DII San Angelo State to complete her years of eligibility in softball. She earned a bachelors degree in Nursing. Throughout her athletic career she felt that being an athlete was part of her life mission—a huge part of the woman God made her to be—a stage where she felt fully herself. This is why she followed FIERCE Athlete as a student and now works for them. She is happily married to her husband, Josey Weaver, the head Track and Field Coach at Central Arkansas University, where Danae is an assistant coach as well.

Samantha Kelley

Founder and President, Vice Chairman

Samantha is the Founder and current President of FIERCE Athlete Inc. She played Division I Soccer at UConn, and is currently involved in competitive rowing. She has spent the last 12 years working for Catholic nonprofits and outreaching to female athletes. She graduated with a Masters in Catholic Psychology, holds certification in Strength & Conditioning and has extensively studied the Theology of the Body. It was actually through the teachings of Theology of the Body and the Catholic Church that she discovered what it means to be both feminine and athletic. These teachings have the power to heal and through FIERCE Athlete she desires to share those truths with female athletes and women across the world.

Angela Schnieders

Board Chairman
Senior Partner, Mission Advancement Partners

Angela was a member of the Washington University 2000 Division III undefeated National Championship Women’s Basketball Team. She worked with Catholic non-profits for 15 years, which inspired her to co-found the Mission Advancement Partners. Her personal journey and experiences accompanying thousands of women convicted her that a woman will live in survival mode unless she is rooted in the truth of her deepest identity. In response to this crisis, she has joined the Art of Being a Woman Project, whose mission it is to rebuild the woman from within and serve, equip, empower and inspire her to begin the journey of internal transformation. Angela believes FIERCE will revolutionize female athletics.  As women become rooted in their deepest identity and thrive, the comprehensive integration of mind, body, soul and spirit will be fully manifested in and through our bodies.

Rebecca Davis

Executive Director, Cultural and Catechetical Montessori Association

Rebecca Davis is passionate about helping women understand their dignity and authentic femininity. Rebecca is the Executive Director for the Cultural and Catechetical Montessori Association, a non-profit whose mission is to empower cultural renewal by promoting the work of Maria Montessori and Sofia Cavalletti in revealing the truth about the human person. She has been mentoring young women for over 8 years as a Chapter Coordinator for LeadersNow International and more recently coaching female athletes as a high school basketball coach and assistant rowing coach for breast cancer survivors.   She is the mother of two children, one of whom plays Division III women’s lacrosse.  She was on the novice crew team in college and is currently rowing in the spring and summer in the DC area.  She has over 16 years experience working for non-profits in marketing, development, event management and community relations.  FIERCE Athlete Inc., with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, will not only transform the landscape of female athletics but of our entire society as women offer themselves as a gift--mind, body and soul.

Jim O’Day

Executive Director, Integrity Restored

James “Jim” O’Day is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience in development, executive management, sales, marketing, and relationship development. Jim brings a wide range of experiences serving in senior capacities in the consumer products, defense, homeland security and not for profit industries.

Mr. O’Day has successfully created various development, advancement, sales and marketing programs focusing on growth and profitability, relationship development approaches focusing on donor/customer satisfaction, donor engagement and client success and worked to create successful partnerships, mergers and acquisitions throughout his career.

Jim’s experience as a senior leader, (President, Vice President and Director) as well as the experiences gained by being a small business owner helps bring a wide range of leadership, managerial and functional skill sets to Integrity Restored. Mr. O’Day has been actively involved in men’s ministry as one of the founders of the Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference and the Georgia Catholic Men’s Conference as well as a speaker at various national and regional Catholic Men’s events. Jim is an active and engaged Catholic, husband, father and grandfather. He teaches self-defense in his spare time and coaches lacrosse.

Joanie Todd

Joanie sits on the boards of FIERCE Athlete, Seeds of Hope, Western Colorado University Foundation, and the FOCUS Presidents Advancement and Advisory Counsel. She enjoys serving on and leading gala planning for organizations and ministries that she cares about. She has two degrees from Western Colorado University in Elementary Education and Physical Education. She was a decorated collegiate swimmer. She was an 11 time All-American, and Academic All-American, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 50 meter freestyle record holder, was named to the RMAC Conference Swimming and Diving all-time team and is in the Western Colorado University Athletic Hall of Fame. She was a teacher and coach for 29 years, where she was named Continental League Swimming Coach of the Year three times. She is an avid Denver sports fan, and still loves working out and being active. She believes FIERCE Athlete is needed in our society and in women’s sports now more than ever before.

Kelsey Wicks

Executive Director, ACI Group

Kelsey Wicks is the Executive Director for the ACI Group, a series of international Catholic news agencies owned by EWTN News. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she lettered in both basketball and track. After college, she worked as a legislative assistant on immigration- and refugee-related issues for the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops before she turned down a scholarship to Notre Dame Law School to join the Nashville Dominicans. Shortly after discerning out of the convent she began her career in media, helping to found a Catholic news agency in Arabic to give a voice for persecuted Christians and was appointed to her current position.

Fr. Ben Keller, OP

Fr. Ben Keller, OP, is the current chaplain at Indiana University. He grew up in Andover, Minnesota, and attended Andover High School and Minnesota State University where he majored in mechanical engineering, played baseball, and began to feel the Lord calling him to share His love with others. Fr. Ben spent a year as a Missionary with FOCUS and Varsity Catholic (the athlete outreach of FOCUS) at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. He joined the Dominicans in the Summer of 2014.