Board of Directors
Denise Kuchinski
President & Xander's Mom
Denise has a B.S. in psychology with a minor in sociology from Florida Southern College, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. After college she worked with severely emotionally disturbed children on the clinical staff at Peace River Center while living in Tampa, Florida. After moving to Charlotte she started acting, booking dozens of commercials and industrial films. She was the spokesperson for Honda of Concord and Toyota of Concord for almost 12 years.
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When her son Xander was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor she devoted 100% of her time to her son. After his passing Denise was determined to demonstrate to her daughter, Evangeline that happiness was possible no matter what. She studied books on how to survive the loss of a child, took classes, went to grief counseling and began meditating more than an hour each day. After years of hard work to heal, the idea came to her to give joy to children with cancer just as she had tried to do when her own son was sick.
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As the President of Xander's Acts of Kindness Foundation she is devoted to giving these gifts to children, lifting up their parents and giving hope to the entire family.
Jennifer was born and raised just outside of New York City and moved to Charlotte in 2014. She has spent her career working in financial planning for various retail companies. She is currently the Director of Planning & Allocation at Cato Corporation for their Versona division.
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In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is an animal lover that enjoys traveling and fitness, most recently learning Kray Maga and Jujitsu.
Jennifer Wozniak
Juli Barnhart
Juli was introduced to the Kuchinski family in June 2020. The timing was perfect. Her 20-year career had just ended abruptly because of Covid, and Brian was looking for help with his company, Peaceful Ponds.
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Fast forward to today, Juli sees Brian daily at the office and has grown close with Denise and Eva. She is honored to have been asked to serve on the board. Over the years Juli has donated time at various non-profits. It always warmed her heart to be able to give back.
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She and her husband, Jim love spending time outdoors, traveling and cheering on their favorite sports teams.
Born and raised near Pittsburgh, PA, Jennifer pursued a passion for education at Slippery Rock University, and later Queens University of Charlotte. In 2014, she moved to Charlotte, NC, to begin a career in teaching and is currently teaching 6th grade math.
She lives in South Charlotte with her husband, Jeremy, daughter, Jordan and dog, Molly. Jennifer enjoy playing and watching sports, volunteering, traveling, and spending time with her family!
Though she never had the privilege of meeting Xander, she is honored to be part of Xander’s Acts of Kindness Foundation, carrying forward his spirit of generosity and compassion.
Jennifer Selan
