Jill Vialet

Playworks CEO and Founder Jill Vialet has spent more than 25 years in the nonprofit sector, focusing her entrepreneurial skills on creating and developing two successful nonprofit organizations for kids. In 1996, Vialet launched Sports4Kids, now called Playworks, in two Berkeley, CA elementary schools. Playworks believes in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid and creates a place for every kid on the playground – a place where they belong, have fun and are part of the game. Playworks creates safe, inclusive school environments that allow kids to thrive and discover their own superpowers. Playworks currently serves more than 1,200 schools in 23 U.S. cities, and reaches more than a half of a million students directly and through professional training services. Prior to Playworks, Vialet co-founded the Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA), an organization dedicated to helping families and communities celebrate the art and creativity of their children. As executive director, Jill developed an “artists in residency” program in the schools and brought artists to work with children in pediatric wards of hospitals. She served as the executive director at mocha for nine years, ultimately expanding its programs to reach 20,000 young people each year. Vialet graduated from Harvard University where she studied medical sociology, played rugby, and became actively involved with Harvard’s service-learning community.