Neil MacAulay – Founder/ CEO
I am very blessed to have friends who are talented and just as passionate as I am in providing community support to children dealing with developmental and behavioral health issues. I have been a photographer all my life. I photographed my first wedding when I was a freshman in high school. I worked for Kodak for 10 years where I was able to develop my photography skills. I now work in healthcare and am proud to say I can merge my two passions by creating the Wonder Warriors for Super Kids. The responses we get from these kids are amazing. I am humbled to be able to give this gift, along with my friends, to these kids during a difficult time in their lives. To be able to show kids that the community is here to help them and to cheer them on in overcoming their challenges is a gift from God.
Bryan Rife – President
Bryan Rife has over 30 years in the healthcare arena and holds a Life Coach Certification through the Academy of Modern Applied Psychology and is nationally certified as an Activity Director with a specialization in education through the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals. Bryan is the Director of Quality Assurance for the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals in Washington, DC.
Bryan has previously served on the boards of the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals in Washington, DC and the Coalition of Activity Professionals in North Carolina, both non-profits. Currently, Bryan is the Vice President of the Little Theater of Gastonia.
After moving to the Carolinas in 1994 from Wild Wonderful West Virginia, he started working in healthcare and met Neil while working in a nursing facility. Bryan had presented the “idea” to Neil in hopes that the two of them could bring it to life.
The idea was discovered several years ago, when Bryan saw the work of another photographer halfway across the country who was taking photos of children with health issues and turning them into superheroes. As being the founder of Bryan’s Wish, an organization that collects toys for children who are in the hospital, Bryan felt that there was probably a need in and around the Charlotte area and here we are today with the wonderful group called Wonder Warriors.
Cathy Hoy – Director of Business Operations
I’m an experienced business professional in the healthcare sector, succeeding in a variety of business roles including sales, leadership, business operations, and client success. My passion for behavioral health stems from my first hand experience with family members struggling with serious mental illness and seeing the impact it has on them as individuals but also the family members that love them.
I’ve held previous board positions with the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, served as a certified instructor for Mental Health First Aid and held numerous volunteer roles for breast cancer non-profits. I enjoy being involved in issues that matter to me and giving back. In my spare time, I enjoy going to concerts, hiking and just spending time with my friends and family!
I’m thrilled to be a part of Wonder Warriors for Super Kids. It’s a wonderful organization that brings joy and happiness to some really special kids!
Paola Zambrano – Treasurer
I’m originally from Ecuador, South America and have been in the United States since 1999. I met my husband of 22 years in New York and have two wonderful teenagers . I hold a degree in Finance, and I am currently employed by Nobles Restaurants, LLC in the Finance Department.
I know of Wonder Warriors through Neal’s great work. He is very passionate about his work with all children.
I’m excited to be part of this project. I feel honored and ready to contribute to this magnificent cause.
Tracy VanHassel – Director of Event Operations
Volunteering with the Wonder Warriors team since 2018 has allowed me the opportunity to interact with these amazing kids and adolescents who are facing their own challenges. I love being part of this team knowing that we have brought many smiles to the kids and their families.
Hobbies for me include scrapbooking/paper crafting. I enjoy capturing photos that support the memories and tell the stories of special events. Spare time for me includes making handmade cards to send to friends/family. As an avid hiker, I love exploring the many state parks in the area.
Patrick Murphy – Director of Marketing
Patrick Murphy is originally from the northeast and relocated to the beautiful Carolinas in 2006 to continue his successful career in medical sales.
He lives outside of Charlotte, is a devoted father and passionate about SCUBA and traveling.
Through his medical sales position Patrick saw first hand the challenges those suffering from behavioral health issues face. Volunteering with Wonder Warriors offers the opportunity to give back to the community and provide some normalcy and fun to those children who are often lacking in these crucial areas of childhood.
Kat Manning – Director of Volunteer Functions
My name is Kat, I am a self employed dog groomer in Fort Mill, SC. I have been a groomer for 20 years and have owned my own grooming salon for 7yrs.
I was introduced to the Wonder Warriors through my wife Dani. It wasn’t hard to convince me to help! I went full force into helping to get costumes. A lot of my clients even donated! I have seen kids go from not wanting to speak to anyone to not being able to stop talking about their experience! That is what this is all about and I love it!
Dani Manning – Director of Volunteer Functions
My name is Dani, I have been married to my wife, Kat for 5 years and together for 8. We have two teenagers. Kayla our 18yr old daughter and James our 6’1 15yr old son. We love to travel and be outdoors (only during warm/fall weather lol). We are all about trying new things, I love change!
I’m a Patient Financial Specialist at Atrium Health Behavioral Health. I have been there for over 6yrs. It is where I met Neil when he would come by to speak to our doctors. When I found out he was a photographer, we had him do our Trash the dress photoshoot. Later, Neil came to me with his idea of Wonder Warriors and of course I was on board from the beginning! The joy we see on the kids faces when they get to be their favorite superhero is very rewarding. I love being apart of this amazing cause!
Ronald Rossmann “The Dark Knight” – Event Volunteer
Ronald J. Rossmann Jr. is also known as “Charlotte’s Dark Knight” and “The Lake Wylie Batman”. He is a screenwriter, director, and self-published science fiction/horror author of two books currently listed on Amazon, ‘The Lost Road to Hope” and “The Crux”. He just completed his third season of his web series The Dusk Series and the feature length fan film, “The Devil’s Daughter: A Harley Quinn Story”. Ron started his own production and event planning company, Be Your Own Hero Productions fourteen years ago, an enterprise spawned for his love of bringing heroes, hope, and smiles to those who need it most. His favorite comic book character is Batman, and his most notable cosplay incarnations are the Michael Keaton/Tim Burton film version and his own Medieval creation of the Dark Knight. His most cherished cosplay story occurred when he wasn’t even in costume.
“I was sitting in a SC cafe with a friend of mine and a young man, around seven or eight years of age, kept staring at me. After a few minutes his mother came over and apologized, stating her son, for some reason, thought I was the real Batman. I asked her to allow him to come over. She agreed and he did. I took my phone off the table and scrolled to one of my Batman cosplay pics and let him look at it. He smiled and his eyes widened as big as saucers.”
“Now you can’t tell anyone that you met me as Bruce Wayne,” I said.
“He eagerly nodded and smiled again. I said thank you in my best Batman voice and his smile grew even wider. He happily skipped back to his table and took a seat. His mom later thanked me repeatedly.
It was one of the coolest moments of my life, and I have had a few including directing traffic for the CMPD as Batman and working for numerous charities as the Caped Crusader.