Our Board

Susan Prout is the Co-Founder of I Have The Right To and the mother of Chessy Prout, author of I Have The Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope. Since the moment Chessy bravely disclosed her assault at 15 years old, Susan has been an unwavering advocate for survivors and a fierce champion for change.

Determined to create a future where no survivor has to endure what her daughter and family faced in the aftermath of Chessy’s assault at St. Paul’s School, Susan has dedicated herself to raising awareness, holding institutions accountable, and equipping students with the tools to foster safe, respectful communities. She travels nationwide, speaking with students, parents, and educators to amplify survivor voices and inspire action.

A thought leader in the fight against sexual violence, Susan works tirelessly to develop survivor-centered educational programs that empower young people to advocate for themselves and stand up for others. She collaborates with survivors, experts, and legal advocates to push for systemic change—including a justice system that treats sexual assault victims with dignity, understands the neurobiology of trauma, and upholds their rights as crime victims.

Through her work, Susan continues to turn pain into purpose, relentlessly pursuing a world where every student can learn, grow, and thrive—free from the fear of sexual violence.

Kelli Polon serves as the Deputy Controller and Treasurer for the Smithsonian Institution. In her role, she supports the oversight of the Institution’s financial and accounting operations, including federal and trust financial reporting, debt and treasury activities, cash management, payment activities, and risk management.

Prior to joining the Smithsonian in 2023, she spent nearly 15 years leading D.C. area non-profit finance teams at the National Center on Education and the Economy and Defenders of Wildlife.

She began her career in the audit and assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she focused on higher education and non-profit audits.

Kelli earned a Master of Science in Accountancy from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the College of Charleston.

Sophie is Associate Producer for Anderson Cooper 360°. Passionate about connecting people through the power of storytelling, Sophie is a 2x Emmy Award-nominated journalist for CNN based in New York.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Fordham University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication Studies. Sophie also serves as the Communications Chair of the American Cancer Society’s Endurance Series.

 Rebecca Grunwald is the owner of and principal architect at RRG Architecture PLLC. She resides in New York City with her husband, Peter, and daughter, Caroline, who was one of IHTRT’s first interns. Rebecca received an AB from Princeton University and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Virginia. Serving as Board Chair of Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts for ten years and as Board President of the Nightingale Bamford School in New York, New York for nine years, her volunteer work over the past two decades has focused on the education of young women. Rebecca currently serves as Vice President of the board of The Princeton Tigerlilies. First introduced to IHTRT by her daughter, Rebecca finds the mission of IHTRT an inspiration and understands deeply how the organization’s work can positively affect the trajectory of a young person’s life.

Nancy is an advocate and supporter of survivors of sexual assault. Her active support includes attending trials on behalf of the survivors supported by I Have The Right To. Nancy also serves on the Board of Directors of the Pet Project Foundation (PPF), the volunteer arm of the San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter in California.     

Peter “Pete” LeBoutillier is a former professional hockey player, business owner, coach, mentor, and speaker whose career has evolved from competing and leading on the ice to helping organizations and athletic programs build stronger, more purposeful cultures.

Pete played professional hockey in the NHL, AHL, and Europe, including time with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The lessons he learned through elite competition, leadership, trust, resilience, and accountability continue to shape his work today.

As the owner of Pro Motion Hockey, Pete works with leaders, businesses, and sports teams to strengthen their organizations from the inside out. Through coaching, consulting, and speaking, he helps teams develop cultures grounded in purpose, vulnerability, trust, and shared accountability. He believes the strongest organizations are built when people feel safe enough to be honest, courageous enough to be vulnerable, and connected to a purpose greater than themselves.

Pete also serves as Associate Hockey Director for Team Maryland, where he coaches and mentors young athletes. Drawing on his experiences as an athlete, business leader, coach, father, and mentor, he encourages young people, particularly boys and young men to view empathy, openness, and respect as essential leadership qualities.

Pete has brought this perspective to I Have The Right To through speaking engagements and student programming, helping lead conversations about leadership, healthy masculinity, respect, and personal accountability.

He joins the Board with a commitment to helping young people develop the confidence, empathy, and courage to lead and to create cultures in which everyone feels respected, supported, and safe.

Derrick Hurley grew up in Mt. Gilead, North Carolina. He attended NC State University and graduated with honors in 1987 with a degree in Business Management. He then joined NCR Corporation as a systems engineer, beginning a 37-year career in retail technology during which he worked for several U.S.- and U.K.-based companies, including NCR, IBM, and a number of smaller firms.

Over the last 20 years of his career, Derrick held executive-level positions, including President of Clarity Commerce US, Executive Vice President of Channel Sales for Retalix, and Vice President of Global Channel Software Strategy for NCR.

In 1989, he married his wife, Jill, who also attended NC State University. Together they have three daughters—Kaitlin, Taylor, and Emily—and one granddaughter, Amelia.

In 2022, Derrick published a book titled Antiguan Justice: A Father’s Fight, which tells the story of his daughter’s rape while she was a nursing student in Antigua and his dedication to pursuing justice. The experience profoundly affected him, and at the end of 2023, he left a successful career to help victims of sexual assault—including rape, sex trafficking, and child sexual abuse.

Derrick has volunteered for Operation Light Shine (Nashville, TN), RAINN (Washington, D.C.), I Have The Right To and The Impact and Dialogue Foundation (India), where he serves as an Advisor to the Board. He spends his time advocating for and supporting victims, facilitating sessions for I Have The Right To, delivering trauma-informed training, participating in webinars and speaking engagements, including with the Lakota Nation in South Dakota focused on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Trauma and Masculinity.

He has also been a guest on several podcasts, including What They Don’t Say, Sexual Assault Survivor Stories (with his daughter Kaitlin), the Dear Katie podcast, Aspire: Real Men, Real Conversations and a few others, as well as being a Q&A Panelist for the movie If I Tell You.

As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Steve talks openly and frankly about the life-long impact of the aftermath of what was done to him so that others don’t struggle in isolation. After not telling anyone for a decade and another two decades of public secrecy, Steve knows firsthand the destructive nature of the shame and blame that are so commonly experienced by childhood sexual assault survivors. With the help of his family, close friends, a significant investment in mental health therapy and a chance encounter with the founders of I Have The Right To, Steve has discovered a healthier, loving path forward – one that passes that shame and blame from the abused to the abusers, where it rightly belongs.  Steve has worked in the financial services industry in the Boston area for the past 30 years and is currently the Head of Workplace Provider and Product Strategy at Edelman Financial Engines, America’s largest independent investment advisor.

Mary Ellen is fiercely committed to protecting victims of sexual violence, promoting their recovery and well-being, and advancing programs that are aimed at stopping future assaults through early and effective education and accountability.  She previously worked as a family law paralegal and has lived around the world in diverse cultures where she raised her three daughters as the trailing spouse of an expat.