ABOUT
PLAY MARIN
Our Mission
Play Marin intentionally provides opportunities for children of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Southern Marin to learn and grow together through play. We recognize the need for stronger diversity and inclusion in Marin County, and we believe that bringing together the unique experiences of different cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds among us serves to enhance our larger community. Being able to understand and appreciate people from all walks of life is vital to the advancement of our society, and we see play as the vehicle to achieve this goal. In just eight years, we have grown from one basketball team of nine players to reaching over 300 kids annually through several team sports and many other uplifting and enriching activities. Our work teaches valuable skills, creates friendships, develops grit, brings families together, and enhances well being and solidarity among young people of Marin from all backgrounds, improving their prospects for a successful future and benefiting the overall health of our broader Marin community. Come play with us.
The Challenge
We operate in one of the wealthiest counties in the country, which is also the most racially disparate county in California. Our work addresses two fundamental challenges Marin youth face: Adequate access to extracurricular and athletic opportunity in Marin City. Lack of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in the broader Marin community.
Our Solution
Everyone wins with Play Marin! Marin City youth have increased opportunities to participate in organized sports and other extracurricular activities. All participants benefit from learning and growing together through play with a more diverse peer group.
Our Team
Play Marin Founder & CEO Paul Austin is a longtime Marin City resident who has been a youth advocate for the majority of his professional life. After serving for several years as Director of Recreation for Marin City Community Center, Tamalpais High graduate Mr. Austin, who studied Early Childhood Education at Texas Southern University and holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Dominican University in San Rafael, saw a need to create opportunities for Marin City youth to engage in organized athletics and other extracurricular activities. He founded Play Marin to meet that need, and to intentionally give kids of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds from the broader Marin community the opportunity to play, learn, and grow together. Starting in 2012 with just one basketball team of nine players, Mr. Austin’s dedicated stewardship of Play Marin brought steady and expansive growth. The organization currently serves approximately 300 kids annually through multiple age-group teams and activities. Working full time in other professional roles while driving and managing this swift and substantial growth in Play Marin, from 2018-2020 Paul accepted the position of College Completion and Career Advisor for Bridge the Gap College Prep. Here he created college persistence and graduation plans for low-income students, working with them from high school through college graduation and beyond. He guided every aspect of the high school to college to graduation experience for first-generation college students; including identification and application, transitioning from high school, providing motivation and support for student personal health and academic performance, and coaching on the transition from college to career. In the summer of 2020, Paul began working full time as Chief Executive Officer of Play Marin. Additionally, Paul is the Community Liaison for Luminate Capital Partners, a LuluLemon Ambassador, and a board member of Extra Food. Married to Miller Creek Middle School Principal, Tenisha Tate, and the father of two, Paul Austin’s world is dedicated to the well-being of young people. He is a long-standing advocate for Marin youth, serving as their coach, counselor, and cheerleader, while constantly promoting the invaluable mission of bringing kids of diverse backgrounds together through play.
Board Of Directors
Board Chair Bruce Edwards lives in Mill Valley with his wife Kirsten, and sons Dillon, JP, and Reed. With over 20 years of financial services experience, Bruce is a Family CFO for approximately 25 families. In these endeavors, Bruce assists his clients with tax-efficient charitable giving through a combination of donor-advised funds and foundations. A devoted family man, some of Bruce’s other passions include fly fishing throughout the world, surfing, and playing music with friends and family. His dedication to wilderness conservation and charitable youth development led Bruce to serve on the boards of the Henry’s Fork Foundation in Idaho, and Mt Carmel CYO basketball in Mill Valley.
President and CEO of Bivium Capital, Lawrence leads a seasoned and dedicated team of investment professionals with expertise across every asset class and type of investment. Prior to founding Bivium in 2002, Lawrence was an initial member of Goldman Sachs IMD’s external manager selection team, where he worked on developing all areas of its manager of managers business; and evaluated minority-owned investment companies as part of the firm’s Urban Investment Group for capital allocation. Previously the Board Chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay, Lawrence currently sits on the governance and finance committees for the Bay Area chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. He earned his B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and his M.P.A. from Cornell University’s School of Public Affairs. Lawrence lives in Tiburon with his wife and three kids.
A former music industry executive with two decades in recording artist management, Roxie has worked with young people since she was a teenager— first as a conventional horseback riding instructor and later as a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and program director. In this capacity, she worked directly with at-risk and special needs students ages 5-17 and served as designer, developer, and director of several therapeutic and educational programs on both coasts. The parent of an NCAA athlete, Roxie first learned about Play Marin when her daughter was a volunteer swim instructor for their summer camp program. Roxie has a B.A. in Psychology from SFSU and graduate studies in Health Education JFK University. Roxie lives in Sausalito with her husband John, Managing Director of an international environmental nonprofit, and daughter Ella, currently a Social Justice major at Occidental College.
Our Partners
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Your support helps PLAY MARIN close the actiivty gap in Marin City and provides a more diverse peer group for over 300 kids annually throughout Sourthern Marin
