Zack is one of eleven siblings. Growing up in a large family made haircut time very expensive. Hence, Zack began to learn how to do haircuts by giving them to his family members. This then led to giving out haircuts to friends around the neighborhood. That's when he discovered this was passion of his. Later on, he started to receive a lot of people's negative comments and doubt telling him barbering wasn't a good career choice. Being young and looking up to his peers, while receiving their doubts, he then started to believe them, so he gave up cutting hair for a while. A few years later, Zack was asked by a friend who learned that he used to do it, if he would be willing to cut his hair. While cutting his hair on the front porch, people walked by and complemented Zack's work. Immediately his passion for cutting hair came back. This realization turned into determination which remains with him today.

In 2018, Zack decided to attend Pittsburgh Barber School and go all the way by becoming a licensed professional. He completed the required one year and 1,250 hours thereby receiving his certificate of completion in 2019. He then went to take his State Boards test and passed and received his barber license later that year. Upon graduating, Zack was granted the opportunity to work alongside his barber instructor, Ms. Jackee for two years at her barbershop in McKees Rocks, PA. Zack then applied to take his Barber Manager test and was granted a Barber Manager License in 2021.

In September 2026, Zack opened his own barber shop in Carrick with a full ribbon-cutting complete with clients, friends, supporters and elected officials attending to celebrate his beautiful new space. Today Zack is proud to serve as Chairperson of BreakIT leading by example and Making Difference in our community.

Ben's professional background is in interior design, where his work is guided by the principle of intentional design; the belief that systems, like spaces, must be created with purpose, clarity, and human dignity at their core. He approaches environments not as isolated aesthetic exercises, but as structures that shape behavior, experience, and long-term outcomes. That same systems-oriented mindset informs his interest in criminal justice reform and business incubation.

Ben believes strongly in quality over quantity. In design, this means resisting trends in favor of work that is thoughtful, durable, and grounded. In the nonprofit and policy context, it translates into advocating for reforms and programs that prioritize depth over scale, investing deeply in people, institutions, and ideas that are built to last, rather than pursuing rapid expansion or symbolic wins.

His perspective is shaped by a commitment to historical and social context. Just as no building exists outside of its past, no system of justice or economy can be understood without acknowledging the cultural, legal, and economic forces that produced it. In both fields, meaningful progress requires working with what already exists, by honoring lived experience, institutional memory, and complexity rather than attempting to erase or oversimplify it.

Ben is particularly concerned with the ways in which modern discourse, including aspects of cancel culture, can unintentionally undermine progress by replacing engagement with avoidance and discomfort with silence. In design, avoiding difficult constraints leads to superficial results; in social systems, avoiding difficult people and conversations leads to exclusion and stagnation. Durable change requires the willingness to remain present with complexity, disagreement, and imperfection.

At the core of both his professional and civic work is a belief in human potential and earned redemption. Ben is committed to supporting organizations that invest in second chances, skill-building, and economic participation, especially for those historically marginalized by the justice system. Whether designing a space or helping shape an institution, Ben believes the goal is the same: to build structures that allow people not just to function, but to grow, contribute, and belong.