Embrace empathy for
co-existence of humans,
animals and nature.
Who we are
Our CEO
Pilar Barton
Founder & CEO
Pilar’s commitment to education, animal welfare, and community activism drives Empathink’s mission to build a more equitable and compassionate world. Pilar is a seasoned activist and fundraising expert with a track record of securing transformative funding, including for a 65,000-acre farming project in Abu Dhabi. She’s led initiatives in STEM education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy, including passing living wage ordinances. Pilar founded the first Women’s Sports Club in Abu Dhabi and a water sports school for women in the Middle East, breaking barriers and empowering women.
Leadership Team
Trinati Georgopoulos
Head of Education and
Curriculum Development
With over 20 years in education, Trinati (Mother in the Wild) has guided children and families through schools, preschools, and nature-based programs. Founder of Child in the Wild, she creates spaces for children to explore and grow through empathy and connection to nature. Her ecological wisdom, conscious communication, and ancient breath techniques, foster emotional intelligence and self-awareness. At Empathink, Trinati advances the mission to inspire compassionate leaders rooted in empathy, nature, and respect for all living beings.
Noel Rabinowitz
Creative Director in Residence
Noel combines creativity and technology to drive social good and cultural empowerment. With a dual BA in Physics and Visual Arts, his career of entrepreneurship and nonprofit leadership spans directing media teams, web development, content creation, film production and studio engineering, product management, strategic communications, digital marketing. Noel also founded MAKEBOOMBOXES.com for music lovers to build connection through listening together. At Empathink, his focus is on product and program design, media and visual storytelling to help us unlock our goals.
Our Board
Chuck Thiel
Chairman of the Board
Chuck brings 32 years of leadership in the labor movement and a strong background in animal welfare advocacy. As a union business representative and general manager, he championed fairness and ethical leadership. Early roles in animal services sparked his lifelong passion for empathy and education. Now at Empathink, Chuck is dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders to create positive change through compassion and collaboration.
Adele Piliszek
Fundraising Chair
Adele, a Baylor University graduate, has built a career in medical technology and mentorship, supporting minority women in business. She has collaborated with nonprofits like Dress for Success, Habitat for Humanity, and Make-A-Wish. A dedicated animal advocate, she fosters abused animals and supports therapeutic horsemanship programs. As Fundraising Chair at Empathink, she fosters partnerships that promote empathy and kindness.
Shruti Agarwal
Advisor
As a computer science researcher, trained at leading academic institutions, Shruti’s research focuses on making the internet a safer space by developing tools that foster authenticity and trust in online content. Her journey bears witness to the transformative power of education and its ability to create meaningful change. Her belief that empathy, love, and kindness empower a peaceful and thriving world guides her support of Empathink initiatives to nurture empathy toward people, nature, and animals.
Let’s Join Forces
and Resources
Every donation to Empathink is a way to foster empathy and prevent cruelty in practical, impactful ways. Your support today helps us establish our empathy-focused curriculum for schools and communities, reaching more students of all ages.