With mentoring from adults who had built organizations before, Sito turned a student project into a formally incorporated nonprofit governed by founding officers.
Project Pollinator was established in June 2026 as a nonprofit corporation in the State of Ohio, turning a student's project into an organization with a board, bylaws, and a public purpose.
The founding officers are Ivan "Sito" Rodriguez, Founder and President; Julian Iseghohi, Founding Secretary; and Carl Holtman, Founding Treasurer and adult mentor. Carl is a teacher at East High School whose administrative experience helped the founders navigate formation and compliance.
Sito remains the organization's leader and visionary. The adults around him provide structure, paperwork, and connections — not ownership of his idea.
Everything Project Pollinator does flows from a single insight: the decline of native pollinators and the presence of neglected urban land are not separate problems. They are halves of one solution.
Project Pollinator is a youth-led 501(c)(3) public charity in Columbus, Ohio. Get involved or review our transparency details.