By Felicia L. Niven
Photos by Paul Dempsey
When Tracey Triniwell walks through the doors of the Boys & Girls Club, it’s like a homecoming—and a celebrity sighting rolled into one. Children rush toward her, eager to share their artwork, their stories, their hugs. “Miss Tracey! Miss Tracey! Come see what I made!” they call out, pulling her in every direction. New faces linger on the sidelines at first, unsure—until they gather the courage to ask, “Can I have a hug too?”
As CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, Tracey Triniwell is clearly more than a leader in title. She’s a guiding light, a steady hand, and for some—especially the youngest—she’s a bit like a second mom.
Tracey Triniwell (née Hyman) grew up in the Venice Park section of Atlantic City, where childhood was equal parts adventure and hustle. She and her friends played along the jetty, rode boats, fished off docks, and chased fireflies after dark. Always on the move, Tracey once earned money walking dogs—while cruising through the neighborhood on roller skates. She cheered, played basketball, sold ice cups, and ran errands for neighbors.
That energy never faded—it just evolved. In high school, Tracey navigated two social circles: the Saint James Catholic school crowd in Ventnor and her close-knit hometown crew in Atlantic City. She once considered vocational school, drawn by her love of fashion design. But her guidance counselor, Michael Everett, had other plans.
“He looked at my grades and said, ‘You’re not a Vo-tech student. You’re an honor student. What do you really want to do?’” she recalls. “I said I wanted to go to Howard University and major in accounting. He said, ‘Then let’s make your resume tell that story.’”
He wasn’t easy on her. He didn’t hand her opportunities—he made her chase them and own them. She juggled sports, work, and school with the focus of someone who had a point to prove. And to be clear, she did. “I wanted to show I could carry the load. That I could show up. That I was ready.”
At Howard University, she found her voice. “Howard taught me how to walk into any room and know that I belong,” she says. She earned her degree in Business Administration. Then came the New York chapter—the proving ground.
She joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Assurance & Advisory practice, a high-powered job in a high-stakes city. It was the early 2000s—the era of black or navy suits, closed-toe pumps, and unspoken rules. The boardrooms were filled with white men. And Tracey? She was young, Black, female, and ambitious. “It was cutthroat,” she says. “You either swam with the sharks or sank. So, I learned to swim.”
At the same time, life outside the boardroom was gaining momentum. In 2008, she moved to South Jersey, drawn by a high school friendship with Lawrence “Dink” Triniwell that had quietly grown into something more. For a while, she kept up the grind—commuting to New York City. Eventually, she made the switch to PwC’s Philadelphia office, where she discovered a passion for internal audit. That interest led her to a new opportunity at Lincoln Financial Group.
Life slowly but surely began to center around South Jersey. Tracey accepted an invitation from Michael Everett to help with Champions of Youth, eager for the chance to mentor local teens. Around the same time, she decided to leave the long commute behind and take a local opportunity at AtlantiCare. “Healthcare was a culture shock,” she admits. “At first, I wasn’t sure if it was the right fit for me. I had to figure out how to make it work, to find my joy.”
She found her footing by leaning into employee engagement, becoming deeply involved with the African American Employee Resource Group—and eventually stepping up as chair. Through that role, she rediscovered her voice, this time as an advocate and community-builder. Her leadership didn’t go unnoticed. She was asked to lead operations and finance for the maternal-fetal medicine practice—a fast-paced, high-stakes environment where the learning curve was steep, but the confidence others had in her proved well placed.
In 2013, she earned her Master’s in Accountancy from Rutgers—a remarkable achievement considering she was working, planning a wedding, raising three children, and pregnant with her fourth at the time.
That same year, she joined the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City. They needed someone with financial and operational expertise, and she delivered—guiding the organization through more than a decade of fiscal challenges. Twelve years later, the Club turned to her once again—this time to lead as CEO.
“I was floored,” she says. “It wasn’t something I had aspired to. But I looked around at where we were—and where we could go—and I knew I could make a difference.”
She stepped into the role with a clear vision and a steady heartbeat: hope, safety, and storytelling. “Hope, because I’m a dreamer. And when you dream big, hope is your fuel,” she says. “Safety, because nothing happens without it. The kids have to feel secure before they can grow. And storytelling—that’s our truth. That’s how we connect. When we share our struggles, our journeys, we give someone else permission to believe.”
Under Tracey’s leadership, the Club has become a launchpad for possibility. It offers culinary arts, STEAM labs, music studios, and mentorship programs. Tracey is at the center of it all—high-fiving kids, inspiring staff, and inviting donors to coffee to share her vision firsthand. “I always say, come see what we’re doing,” she says. “Come feel the energy in the room.”
But sustaining that energy—and expanding the opportunities—takes more than heart. It takes partnership. “Government funding isn’t always guaranteed,” Tracey explains. “Sometimes it’s paused or redirected, and that puts our kids and programs at risk.” That’s why community support is essential. Private donations help safeguard the Club’s vital services—from after-school meals and academic support to enrichment programs and career readiness. “We’re doing life-changing work here,” she says. “And we need the community to stand with us to keep it going.”
Behind the blue door of the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, hope walks in every day. Sometimes in sneakers. Sometimes in heels. Sometimes in the form of a woman named Tracey Triniwell—who remembers what it felt like to chase fireflies by the bay and who now helps the next generation reach for the stars.
To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City and how your can help or donate.
