Meet Our Team

Founder

Michael Perko

When Mike Perko was six years old, he nervously stepped on the ice in Ithaca, NY for his first youth hockey practice and promptly had an asthma attack. A volunteer coach knelt down, put his hand on Mike’s chest and gently talked him back to a state of calm. Mike never forgot this and has made it his purposeful work to embrace care and empathy in all areas of his life.

Mike is the proud founder of 500 Fist Bumps, a non-profit dedicated to helping youth-serving organizations intentionally create a culture of connection and belonging for every kid who steps on a field, rink, pool, court, track, or mat. All kids deserve to feel that they belong, and multiple organizations, such as the MLS soccer team Carolina Core, Beyond Sports, local YMCAs, and UNC Greensboro, have all collaborated with 500 Fist Bumps to provide opportunities to make our community feel connected!

Additionally, Mike is a professor at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro’s Dept. of Public Health Education; prior to that, he was Chairman of the Dept. of Health Sciences at the University of Alabama. Mike has been nominated for or received 15 teaching or alumni distinction awards, this includes receiving the highest teaching award in the state of NC, the UNC Board of Governors Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award. His fifth children’s book, “How to EAT, LEAP, and SLEEP like a SUPERHERO!” won the Bronze Medal at the National Health Information Awards Competition in 2017. He has given 100+ invited and keynote addresses and has appeared on ESPN Outside the Lines, the Voice of America, New York Times, NY Magazine, NPR, and Sports Illustrated. He has testified in front of Congress and has been invited numerous times to Capitol Hill to advocate for healthier schools and greater access for kids to become physically fit.

Dr. Perko also currently serves as the Interim Head Women's Lacrosse Coach at Southwest Guilford High School in High Point. He and his wife Sarah are the proud parents of Jack, an ARMY ROTC scholarship student at UNC-Chapel Hill, and daughter Elena, also at UNC-Chapel Hill in the School of Journalism and Media Studies.

Co-Founder

Stephen Hebard

Stephen Hebard, PhD co-founded 500 Fist Bumps to help youth-serving organizations strengthen youth mental health through what happens in the moments that matter: how adults notice, respond, and build trust with kids every day. He is also the Co-Founder/CEO of The Hebs Group, where he works as a bridge between research and practice, helping nonprofits build evidence-informed programs, validating impact with practical, right-sized data, and translating results into funder-ready stories that unlock sustainable support.

Over the past decade, Stephen’s work has spanned clinical practice, education, behavioral research, program evaluation, and product design, including serving as Chief Innovation Officer at Prevention Strategies. He has secured more than $5M in federal (NIH) and state grants and projects for research and development, supporting everything from prototyping behavioral interventions for population health and well-being to curriculum and training program design. His research and publications focus on youth mental health, mental health and sport (including coach-athlete attachment), and social and emotional learning. Stephen also coaches U8 academy soccer players with NC Fusion, is climbing the U.S. Soccer coaching licensure pathway, and serves on the board for UNC Greensboro’s Department of Counseling and Educational Development.