Youth Assistance Coalition is a 501c3 that was founded in 2017 by a group of motivated volunteers who saw the pattern of youth homelessness in San Diego and wanted to break it. From the beginning, YAC has focused on a community approach to breaking this pattern, and has built up powerful partnerships with many other organizations in San Diego who are also committed to helping these youth get off the streets in a lasting way.
Our mission is to positively impact the lives of youth experiencing homelessness
through empowerment, mentorship, and community collaboration in order to
provide transformative opportunities.
We are a predominantly volunteer run organization, and we rely on the support and kindness of our community
to be able to provide much-needed services to San Diego’s homeless youth population.
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Rebecca Mitchell
Rebecca has felt fortunate to call San Diego home for the past 25 years. She holds a Bachelor degree in Political Science and Psychology and a Masters degree in Education. After working with foster youth in the system, she went into teaching feeling it was a better way for her to help. Rebecca loved teaching and coaching on and off before and while raising two daughters with her husband. Nurturing creativity in herself and others is one of her passions, whether it be chairing events for numerous non-profits, bringing art, music and science to schools, coaching for Odyssey of the Mind or just doing a special project. After spending time with multiple non-profits, as well as mentoring homeless and foster youth Rebecca felt helping with education, job placement, and general well-being for the youth at YAC was a perfect fit.
Kevin Warden
Kevin is an entrepreneur who recently left IBM after spending 8 years in IT/Cloud consulting and Analytics software sales. He moved to San Diego in 2018 from Chicago to escape the cold weather. Kevin spent some time volunteering during high school, college, and working life, but wanted to get more involved locally once he moved to San Diego after witnessing the COVID-19 pandemic particularly impacting the homeless population. Kevin began as an outreach volunteer for YAC but gradually began to assist in all areas of the center, and has recently become the Outreach Director. Kevin has a passion for finding new youth across San Diego to have them potentially connect with YAC to identify what services might be the best fit for their current situation.
Megan Nelson
Megan grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She relocated to California in 2015 to chase the sunshine and start a new chapter of her life. For her career, she works on building and developing relationships and selling landscape throughout the County of San Diego. She has served on the Community Outreach Committee within her industry for the past 5 years. This was where she was first introduced to YAC and has been committed to organizing donation drives and volunteering ever since. She has a passion for youth, helping others in need, and also cooking. Megan has been the Carpark Coordinator for YAC for the past two years where she ensures dinner is provided to those who need a helping hand.
Cat Mineo
Cat joined the YAC team as an outreach volunteer and stepped onto the grant writing team shortly thereafter. She is now honored to join the leadership team and continue contributing to the success of our youth. Simply put, Cat was drawn to YAC as a result of her desire to help others. She is a firm believer that no matter where you come from or where you may go, helping others along the way is what makes the journey. Cat is originally from New Jersey, but has since happily settled in the Central Coast of California where she is a full time attorney practicing business transactional law. Although she is no longer local to San Diego, she is able to participate with the grant team and collaborate with our leadership team to further develop and improve the vital programs offered by YAC.
Amber Korody
Amber is a local small business owner who provides community management services throughout the County of San Diego. A Pennsylvania transplant from an early age, she was raised in California and has resided in San Diego since 2012. She has volunteered at local homes that provide services for women recovering from drug addiction/alcoholism. During her tenure she assisted with organization of the Board of Directors and coordinating various fundraisers. She also serves on a community outreach committee that has supported YAC since origination through annual supply drives and meal donations. She has a passion for connecting people who want to donate to those who are in need.
Melody Vazquez, MSW
Born and raised in San Diego, Melody earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from San Diego State University. She continued to earn her Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University. In 2018, she had a desire to affect positive change in lives while giving back to the community. She joined YAC shortly after and transitioned into becoming the Outreach Director. While working with the youth Melody’s life experiences, work with foster youth, and work with survivors of domestic violence makes her relatable and approachable. Her commitment aligns with YAC’s belief that consistent positive social support empowers the youth towards transformative opportunities.
Kristine Preston, PhD
Kris is a native Californian and San Diego County resident for over 30 years. Her focus at Youth Assistance Coalition is helping youth achieve their educational goals. Kris has years of experience working with teenagers and young adults. She volunteered at a drop in center for youth experiencing homelessness. As a founding member of Youth Assistance Coalition, Kris engages in street outreach, mentoring, and tutoring. She has taught university lab courses, mentored graduate students, and served as an advisor on thesis committees. Kris has a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from the University of California, Davis and a PhD in Biology from the University of California, Riverside. As an ecologist, she studies rare, threatened and endangered species in Southern California.
Ana Luisa Pastor dos Santos
Relocating from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ana has been in San Diego since 2017. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Fundaçāo Escola de Sociologia e Política de Sāo Paulo (São Paulo School of Sociology and Politics Foundation). Ana has worked as a social programs assistant, social programs coordinator and sociology teacher in Brazil. Her passion for youth and dedication to helping others brought her to YAC in 2018. Ana found that her prior experiences enabled her to connect with youth furthering YAC’s mission. In 2019, Ana expressed a desire to collaborate with donors to best serve our youth. Her experience and skills in the social services field paired with her passion make her the perfect person to be our Donations Director.
Shirin Mara
Shirin is a San Diego transplant from NY. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Anthropology at Hofstra University in NY. From there she joined the NY City Teaching Fellows and taught grades 4 and 5 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY. When she moved to San Diego in 2006, she began teaching at The Charter School of San Diego which serves grades 6-12. She taught for 9 years and then became an academic counselor for 4 years. While working with The Charter School of San Diego, Shirin counseled many youth experiencing homelessness. She saw firsthand how homelessness severely impacted these students’ educational and social wellbeing. Shirin wanted to do more to advocate for them and that is when she decided to volunteer for YAC. Her main goal is to be of service wherever she can so that the biggest impact can be made to help the youth.
Kade Goldin, MSW
Kade is one of the original co-founders of Youth Assistance Coalition. Kade previously worked for four years as a special education teacher, and two years as a Supportive Case Manager for youth experiencing homelessness. They received extensive client-centered training through San Diego Youth Services and has expansive internship experience with Child Welfare Services. Kade was a Title IV-E recipient and received a Master of Social Work Degree from California State University-San Marcos. Kade has a wealth of knowledge surrounding community resources, client compassion, and trauma-informed care. Kade works to engage with local organizations and continue developing a coalition towards alleviating youth homelessness.BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dolores Esparza
Moving out of her family home as a matter of necessity and renting a room from a high school friend (while holding down two jobs) was a crash course in fierce independence for 16-year-old Dolores. Her acute awareness of how hard and rough the streets can be for young minds stems from personal experience. It closely aligns her heart with the Youth Assistance Coalition’s mission to break the pattern of youth homelessness and provide transformative opportunities. Stacked with almost eight years in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, Dolores also served as a Senior Project Administrator at Hensel Phelps for four years prior to joining the DPR family. Today, Dolores is a Field Office Coordinator and Regional Master Subcontract Administrator for the Southwest region at DPR Construction, a top technical builder and #1 ranked general contractor in San Diego County (San Diego Business Journal 2022). Dolores’ philanthropic work includes her role as DPR San Diego’s Foundation Grant Liaison and her active involvement with the Community Initiatives Taskforce. Growing up three blocks from the Youth Assistance Coalition in San Diego, Dolores remains an empowered advocate around making a positive impact in the neighborhood where her family still resides and paying it forward to help give today’s youth a chance at a better life.
Mary Lou Dunford
Mary Lou is a native Californian and recent returnee to San Diego. An HR professional, her career ranged from the United Nations to most recently SAIC in San Diego and McLean, VA. Her passion for empowering women and youth led her to long-term Board memberships of both the American Near East Refugee Association (ANERA) in Washington DC, and Second Story, an at-risk and homeless youth program in Virginia. In addition, her affiliation with The Friends of Guest House, a transitional living program for formerly incarcerated women, led her to establish a pre-release mentoring program for women at two county jails in Virginia. Through ANERA, Mary Lou sponsors a playground for the children of Nahr El-Bared, a refugee camp in Lebanon. Mary Lou was a Tribute to Women in Industry Award Winner, and is a former member of the SD Commission on the Status of Women. She received her B.A. from Vassar College and M.A. from Columbia University. She has travelled extensively in Europe and the Middle East, and enjoys painting, motorcycle cross country travel, and building her barn home in Michigan with her sidekick, Rick, and monster cat, Zimba. She is honored to be a member of the Board of YAC, as she believes strongly in the mission and need to provide support to vulnerable youth.
John Sabourin
John is a retired Certified Public Accountant with over 40 years of experience in various administrative, Finance, and accounting positions. He has worked as a controller in two public companies. John earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Missouri and a graduate degree in accounting from Maryville University in St. Louis. Originally from St. Louis, John has lived in several places including Philadelphia, New York City, Seattle, São Paulo, Brazil, and San Diego. John served on the board of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute, volunteered with the Red Cross, and was a big brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters. John lives part-time in San Diego. He looks forward to serving the youth community in San Diego and serving on the board of the Youth Assistance Coalition.
Deborah Early
In addition to being passionate about ending youth homelessness, Deborah is a professional interior designer. She graduated from Design Institute of San Diego with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design. She also has an accreditation with the Council of Interior Design, and she is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers. She has created a vision for YAC’s future building which encompasses modern and appealing design with efficient function.
Karen Ryman Riley
Karen graduated from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and was admitted to the California Bar in 1981. In 1992 she was appointed to the San Diego South Bay Municipal Court, then she became a San Diego Superior Court commissioner where she served on the bench for over 25 years. Commissioner Riley retired from the Superior Court in 2015 and still returns to assist when needed. Outside of court Commissioner Riley served for nearly 25 years on the board of directors of The Turning Point Home of San Diego, Inc., a social model alcohol recovery home serving alcoholic women in achieving long term sobriety and reintegration into the community. Ms. Riley now welcomes the opportunity to join the other members of the board of Youth Assistance Coalition in serving the vulnerable youth of our community.
George Lezon
30 plus years of operation’s management experience in the multiple arenas: International, Acquisitions & Operations, Protective Coatings, Franchising, and Automotive. Currently Executive Vice President of IXS Coatings (LINE-X and Ultimate Linings) overseeing all of North and Central American. I travel extensively to oversee critical operations and to build/maintain relationships with many of our largest customers. I reside in San Diego California with my amazing wife and enjoy my grandkids whenever I am not traveling for business. Sit on the board of directors of the Youth Assistance Coalition as President, a non-profit whose sole purpose is to rid the city of San Diego of youth homelessness. Enjoy international travel (business and pleasure), music, photography, the beach, and all water sports.
Leslie Gettings
Leslie Gettings had the good fortune to be raised and educated in San Diego. She’s seen many changes in the city and society since her first volunteer experience manning the phone at a crisis hot line in 1969. She is currently employed by a major airline and has worked in administration for the Department of Navy, as well as the University of Arizona’s Navy Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program as a program manager. Over the past 37 years she has been active at helping adults change their lives through a variety of organizations. After becoming involved the last few years with homeless youth, she finds that facilitating any changes for them, no matter how small or large, is quite rewarding. Leslie is honored and excited to be a part of the Youth Assistance Collation and feels that there is a tremendous need to assist the homeless youth in San Diego with finding a way to a healthy and self-reliant way of life.
Michael W. Early
Michael W. Early brings to our organization an expertise in construction, project management and contract negotiation. He comes to us with a Bachelor’s degree in construction technology from San Diego State University, 30+ years of construction experience, and a California State General Contractors License. He has worked in the U.S. and in Mexico as Project Manager for one of the world’s largest international construction firms. Michael is V.P. of Construction at Event Network LLC., the nation’s leading operator of cultural attraction retail. During his tenure he has completed over 500 projects touching virtually every partnership throughout the organization. Michael's ability to successfully manage projects, budgets and teams of all sizes, coupled with his enthusiasm for service and for philanthropy, makes him a valuable asset to Youth Alliance Coalition.
