Staff
Sarah Popelka, Executive Director (she/her)
Sarah comes to CfY with over 20 years in the nonprofit sector, including organizations such as Global Visionaries, Southwest Youth & Family Services and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, among other great local and national organizations serving the community. Sarah has a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa and an MS in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University and is excited to use those in service of Community for Youth! Originally a farm girl from Iowa, Sarah and her husband Mike love to travel in between the many High School band concerts and baseball games with their two children Claire and Sam.
Sandy Vo, MSW, Program Manager (she/her)
Sandy has spent the past few years working alongside youth and communities of color within a social-justice-oriented framework, and is excited to take this next professional step with CfY! Drawing from her own personal experiences, Sandy is passionate about ensuring that youth have their own voice as well as strong support systems. In her free time, Sandy can be seen exploring new places, around concert venues, or at the library!
Ellen Throneberry, Development & Communications Manager (she/her)
Ellen made the move to Seattle from Dallas, TX in 2021. Following her graduation in 2019 from the University of North Texas, she kicked off her career in the nonprofit sector as an AmeriCorps VISTA. She is passionate about ethical nonprofit storytelling and connecting community members with the power of mentoring! In her free time, she loves to cook, listen to music, and get outside with her husband and two dogs.
Alex Matlock, MSW, Program & Data Specialist (he/him)
Alex firmly believes that he wouldn't be where he is in life and his career without the mentor he found in college. To this day they've kept a life-long connection. Alex brings this perspective to everything he does at CfY and is passionate about helping facilitate and nurture opportunities for CfY mentees/mentors to also make life-long connections with one another. In his free time, Alex likes to explore Seattle, go out in nature, play board games, and enjoy a weekly fitness routine. He is also a huge nerd and is always willing to talk with you about movies, anime, sci-fi, fantasy, etc.
Josué Lozada Osorio, MSW, Student Engagement Coordinator (he/him)
Josué is working to finish his 2nd year of his Master’s in Social Work (MSW) program at the University of Washington. His focus is on community-centered Integrated Practices, and he is also working on a Latinx Traineeship. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico, but was raised in Seattle, WA. Through lived experiences and his education, he is passionate about helping others in the best way possible. He is happy to have found the community of CfY, and he looks forward to learning, creating, and taking up space in the healthiest way possible. His mantra is “humanize before anything and try to achieve what we can.” When time permits, he likes going to the gym, drinking coffee, vinyl shopping, and spending time with his friends and family. GodSpeed.
Matt Ng, MSW Practicum Student (he/him)
Matt is currently a second-year master’s student at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work. Matt has a passion for the next generation and firmly believes that the youth of today are the ones who can make change tomorrow - which is why mentorship is crucial! Matt, before coming to CfY, has worked with foster, refugee, immigrant, and incarcerated youth via various organizations. He graduated in 2022 with a B.A. in sociology from the University of Washington (GO DAWGS!) In his free time, Matt enjoys cooking, the gym, Seattle sports, participating in his church worship team, gaming/streaming, and working/attending music festivals!
Kristina Vo, MSW Practicum Student (she/her)
Kristina is a Vietnamese immigrant who has lived in Seattle for over a decade. She is currently completing her final year of a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) at the University of Washington with a focus on Clinical Social Work. Through her lived experiences, she has seen how cultural and systemic barriers affect families and communities. Her education and community work further fuel her passion for uplifting children, youth, and families, and she’s excited to be part of Community for Youth, where she looks forward to learning, growing, and building meaningful connections with young people. Outside of school and practicum, Kristina enjoys singing, building Legos, and spending time with friends and loved ones.
Board of Directors
We are seeking dedicated, passionate individuals to join our Board of Directors! As a CfY board member, you’ll help guide our mission, bring your unique talents to the table, and ensure our programs thrive. Individuals who have served as mentors in our program are highly encouraged to inquire about Board roles - but no prior experience with CfY is required!
Reach out our Board Chair, Mali Olson, at boardchair@communityforyouth.org and we will be in touch shortly! Thank you for your commitment to community-based mentoring!
Mali Olson, Board Chair
Doctor of Physical Therapy, Pathways Pediatric Therapy
Roger Lorenze, Co-Chair
Vice President – Commercial Sales & Leasing, Ewing & Clark, Inc.
April Baker, Treasurer
Product Manager - AWS Expansion Strategy, Amazon Web Services
Mohammed Adeeyo
Structural Analysis Engineer, Boeing
Jason Axley
Previous CfY Mentor and Community Volunteer
Rhonda Bright, Secretary
Executive Assistant to President & CEO, Visit Seattle
Keri Bertolino
Managing Editor, Shopping AI, Amazon
Hyun Choi
Office Coordinator, IMPINJ
Quenita Fry
Program Manager – Regulatory Operations & Compliance, Expedia Group
Clay Gilge
Principal, US Leader for Major Projects Advisory, KPMG LLP
John Jones
Previous CfY Mentor and Community Volunteer
Ann Lam
Senior Customer Success Account Manager, Amazon Fashion
Matt Sanders
Director, King County Department of Public Defense
Shilpa Sharma
Strategy Finance and Analytics Leader, Walmart
Regan Zeebuyth
Vice President of Communications, Syndio
