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 from Dallas, Texas to Seattle in 2021 to join the Community for Youth team. After graduating from the University of North Texas in 2019, she joined the nonprofit sector as an AmeriCorps VISTA, and has worked with youth development-focused nonprofit organizations ever since. She loves finding creative ways to tell the CfY story and get folks engaged with community-based mentoring! She loves cooking, yoga, music, and getting outside at every opportunity with her husband, Ethan, and their two dogs, Bailey and Robin.

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 recently received his Master’s in Social Work. He is from México City, México, but has spent his life in the South End of Seattle since he was 3 years old. A graduate of University of Washington(x2), Seattle Central, and Franklin HS, & Mercer MS Alum, he is happy to form part of the CfY team. He hopes he can pay tenfold to his community and help others achieve their goals & dreams they have within themselves, as others have done for him. Heal, love, & break barriers as a community to better serve the needs and wants of future generations. His mantras most recently are Isaiah 6:8 & Romans 8:18.

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!

A complete Board role description can be found here. Reach out to our Board Chair, Mali Olson, at boardchair@communityforyouth.org and we will be in touch shortly!