About YCS

Monica V. Ponce | Main Office Administrator |   650.858.8019

Monica serves as YCS’s main administrator. She is honored to be able to give back to the community and to those around her.

Leif Erickson | Executive Director |   650.858.8061

Leif has served as YCS executive director since 2004. Before that, he worked for over 20 years in corporate marketing in Silicon Valley with biotech and technology firms. Leif began volunteering with YCS in 1995 as a parent supporter. He enjoys building partnerships for YCS with local non-profits and faith groups, as well as Stanford student service organizations. Leif and his wife Sharon have two adult sons and two granddaughters.

Judy Dauberman | Director of Regional Programs |   650.858.8019

A native of the Bay Area, Judy worked for many years in biotechnology research before earning a PhD in educational psychology at Stanford University. Her dissertation focuses on work places as learning communities, and her current work includes integrating service-learning in both in-school and out-of-school environments. She has also written curricula on social and emotional learning for middle and high school students.

Julia Williams | Director of East Palo Alto Programs |   650.440.0227

An East Palo Alto native, Julia has worked in youth development since 2001. She received a BA in criminal justice from CSU-Long Beach, and while in college she served as a community program leader for the Girl Scouts. Julia joined Youth Community Service in 2008. As director of East Palo Alto programs, she has co-developed YCS’s Service Learning Curriculum. Julia is honored to be able to give back to the community that raised her.

Ashley Yee-Mazawa | Director of Palo Alto Youth Programs |   650.858.8021

Born and raised in Palo Alto, Ashley graduated from Gunn High School in the early 2000s. She earned a BA in community studies from UC Santa Cruz, where she also minored in teaching and education. She later continued her education at San Francisco State University, earning an MA in women and gender studies. Ashley is passionate about youth empowerment and has worked with young people for more than 10 years at a variety of levels, ranging from kindergarten to college.

Lori Patton | Coordinator of Palo Alto Youth Programs |   650.858.8019

Raised in East Palo Alto, Lori joined YCS in 2006 as part of the mentoring team for Freshman Leadership Corps. In 2010, she left to pursue a BS in Psychology with a focus on adolescence from Georgia State University. She spent her summers serving as a team leader with the Summer of Service program. After graduating and moving back to California in 2015, Lori became a facilitator for East Palo Alto after-school programs. She currently leads the 2016-17 Action Team.

Caroline Malloy | Coordinator of Palo Alto Youth Programs |   650.858.8019

Caroline joined YCS in 2017, after working in a number of service organizations. She is also a former YCS volunteer.

Kathleen Blanchard | Board Chair (2018-) | Palo Alto Community Volunteer

Kathleen has served on YCS’s board of directors since 2015. She has volunteered with YCS for many years, supporting her children in their school YCS clubs and in community service events. Kathleen is an advocate for youth well-being and suicide prevention. She is honored to be able to give back to the community and to those around her.

Barbara Spreng | Board Chair (2013-2017) | Palo Alto Community Volunteer

Barbara has served on YCS’s board of directors for over a decade. She is honored to be able to give back to the community and to those around her.

Leif Erickson | Executive Director | Youth Community Service

Leif has served as YCS executive director since 2004. Before that, he worked for over 20 years in corporate marketing in Silicon Valley with biotech and technology firms. Leif began volunteering with YCS in 1995 as a parent supporter.

Melissa Kervin Brooks | Board Member | Staff Scientist for Logyx™ LLC

Melissa has served on YCS’s board of directors for over a decade. She is honored to be able to give back to the community and to those around her.

Linda Lenoir | Board Member | District Nurse for Palo Alto Unified School District

Linda has served on YCS’s board of directors for over a decade. She is honored to be able to give back to the community and to those around her.

Kala Mehta | Board Member | Professor, University of CA, San Francisco

In my professional life, I have developed a deep interest in public health and epidemiology. As an Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco I teach clinical research methods to medical students, residents & fellows. Similarly dedicated to research, I am involved with several international research projects. I’m interested in understanding how to strengthen the work of health workers in low resource settings. I chose my job as a direct influence of my experience as a YCS alumni. This is why I am strongly dedicated to seeing young people serve in the community and think service can many important decisions they make in life. I’m also a mom of two daughters, both have valued their experience at YCS’ Summer of Service.

Bob Miyahara | Board Member | Corporate & Business Development at Ooyala

As a student, Bob participated in a variety of service programs. For him, service involvement provided a unique outlet for personal growth outside of academics and athletics. Drawn by the similarities between the programs in which he was involved and YCS, he joined the Board in 2016 where he currently serves on the Finance and Governance committees.

Candice Reimers | Board Member | Independent Consultant

Candice first served as a teacher sponsor for YCS in 1995 and proudly joined the Board in 2015. She has worked for over 20 years in Human Resources, Learning and Organizational Development and Education most recently at Google and now as an independent consultant.

Nick Rugh | Board Member | Financial Planner at Rugh Financial

Nick has served on YCS’s board of directors for several years. He is a practicing financial planner in the community and provides his financial expertise for the benefit of the mission of YCS. He supports the organization because he believes in the need to build leadership skills and to provide guidance for youth at this critical point in their lives.