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.
Maddy Wilson, MSW, Program & Communications Specialist (they/them)
Maddy recently completed their social work education at the University of Washington after moving to Seattle from Ohio. They are excited to join Community for Youth and continue their passion of advocating for and with young people and their support networks. In their free time, Maddy likes to collect trinkets wherever they can be found, wander around Seattle and the surrounding nature, and watch terrible yet entertaining reality TV.
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 with his partner, 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 Practicum Student (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.
Subin Park, MSW Practicum Student (he/him)
Subin grew up in Washington, but recently moved up to Seattle for his MSW at the University of Washington. He is excited to work with the youth to develop themselves to prepare for their future. Subin likes to spend time with friends and playing video games.
Board of Directors
Mali Olson, Board Chair
Doctor of Physical Therapy, Pathways Pediatric Therapy
Regan Zeebuyth, Co-Chair
Vice President of Communications, Syndio
April Baker, Treasurer
Product Manager - AWS Expansion Strategy, Amazon Web Services
Quenita Fry, Secretary
Program Manager – Regulatory Operations & Compliance, Expedia Group
Mohammed Adeeyo
Structural Analysis Engineer, Boeing
Rhonda Bright
Executive Assistant to President & CEO, Visit Seattle
Hyun Choi
Office Coordinator, IMPINJ
Clay Gilge
Principal, US Leader for Major Projects Advisory, KPMG LLP
Roger Lorenze
Vice President – Commercial Sales & Leasing, Ewing & Clark, Inc.
Jonathan Nadiranto
Beverage Lead, TikTok
Ben Oaksmith
Owner, Oaksmith Yachts
Matt Sanders
Managing Attorney, ACAD, King County Department of Public Defense
Paul Sutton
Co-Founder, Cireson