Dr. K
Dr. K is a certified STC provider-Board of State and Community Corrections - Standards and Training for Corrections
Dr. Kathleen Van Antwerp (Dr. K) is a leader in juvenile justice reform. For over 30 years she has been at the forefront of developing effective educational and youth outreach programs for at-risk adolescents in public schools, court and community schools, emergency care shelters, foster care, and juvenile hall. She has led the way in introducing the science of child and adolescent development to juvenile crime prevention programs, law enforcement agencies, probation officers, and juvenile court judges, directly transforming the operations of youth outreach centers throughout the United States.
Denise Fritch
Denise Fritch has been working with at risk youth for more than 25 years in a variety of settings. Denise is currently a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer for foster youth in Ventura County as well as a Substitute Teacher with Ventura County Office of Education; serving Special Education youth ages 5-22 years of age. Formerly a Deputy Probation Officer, with Ventura County Probation, she has a vast knowledge of the Juvenile Justice System, Court Schools, residential treatment centers, group homes and non public schools. She is bilingual in Spanish and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a minor in Criminal Justice. Denise is passionate and dedicated to advocating and supporting at risk youth.
*Bilingual
Senta Greene, MA, CCLS
Mrs. Greene is an award-winning child and human development expert with 28 years of service in education as an educational specialist and leadership coach. Mrs. Greene has taught, advised organizations, and consulted with governments on authentic engagement of children, youth and families. Her work has been the catalytic action for innovative programs and curriculum designs, groundbreaking policy development, and achievements in systems change that have led to activities and outcomes which have positively altered children trajectories in the United States, Austria, Finland, and Jamaica. Mrs. Greene is the founder of Full Circle Consulting Systems, Inc., which is recognized as an industry leader in premier training and consulting services for education, law enforcement, and youth outreach.
Founder and Executive Leader of Programs
Joronda Montaño
Joronda Montaño is described as creative, flexible, passionate and patient. She is committed to helping communities identify and solve some of the most pressing issues that affect youth and families today. Since 2001 she was spent every day influencing youth choices and training adults on how to support positive youth development. Substance abuse, depression and suicide are at the apex of her expertise and all the roads that lead to those challenges contribute to Joronda’s arsenal of information to help youth design themselves. Developing programs and strategies that have reached tens of thousands of youth and adults Joronda is committed to building the happiness of youth and communities.
Her passion for prevention was developed out of first-hand experience growing up in a high risk community. Born and raised in South Los Angeles Joronda is no stranger to the underlying issues faced by youth and families. She navigated the challenges of declining neighborhoods, gang violence and absent parents ending up at Arizona State University on a track and field scholarship where she earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
Joronda has broad experience in diverse communities worldwide. She has experience in large cities, border towns, native communities and rural settings. International travel and volunteerism has taken her to 13 different countries on 5 different continents carrying out projects in micro finance, agriculture, disaster relief, and education.
With education and life experience she has worked in the non-profit world for the past 15 years. She has a talent for motivating people to work towards common goals and offers a breadth of experience in public speaking, group training, program development and grant writing. As an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Master trainer she has helped hundreds gain the skills and confidence to intervene with a person at risk of suicide. Joronda is currently the Program Director at notMYkid in Scottsdale Arizona every year educating over 100,000 youth and adults on substance abuse, suicide, bullying, internet safety, body image and unhealthy relationships. She is also the co-founder of innovative startup Neckup Checkup, helping all parents keep their kids away from depression, anxiety and suicide with annual mental health checks, just like yearly physicals.
*Bilingual
Preston Pollard
Preston Pollard is a Television Personality, International Skateboarder and Motivational Speaker from Alaska who tours the world inspiring audiences of all ages with his captivating, inspirational story and the life changing wisdom that he's acquired. From top actors and celebrity children to struggling teens in Compton; Preston mentors and teaches them how to use their imagination and perseverance to push through adversity and reach their wildest dreams!
Preston currently lives in Los Angeles California where he continues to mentor Hollywood's Elite and spends a great deal of his time motivating at risk youth with the Sheriffs Youth Foundation in LA. As a motivational speaker he continues to travel extensively across the world and has recently visited Australia, Jamaica & Canada to share his story. Most recently, Preston has been capturing the unique stories of his celebrity friends and various people around the world all in hopes of creating positive content and giving his viewers the wisdom and tools needed to push through adversity and to reach their dreams.
Amira Resnick
Amira brings 15 years of experience in community engagement and program development within the nonprofit sector in the US and abroad. From developing job development services with disenfranchised youth in Boston to creating community-based arts programming for families across LA County, Amira leverages partnerships and principles of popular education to engage diverse audiences.
Amira earned her MPA in Nonprofit Management and International Development from the University of Southern California and her BA in Cultural Anthropology and Spanish from the University of Michigan. She currently serves as Healthy Out-of-School Time Manager in California with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation where she coaches and trains out-of-school time professionals on best practices and policies for increasing healthy eating and physical activity for youth, staff, families, and community.
*Bilingual
Dr. Joy Springer
Dr. Joy Springer is career educator with expertise in teacher training and educational structures within both K-12 and higher education systems. With California Teaching and Administrative Credentials, a Master’s Degree in Administration, and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, Joy assists organizations in collecting, evaluating and incorporating data to drive program objectives. Dr. Springer has nearly 20 years of experience teaching students from Kindergarten to graduate school, currently serving as a Regional Director of Teacher Education at the University of La Verne. In addition, Joy is a certified online instructor, with a background in digital pedagogy and effective development strategies for online course design and implementation. Dr. Springer is passionate about instructional quality and educational access for all students, and eagerly invests in many programs with similar goals.
Dr. Jeffry Woods
Dr. Woods is an expert in leadership development and curriculum design for youth. Dr. Woods utilizes his previous work experience in the corporate world and in the field of education to design, implement and facilitate impactful learning academies for youth and parents. In addition, as a former Division 1 All-American, athlete, Dr. Woods uses his athletic experience to connect with students with athletic aspirations. Dr. Woods plays a vital role in all projects leveraging his ability to empower and inspire youth and their parents to become *the best version of themselves.
Principal Consultant & Design Specialist
Director of Youth Leadership Academies
Koo Koo
KooKoo is a 10-year-old male Labrador Retriever and has been a certified Therapy dog with Pet Partners for over eight years. His therapy visits include hospitals, libraries, schools and foster care facilities. He has also worked with the Salvation Army and Operation Purple, which is a camp for children of our military. In his spare time, KooKoo loves to swim, run the trails and play fetch. For more on KooKoo's life story click on this link...http://www.picaboo.com/?share=42131c4d66047b5c13e8cbea35f233cf&version=776611&siteID=ViaPreview.
