Board & Staff

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
415-974-5554, ext. 7260
john@ya-nc.org

Throughout his career as an arts administrator and marketing communications executive, John has had the privilege to work in both non-profit arts and commercial entertainment industries and has developed a variety of initiatives and programs that lead each institution into the new stages of development. Adept at building mutually beneficial business partnerships, John has developed a unique blend of creative, strategic, and entrepreneurial programs. He has worked for Blue Man Group Las Vegas, Mesa Arts Center/City of Mesa, the Arts & Business Council of Greater Phoenix, Lamplighters Music Theatre, Magic Theatre and CuriOdyssey (Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education).

PROGRAM MANAGER
415-974-5554, ext. 7262
christell@ya-nc.org

Christell Lewis is an arts educator, actor, singer, and dancer. She is dedicated to empowering youth through arts education. As an arts educator, Christell believes that every young person should have the opportunity to experience the power of the arts. She has provided transformative opportunities for young people through her work with children's theater companies, public schools, and non-profit organizations. She received a BA from Howard University in Journalism, and a MA from New York University in Educational Theater.

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
415-974-5554, ext. 7261
marika@ya-nc.org

As Development Manager at Young Audiences of Northern California, Marika García is responsible for cultivating support from individuals and organizations, ensuring our work may continue to make an impact on Bay Area children and their families. Prior to her work at Young Audiences, she helped establish arts education programs in Sacramento Valley schools as the Executive Director of Yuba Sutter Arts. As a visual artist, she understands the importance of arts education on young minds, and remembers fondly how it helped foster her own creativity and self-expression. 

ARTS EDUCATION 
PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR
415-974-5554, ext. 7265
iyari@ya-nc.org

Throughout her work in non-profits and museums in San Diego, Iyari has witnessed the powerful impact that the arts have upon empowering students, and communities, by being an outlet for self expression, healing, and building solidarity. As a poet, theater artist, educator, and current graduate student of Museum Studies at the University of San Francisco, she has been continually reminded of the beauty and power of the arts. Her passion in life is ensuring that the arts are accessible for all and for this reason has joined the Young Audiences team as the Arts Education Program Administrator to continue to serve as an advocate for arts education.