Meet Our Staff |
 Dawn Stueckle is co-founder and the Executive Director of Sunset Youth Services. For the past 16 years she has worked with youth in different programs and contexts. Dawn pioneered Girls Services in the Sunset by starting Campus Based Girls Support Groups at Lincoln High School and A.P. Giannini Middle School. Her passion for youth and her community is the driving force behind everything she does. Dawn worked as a Community Organizer in the Sunset district through Neighborhoods In Transition-A Multi-Cultural Partnership (NIT-AMP) from 1993-1996. During this time she started the Sunset District Neighborhood Coalition and the Sunset Community Festival. Dawn and her family have lived in the Sunset District since 1991. |
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 Rev. Ron Stueckle, co-founder, is a Juvenile Case Manager and has been a local neighborhood resident since 1991. Ron has been developing relationships with Sunset neighborhood youth since 1992. He has earned his reputation for being well respected by probation officers and youth for his work in relational case management. Ron is a professional musician and is experienced in teaching youth multi-media projects in the Digital Arts Program. He spends much of his time working with kids in the studio helping them express themselves, building self-esteem and developing marketable skills through film and recording workshops. Ron is an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. He enjoys hanging out with his son Jake and his wife Dawn.
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 Rev. Delvin Mack, Juvenile Case Manager, is a co-founder and a local neighborhood resident. Delvin's primary focus is Asian youth in the Juvenile Justice system. As a Chinese immigrant, he has a unique insight into the challenges immigrant youth and their families face. He speaks Mandarin, Fukien, and Tagalog. Delvin has a B.A. in Computer Science and has worked in tech support and network support in a nonprofit setting since 1991. Delvin is an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. He lives with his wife Rachel and their two kids Jasmine and Joshua.
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 Lainee McDuffie (Ms. Mac) has been our Summer Activities Coordinator every summer since 1995. As Activities Coordinator, she plans field trips to the theater and amusement parks, and outings to parks and playgrounds. Lainee has spent many years living and working in the Sunset and sharing her experience and wisdom supervising the Sunset Youth Services staff. Her true expertise is a youth advocate. Through her long history of experience in the San Francisco Unified School District, Lainee has developed an intimate understanding of the families and children of this city. Her background is in the special education department, and currently she serves as Parent Liaison at A.P. Giannini Middle School during the school year. |
 Vicky Fashho, Juvenile Case Manager, grew up in the Sunset District and was a former program participant at Sunset Youth Services. She was hired as the Program Coordinator and later promoted to Case Manager for young women who are involved in the juvenile justice system or at risk of becoming involved. Vicky is fluent in Arabic and English. Because Vicky attended both A.P. Giannini Middle School and Lincoln High School, she has firsthand knowledge of the environment the girls on her caseload experience. Vicky is never found without her cell phone and looks forward to going out with her friends on weekends. |
 Marissa Majid, Bookkeeper, has her B.S. in accounting and an MBA. She has been an accountant since 1993 and a Senior Accountant since 1998. Marissa has been working part-time for Sunset Youth Services since the summer of 1997. During that time she has set up a new accounting system and worked to keep all fiscal procedures clear and precise. Marissa is very involved in all aspects of maintaining the budget. Her talents make her truly vital to the Sunset Youth Services team. When Marissa isn't busy working with numbers, she enjoys knitting and reading. |
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 Samer Tawasha was born and raised in the Sunset neighborhood, just a few blocks from the Youth Center. He is a former Sunset Youth Services program participant and started working here in August 1997 as Youth Center staff. He was promoted to Center Director in 2000, responsible for the day-to-day operations. In 2007, he was promoted to Youth Center Outreach & Street Intervention Coordinator. Sam speaks Arabic and English and organizes the weekly Boys Support Group. He enjoys beating kids at ping pong and spending time with Anna and their kids, Serena and Junior.
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 Born and raised in the Sunset District, Mutasem Dajani was a former Sunset Youth Services program participant. With guidance and support from Sunset Youth Services staff, Mutasem joined Americorp in 2001 and requested placement at the Youth Center as a youth worker. When his project was over, Mutasem was hired as the Food Pantry Coordinator and continued supporting neighborhood kids he'd developed relationships with at the Youth Center. In December 2003, he was promoted to Juvenile Case Manager. He helps youth access resources, develop awareness, self-confidence and skills they need to overcome obstacles. In 2007, he was promoted to Daily Project Coordinator. When he's not at work, Mutasem enjoys going fishing and spending time with his wife Maria and their kids, Malik and Mayzie. |
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 Maria Dajani was born and raised in the Sunset District and was a former Sunset Youth Services program participant. She began working with Sunset Youth Services in June 2000 as the Administrative Assistant. Over time, she unleashed her natural talents at helping and caring for others. In July 2003 she was promoted to the Family Support Program Coordinator, assisting families in crisis by offering regular parenting support groups, financial workshops, resume writing, job search assistance, resources and access to food banks, health care, and legal aid. In 2007, Maria was promoted to Activities and Team Building Coordinator. Her favorite Sunset Youth Services memory was her first staff retreat at Shanti's house.
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 Toni Torrevilla was born and raised in the Sunset neighborhood. She joined Sunset Youth Services in July 2003 as Program Aide. In this position, she keeps busy organizing staff and program materials, providing information to parents, and supervising kids. Toni brings her skills of organization and dedication to the team. She loves working with kids because she loves offering her help and giving love to kids who need and deserve it. When she's not working, Toni is reading, watching TV, or enjoying peace and quiet at home. |
 Natalie Rodriguez joined the team in April 2004 as Youth Center staff. In this position, she provides program support and assists in ensuring that kids are involved in activities suited to their emotional, social, and physical needs. Natalie is responsible for supervising kids, mediating conflict, and monitoring the overall safety of kids at the Youth Center. She loves working with kids because she loves to see them smile and hear the sounds of laughter. More importantly, she wants to help kids when they feel no one else can. When she's not working, Natalie is taking care of her daughter Alyzah or chillin' with her friends.
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 Joel Brown Tarman , Program Director, is responsible to develop and sustain dynamic programming for youth. His experience includes time living and development work in Latin America, where among other things he picked up Spanish as a second language. As an undergraduate at Philadelphia's Eastern University, Joel spent his time pursuing social justice work, studying social entrepreneurship, and earning a degree in Sociology and Urban Studies. Later, he invested five years in San Francisco's Mission District, working with in-risk youth to convert a local warehouse space into a central hub for youth leadership and employment programming. As a certified Pro-Tools Operator, Joel heads up Sunset Youth Services' digital arts program which includes running daily recording sessions for youth in our state-of-the-art music studio. With music at the heart of his own artistic journey, Joel recently toured the U.S. with his band ellul promoting their debut album. On the home front, Joel has been experimenting with life in community, spending the past four years sharing both housing and finances with a community of faith in the Mission District.
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 Deanna Audrey Hammond, Grantwriter
Deanna writes the majority of Sunset Youth Services grants and funding reports. She also maintains relationships with current funders, and she researches and forges relationships with new and potential funders. Deanna loves being a part of the Sunset Youth Services Family. She received a degree in Political Science from Quincy University in 2003 and went on to study comparative politics and statistics at the University of Arizona. Before joining us in August 2009, Deanna was building and enriching community through her work with Flam Chen Pyrotechnic Theater Co. www.flam-chen.com in Tucson, Arizona. Deanna is an accomplished aerialist and circus performer, and in her free-time she is working toward combining her grant-writing skills with her performance ability to create amazing pieces of collaborative installation art here in San Francisco.
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