¡YouthWorks! Staff
Melynn Schuyler, Executive Director M.A., LPC, is a NM Licensed Professional Counselor. She received her Master of Arts in Marriage, Family, and Child Therapy from the California Family Study Center in 1993, after earning a BA from Boston University in 1988. In 2001, she developed and founded ¡YouthWorks! to serve youth and families in the areas of emotional support, Life Skills, violence prevention, substance abuse prevention, and youth job skill training and employment. She furthermore, developed the Santa Fe Youth Corps within ¡YouthWorks! to address the critical need among high-risk youth to transition into productive and sustainable roles in adulthood. She provides supervised and paid employment and hands on training particularly in the areas of river restoration, city park maintenance, and community housing maintenance. Ms. Schuyler developed and oversees the on-site facility for daily GED training for high-risk youth. She is responsible for fiscal development, budget management, program development, contract negotiation and management, staffing coordination, and fundraising.
Contact: melynn@santafeyouthworks.org
Tobe Bott-Lyons - Deputy Director
Tobe Bott-Lyons graduated from Santa Fe High in 1999 and completed his Bachelor's in Cultural Studies and Education with honors from the New School for Social Research in New York City. He has completed post-graduate coursework in both the Santa Fe Community College Teacher Academy in Secondary and Special Education and at the University of New Mexico's Master's in Community and Regional Planning Program with an emphasis on Community Development. Upon returning to Santa Fe in 2004, he worked as a licensed Special Education Teacher at the La Madera Alternative Program for public school students with emotional and behavioral problems. He has extensive experience in positive youth development and program management through his work as a Youth Worker at La Otra Puerta Crisis Youth Shelter and as the Youth Resiliency Coach for the Regional Juvenile Justice Board's Targeted Community Action Program coordinating strengths-based interventions for high-risk youth in the Juvenile Probation System. Through his work at YW, Tobe has provided program development, management and oversight for multiple YW programs such as the Santa Youth Corps, the City River Restoration Crew, the Santa Fe County Open Space and Trails Crew, the Green Collar Jobs Aprenticeship Program, the EnergyWorks Home Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Program, and the 2009 WIRED Homebuilding Program. Through his work at YW and in the community, he also has extensive experience in curriculum development and the implementation of experiential and hands-on training programs. Tobe also serves as adjunct faculty at the Santa Fe Community College Business and Applied Technologies Engineering Program.
Contact: tobe@santafeyouthworks.org
Michael Santillanes - Education Director
Michael was born in Portales, NM and lived all around rural NM before moving to Alaska at age 10. He returned to New Mexico to complete his Bachelor of Liberal Arts at St. John's College. Before becoming Education Director at YouthWorks, Michael worked as the Tutoring Coordinator for the Simon Scholar's Program which provides highly competitive pre-college scholarships for low-income, high performing High School students, and as a Tutor with the AVID - Advanced Via Individual Determination Program providing academic survival and college entry skills to first generation college students at local middle and high schools. As YW Education Director, Michael is the lead GED and Basic Literacy Instructor, college success tutor in the subjects of Math, Engineering, Environmental Science, and English, lead curriculum designer for Environmental Service Learning Afterschool Program, Lifeskills Facilitator for both in-school prevention programming and out-of-school youth resiliency building programming, and leadership training and civic engagement trainer for youth and young adults. In addition to these duties, Michael teaches Dual Enrollment Environmental Science in the Capital High Sustainable Technologies Pathway for the Santa Fe Community College as well as STEM 111: Introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics on campus for first-year STEM students.
Contact: michael@santafeyouthworks.org
Ciaran Clark - Youth Programs Facilitator
Ciaran graduated in 2008 from New Mexico State University College of Health and Social Services with a Bachelor of Arts in Community Health. Experienced in voter education and volunteer management with Colorado Citizens Coalition, he has worked for the NM Department of Health as a coordinator for under-age substance abuse prevention programming, including the Santa Public Schools Student Wellness Action Team directly supporting and instruction student wellness intiatives. He has also received formal training in Media Literacy Education and Social Norms Marketing which he utilizes daily in his current position as YW Youth Transition Coordinator and Lifeskills Facilitator. As of October 2009, Ciaran has coordinated and provided direct oversight for the YW Green Collar Jobs Apprenticeship Program including: Case management, job coaching, job readiness training, business recruitment and job placement for over 30 youth per year. In addition, Ciaran serves as one of YW primary facilitators for Afterschool Service Learning and Lifeskills Prevention Programming to hundreds of in-school youth every year.
Contact: cclark@santafeyouthworks.org
Francisco Rivera - Case Manager
Contact: cisco@santafeyouthworks.org
Jose Smith - Literacy/Numeracy Instructor
Contact: joseph@santafeyouthworks.org
Lilia Diaz - Job Developer
Contact: lilia@santafeyouthworks.org
Heather Wade - Case Manager
Contact: heather@santafeyouthworks.org
Edie Arviso - Construction Trainer
Contact: edie@santafeyouthworks.org
Francis Gingras - Construction Manager
Heather Vigil - Culinary Training Program Manager
Contact: heatherv@santafeyouthworks.org
Melissa Mitchell - Counseling Director
