John Brandon, president of MCCOY, has more than 30 years of experience in the youth development field as a youth worker, counselor, caseworker, trainer and agency executive. He holds a B.A. in History, an MDiv. in Theology and a M.S. in Marital and Family Therapy. He has guided numerous community planning projects and initiatives in the youth development arena during his career and serves on a variety of community boards and committees. He is a certified trainer in the Advancing Youth Development curriculum, a trained facilitator for the Sustainability Planning Process and an adjunct instructor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Contact: John.Brandon@mccoyouth.org

Idamarie provides community building support on the Near Westside of Indy and program management to MCCOY’s Early Intervention & Prevention team. Idamarie has worked in the nonprofit sector and grassroots activism realm in Indiana for the past ten years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and a certificate in Community Leadership. She is also a graduate of the Multicultural Leadership Empowerment Program at IUPUI. Idamarie developed a strong sense of devotion for social justice and for the nonprofit sector as a past beneficiary of a youth development program with the Latino Youth Collective of Indiana. This experience gave her a deep appreciation for and firsthand experience with youth leadership programs and their work in improving the overall quality of life for families and the broader community.

Contact: Idamarie.Collazo@mccoyouth.org

Jacie Farris, MCCOY’s communications director, has a passion for storytelling through writing, photography, video and events. She has a B.A. in Journalism/Public Relations from Franklin College. Jacie earned the 2014 First Place Award in Graphics and Illustrations from the Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for her work with TheStatehouseFile.com, where she had graphics and articles published around Indiana. Before joining MCCOY, Jacie worked as the marketing and social media assistant and marketing for a local small business and then served as the digital media manager for the Indiana Office of Lt. Governor under Sue Ellspermann. In the past, Jacie worked with children with the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis and Girls Inc. of Johnson County, and she currently is a volunteer Sunday school teacher for teenage girls.

Contact: Jacie.Farris@mccoyouth.org

For the past 20 years, Mindi Goodpaster has focused her career on youth violence prevention, legislative advocacy, child welfare and social marketing to positively impact the lives of families across the country. Mindi possesses an M.S.W. with a concentration in Social Policy, Planning and Administration from The Catholic University of America and a B.A. in Social Work with a minor in Public Administration from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. She completed a graduate internship with Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), acquiring direct experience in the federal legislative process pertaining to health and education policy. Previously, Mindi worked as a child welfare case manager in Pennsylvania and as the director of a youth violence prevention program in both Maryland and Washington D.C. For the past four years, she has been the public policy director for the Marion County Commission on Youth. In this role, she advocates for sound local, state and national youth-related policy, including leading a group of child advocacy organizations to pass the 2013 Anti-Bullying Law. Goodpaster is the president of the Children’s Coalition of Indiana (CCI) and a board member of the Indiana Coalition for Human Services (ICHS).

Contact: Mindi.Goodpaster@mccoyouth.org

LaTasha Hudson is the director of MCCOY’s Early Intervention & Prevention initiative. Her passion for empowering, motivating and encouraging youth has afforded her a broad set of skills that aligns with her ability to improve the quality of life for individuals in and around the greater Indianapolis community. LaTasha brings nearly 15 years of nonprofit management experience to her position, including her time as manager of major gifts at United Way of Central Indiana. From 2009 to 2017, LaTasha served in a variety of roles for Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, including volunteer partnership coordinator, director of programs and vice president of development and public relations. LaTasha received a Bachelors of Science from Indiana University and a Masters of Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Community Psychology at Martin University with a desire to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

Contact: LaTasha.Hudson@mccoyouth.org

Becky Reich is a career educator with more than 12 years’ experience as a teacher, trainer and facilitator. Her experience ranges from elementary to high school classroom instructor, curriculum trainer, youth development professional, coach and volunteer. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education with a Kindergarten Endorsement from Purdue University. In addition to her youth-focused work, she also has experience in business, sales, management and communications across the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining MCCOY, Becky was the National Instructional Coach at Think Through Learning. Becky currently serves as MCCOY’s director of training where she delivers and coordinates professional development opportunities for those who work with youth. She also manages MCCOY’s Program Quality Assessment process and is a certified trainer for YPQA Planning with Data.

Contact: Becky.Reich@mccoyouth.org

For the past eight years, Juli has been the administrative assistant at MCCOY, sitting at the front desk to welcome visitors, handle A/P and A/R, help plan special events and update the Youth Activity Directory. Juli has a bachelor’s degree from Butler University where she worked in the English and journalism departments and in the Irwin Library. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 19 years, previously within the faith-based world at Indiana Partners for Christian Unity & Mission, The Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis and the National Council of Churches’ Indiana Faith-Based Climate Change Campaign. Before the nonprofit world, Juli worked for 16 years with local HVAC engineers, R.E. Dimond and Associates. As a parent of three girls who attended Indianapolis Public Schools, Mrs. Van Wyk volunteered for 19 years on the Parent Advisory Council, textbook and interview committees and the planning team for Broad Ripple’s Small Schools.

Contact: Juli.VanWyk@mccoyouth.org