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773.777.7112, ext. 7225

Since 1975, Rick Velasquez has served youth and families on behalf of Youth Outreach Services, helping establish the agency as one of Chicago's premier youth-focused organizations.  As executive director, Velasquez leads the organization in its mission to provide services that promote the strengths and abilities of youth, while preparing them to face the future with confidence, competence and dignity.  Trained as a social worker, he has focused his career in the areas of juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse treatment, child welfare services and public policy.  Velasquez is gubernatorial appointee to the Illinois Children and Family Services Advisory Council and co-chair of the "Foster Kids are Our Kids" statewide social-marketing campaign.  He is a founding member of the Latino Child and Family Consortium, dedicated to delivering culturally responsive child welfare services. He has also served multiple terms on the Board of Directors to the Child Care Association of Illinois.  Velasquez holds a Master of Social Work from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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773.777.7112, ext, 7281

Jamie Noto has served youth and families on behalf of Youth Outreach Services for more than 18 years.  Promoted to director of operations in July 2002, she oversees the planning, organizing and administering of all agency programs.  Noto has extensive experience with direct service and administration of treatment and counseling, juvenile justice and child welfare programs.  She is a graduate of Roosevelt University where she earned her master's degree in guidance, specializing in substance abuse intervention.

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773.777.7112, ext. 7227

Birgettta Williams joined Youth Outreach Services in 2003 as the director of human resources, bringing more than 15 years of nonprofit experience to her position.  She is responsible for leading the company's strategic plans in learning and development talent management, benefits, compensation, and performance management.  Previously, Williams served as director of human resource for Franciscan Communities- St. Joseph Village in Chicago, where she was a strategic partner responsible for recruitment, safety compliance, employee relations, compensation administration, and delivering training to managers and staff.  Birgetta holds membership in a variety of HR-related organizations, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), Human Resource Management Association of Chicago (HRMAC) and Chicagoland Human Resources Association (CHRA).  Birgetta is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management.

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773.777.7112, ext. 7397

Sandra Harrison started her career with Youth Outreach Services (YOS) in 1990 as a parent volunteer.  Today, as the Deputy Director of Prevention Services she leads programs including Comprehensive Substance Abuse Prevention, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, CeaseFire, Educational Support and an agency-wide health & wellness initiative for youth & families.  Bringing more than 20 years of experience to her role, she was educated at Northeastern Illinois University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Service and Business Administration.  She went on to complete her graduate degree at Chicago's Roosevelt University, where she earned a M.A. degree in Training and Development.  Sandra is an active member of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) and encourages positive youth development strategies in all her programs. Sandra is a community leader for a YOS in Proviso Township and won the Governor's Hometown Award in 2004 for a community youth jobs program serving multiple communities.

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773.777.7112, ext. 7337

Jessica Mayans joined Youth Outreach Services in 2006 as a treatment counselor intern.  She then started as a full time treatment counselor in October of 2007 and worked her way up to program manager in February 2009.  She was then promoted to a Director of Counseling in April 2012.  As Director of Counseling, she oversees planning, organizing and administering of all counseling programs.  Jessica has widespread experience in both direct services and program management.  She is a graduate of National Louis University where she earned a Master's degree in community counseling.  She is a licensed clinical professional counselor.

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773.777.7112, ext. 7379

Lucy Mora has worked with youth and their families on behalf of Youth Outreach Services since 1990.  She has been the director of Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement since December 2010 and is responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of Quality Improvement and Risk management protocols.  Lucy has extensive experience in Child welfare and is an Illinois Board of Education Type 73 certified school social worker.  She holds a Master of Social work from Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She is also a graduate of Loyola University Chicago where she earned a Bachelor of Psychology.

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773.777.7112, ext. 7331

Candace Thier has been part of Youth Outreach Services in 1996 as a member of the management team.  She has been a Deputy Director for most of her career with Youth Outreach Services, overseeing the management of behavioral health programs, quality improvement and most recently child welfare programs.  She has over 20 years of experience with clinical services to adolescents and their families from residential programs, partial hospitalization programs and community based organizations.  She is a graduate of Argosy University where she earned a doctorate degree in education with a concentration of organizational leadership.

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773.777.7112, ext. 7274

Jeffrey joined the YOS team in October 2012 as director of philanthropy.  For the past 8 years, Jeffrey has worked in fundraising and development in Indianapolis focusing on social services agencies with missions focused on community safety and wellness.  Most recently, he worked with Children's Bureau, a state wide agency in Indiana focusing on preventing child abuse and neglect.  Jeffrey's focus is to work with YOS directors to promote philanthropy in YOS programs and to grow the agency's fundraising outcomes.  Jeffrey holds a bachelor's degree from Butler University, and a master's degree in Philanthropic Studies from the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University.