Meet the YouthCARE Staff!

	Brittany Carr Program Assistant, YouthLEAD	Brittany first became involved with YouthCARE in the summer of 2003 as a camper at Camp Sunrise. Since then, she has remained active; participating in the Youth Advisory Council, working as a Junior Counselor and Head Cook at Camp Sunrise, and working in the YouthCARE office as Camp Recruiter and Office Manager. Brittany graduated from Washburn High School and spent a year as an exchange student in Japan.
	Craig Luedemann Executive Director	Craig was a cofounder of the organization in 1974 and has been the Executive Director since 1975. He also served as the Camp Sunrise Director from 1976-1995. Craig has longtime interests in the nonprofit sector, racial justice, inter-cultural relations, youth development, youth employment and serving the needs and aspirations of urban youth. Craig has served on a wide variety of nonprofit boards and committees, including as an officer of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (currently), the Second Harvest Food Bank and the American Camping Association.
	Emily Burck Adventure Girls Leader, YWMP	Born and raised in Minneapolis, Emily graduated from Augsburg College in 2005. She has worked as both a Trail Guide and as the Trips Director for Menogyn, a wilderness tripping camp in Northern Minnesota. She has also worked in Minneapolis Public Schools specifically in After School Programming. Now Emily is excited to work with young women and watch as they learn to support and empower each other to be leaders in their communities.
	Isiah Jones Assistant Director, Camp Sunrise	Isiah grew up in north Minneapolis and attended high school in Hopkins. Before working with YouthCARE during the school year, Isiah had worked as Head Counselor, Program Coordinator and Junior Counselor Crew Leader at Camp Sunrise. Isiah also coached middle school football for The Lake Harriet Dragons. Isiah is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Sociology at the University of Minnesota.
	Jeff Xiong Director, Camp Sunrise	Jeff first got involved with YouthCARE as a camper at Camp Sunrise from 1996-1999. In 2005, after studying at the University of Minnesota - Morris with a focus in Organizational Management, Jeff came back to Camp Sunrise as a Head Counselor. Jeff is the youngest of 11 siblings, all but one of whom had also "grown up" within the Camp Sunrise program. Before being hired to be the new Camp Director, Jeff was also a very active volunteer.
	Jenni Zickert Director, YWMP	Jenni was Program Coordinator of the Young Women's Mentoring Program from 2000-2003 and has been Director since February 2008. Jenni has extensive youth work experience in a variety of settings including Youth Employment, Out of School Programming, Special Education, Chemical Dependency and Mentoring. Her longtime interests include environmental justice, community organizing, permaculture/food production and travel. Jenni currently volunteers as a Hennepin County Master Gardener through the University of Minnesota Extension Service.
	Katheryn Pettie Development Assistant	As a passionate advocate of programs that empower youth and positively impact communities, Katheryn was excited to join the YouthCARE team in 2007. Katheryn graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a BA in International Relations and has experience in events and marketing coordination and public outreach. Katheryn also represents YouthCARE at Community Shares by serving on the New Business Development Committee.
	Margaret Reid Girls Group Leader, YWMP
	Millie Hernandez Office Manager	From the ages of 7-11 Millie was a mentee in the Young Women's Mentoring Program (YWMP). At the age of 14 she became a youth mentor with the YWMP at the Little Earth site. She moved on to become YouthCARE's Administrative Assistant from 2002-2005. Millie is excited and inspired to be back at YouthCARE!
	Shaina Abraham Director, YouthLEAD	Before working at YouthCARE, Shaina has spent most of the last ten years working with youth in urban and camp settings. Shaina is also currently a graduate student at the University of Minnesota studying Youth Development Leadership. Shaina grew up in southern Minnesota and graduated from Saint Cloud State University.