Youth Arts Collective
Our Team
Staff
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Jesse Juarez
Executive Director, Mentor
Jesse was born in and raised in Salinas as a second generation American. He discovered Youth Arts Collective in his late teens, where his passion for art and creativity fostered. He spent over ten years as the owner/operator of Rosita’s Café and Jesse’s Lounge in downtown Salinas. Most recently he worked as a Development Associate with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County, where he discovered his passion for nonprofit development. He is a life-long advocate of the arts and aims to continue YAC’s mission as a community resource for the youth of Monterey County.
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Marissa Serna
Program Director, Mentor
Marissa has been an artist and arts educator in Monterey & Santa Cruz counties for over 14 years. Her great loves include printmaking, pen and ink drawings, ceramics, public art installation, her partner and pets- not necessarily in that order! She has been a YAC board member for 3 years and has a passion for non-profit organizational development. "YAC is a wildly fun, inclusive community that celebrates each and every young person that walks through its doors. I am so proud to support an organization that fosters the individual development and success of our young artists. A vibrant arts community is one of the great signs of a healthy society."
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Marcia Perry
Founder, Artist, Mentor
Marcia began making, showing and selling her art in 1973. She specializes in airbrush paintings, illustrations and murals, but also enjoys making pastel paintings, ceramics and mobiles. She is a published children’s book author and illustrator and her art has been licensed for products. She taught airbrush painting at Rocky Mountain School of Art and Design in Denver. As a parent, she volunteered her skills for school play set designs, classroom art instruction and permanent murals. Aware of the need for afterschool programs, and places for our young to feel valued and inspired, Marcia and Meg opened YAC on Martin Luther King Day 2000 in downtown Monterey.
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Meg Biddle
Founder, Artist, Mentor
Meg is a painter, illustrator, cartoonist, muralist, and the creator of Little Biddle Books. Her BFA is from California College of the Arts. She has exhibited her paintings in several one-woman and group shows, penned a comic strip that ran for seven years, and is currently published in FunnyTimes, Medium, and CartoonMovement.. As an illustrator, Meg worked in advertising, editorial, and now almost exclusively for education and healthcare clients – locally, Pulse Magazine, and for the last 25 years, Journeyworks Publishing (Santa Cruz). She’s also taught workshops on illustration, portfolio, and the business of art.
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Germain Hatcher
Artist, Mentor
Owner of Imagine Art Supplies. The former manager of Art Max and wax-chaser for sculptor Richard McDonald, Germain has expertise in many mediums. She has mentored at-risk teens and spearheaded mural projects for One Voice, Monterey, during the late 90s. She was a regular volunteer at Youth Arts Collective since its inception before joining the staff.
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Oliver Fredericksen
Marketing & Media Coordinator, Artist
Oliver is an animator, musician, and filmmaker from Monterey County. After attending YAC from 2015-2019 and studying at California College of the Arts, he created 2D and 3D animations for companies and artists such as Guayaki Yerba Mate, Smino, and Billionaire Boys Club. His personal artwork and music have always been an important focus in his life, largely due to the courage and confidence YAC gave him at a young age. Being back at YAC now as part of the team makes him feel like he can finally give back to the organization that helped him so much.
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Raven Cook
Studio Assistant, Artist
Raven Cook is a professional artist based in Monterey. She has been a part of YAC since 2015 as a TAGster, YACster, Intern and is currently YAC’s Studio Assistant. In her role, she hangs the shows, helps organize the studio and directly assists the Program Director. Youth Arts Collective has been an integral part of her life.
When she's not spending time in the studio, you’ll find Raven in the kitchen of the two Michelin starred restaurant, Aubergine in Carmel-By-The-Sea where she works as a Pastry Assistant.
Raven’s personal work is rooted in observation, inner monologue and magical realism. Through detailed paintings she aims to capture fleeting moments of connection, memories, personal growth and the quiet tension between anxiety and vulnerability.
Staying creative is important to Raven and being able to share what she has learned feels very rewarding.
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Natalia Corazza
Administrative Assistant, Artist, Mentor
Natalia Corazza is an artist based in the Bay Area. While her work is primarily in oils and acrylics, she also works in graphite, charcoal, and pen for her drawings. Her work explores a variation of subjects from Latinx identity, Colombian country life and landscape, to various forms of magical realism. Corazza graduated with a BFA in painting and drawing from California College of the Arts in 2019. In 2020, Corazza co-initiated a mural collaborative called "La Neta Murals" and continues to paint murals across the peninsula with her team.
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Peggy Alonas
Artist, Mentor
Peggy has been working in clay on the Monterey Peninsula for 50 years. She has a BS in Art Education and a background in drawing and painting which she applies to her ceramic work, using it as a canvas for drawings and painterly glazes. Her interest in nature is revealed in her functional and sculptural work.
She is a member of the cooperative, Peninsula Potters, and is a retired instructor of ceramics from MPC. She has been connected to YAC since her daughter was a YACster in its early years, where she saw the benefit to all the creative students who attended.
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Renata Abma
Artist, Mentor
Renata is an artist, architect and aspiring naturalist. She has been working on translating her love for nature and her interest in the built environment through her painted canvases. Her work is colorful and bold, with focus on compositions that present unique points of view. Because of her diverse background Renata is eager to share her experiences with others and mentoring seemed like a natural progression of her career.
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Arsenio Baca
Artist, Mentor
Arsenio Baca is a multi-faceted artist with experience working on canvas, murals, woodburning, tattoos, drawing, and more. Arsenio graduated from the University of New Mexico in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing in 2010. He is a self-taught artist who brings a knowledge of real-world application of artistry as well as an entrepreneurial spirit to find new ways to pursue creative endeavors in order to make a living. He has been working as a professional artist for 10+ years with murals in multiple states and commissioned art around the world. He brings a drive to share art and expression in ways that break down walls and invite collaboration from everyone he works with. His inspiration comes from the world he experiences all around him everyday.
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Jess Soriano
Artist, Mentor
Jess Soriano visual creator through and through. With a B.S. in Health Science, she ventured into the world of Science Illustration, and from there, her perspective expanded from medical science to environmental conservation. Knowing there was much more to learn, she switched her focus inward, exploring the deeper parts of the psyche to find true balance between mind, body, and spirit. The desire to combine all these different aspects of herself is reflected in her work. From children’s book illustrations and printmaking to murals and even music videos, she’s adept in a variety of artistic mediums. Endlessly enthralled by our inner and outer worlds, she hopes her creative expressions will inspire others to explore their natural surroundings, see love in all living things, and open their minds to the beauty in unity.
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Julie Flanders
Bookkeeper
Julie was born in Monterey and raised both there and in Seoul. She supports Youth Arts Collective by helping maintain their financial records with care and attention to detail.
With experience as a CFO and CPA, Julie also runs her own bookkeeping and consulting business. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Santa Clara University.
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Dawn Patterson
Grant Writer
Dawn M. Patterson is an independent Grant Consultant with four years of experience securing funding for approximately 18 nonprofit and for-profit organizations in the areas of youth education, arts and culture, and food insecurity.
She has obtained over $4 million for clients through her successful grant proposals and grant writing efforts. A member of the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) Bay Area Chapter since 2023, Dawn currently serves as Secretary of the Chapter.
Prior to her work in grant consulting, Dawn practiced civil law for 25 years, including serving a federal law clerk. Since 2016, she has served on the Board of Legal Assistance for Seniors in Oakland, CA, including two years as Board President. She currently chairs the Development Committee.
Dawn holds a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University Chicago, and also studied abroad in Rome, Italy. She earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. In her free time, she enjoys painting, gardening, and traveling.
Board of Directors
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Julie Conrad
Chair
Julie’s life experience ranges from an early career in hospitality with a culinary arts degree, to painter and community development to non-profit administration, logistics and operations.
As part of a 3 woman team in Tucson, AZ, the Southside Food Production Network created a series of community food gardens within schools, neighborhoods, food banks and community centers.
In 2004, Julie completed a degree from CSUMB in Global Studies and began working at the Community Foundation for Monterey County. At CFMC, her role was administration, facilities, IT oversight, staff/board communication and event planning. She retired in 2021 after 17 years to pursue creative projects, adventure, travel, and things still undiscovered.
Julie is honored and inspired to support the participants and next generation of leadership at YAC as they thrive. She believes that the power of imagination, connections and safe space are building blocks for the development of creative thinking and courageous individual voices.
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Elizabeth Denholm
Vice Chair
Elizabeth Denholm is an arts professional with a foundation in collections management, curatorial practice, and arts administration. She is the Art & Music Program Manager at Montage Health in Monterey. She is passionate about facilitating human connection through art and facilitating programs to support creative communities. She holds a BA and MA in Art History and has previously worked in art non-profits, private art collections, and museums. As a young person, she was fortunate enough to have opportunities and a support system to encourage her love of art, and she is thrilled to pay that forward in service to YAC.
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Laurie Iwami
Secretary
Laurie Iwami is the Director, Marketing and Communications, for Monterey Museum of Art. She brings a successful career in Silicon Valley along with a working understanding of the Museum, based on her previous roles as an MMA docent and a Museum educator. She is committed to developing communication strategies that help people deeply understand the value that museums provide to their communities, both personally and as a society. Prior to joining MMA, she held senior leadership roles in marketing, product marketing, and communications at start-ups and Fortune 200 companies in the Bay Area, including HDMI, SanDisk, NVIDIA, and Western Digital. She is active in the Monterey community, volunteering as a docent at the Presidio of Monterey Museum, for the Arts Council for Monterey County, and as a Board Member of the YAC. Laurie holds a BA in Art History from Stanford University and an MA in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
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Chelsea Lenowska
Treasurer
Chelsea brings a background in federal government oversight and nonprofit governance to Youth Arts Collective. Her professional work focuses on accountability, operational effectiveness, and ethical leadership. She has served in governance roles within higher education and with local advocacy organizations, including Junior League of Monterey County, Monterey Pride, and the City of Monterey’s Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program (NCIP).
Chelsea is especially passionate about helping creative nonprofits build sustainable structures so their missions can flourish. A former band geek who still plays music, she understands the confidence and belonging creative spaces can foster. As a parent, YAC’s “Do Art. Be Kind.” philosophy deeply resonates with how she hopes to raise her son.
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Justyna Lenowska
Justyna has worked in the international development sector for over 15 years, with a focus on expanding educational opportunities and dignity for young people. She currently serves as the Global Lead of Early Stage Strategy & Support at Teach For All; in this capacity, she works with entrepreneurs from around the world as they work to launch strong, sustainable NGOs focused on addressing educational inequity. Justyna is passionate about supporting non-profit leaders to develop the vision, systems, and personal leadership necessary to drive positive change in their communities. As a queer woman, a mother, and a recovering theater kid, Justyna deeply understands the need for third spaces where young people can explore their interests and their identities. She is honored to contribute her skills to ensuring that YAC continues to thrive as one of these critical spaces in our community.
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Darcie Fohrman
Chair Emeritus
Darcie moved to Pacific Grove 35 years ago when her husband accepted a position at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She left her position as Director of Exhibitions at the San Diego Museum of Art to form her own consulting firm planning exhibitions with major museums in the Bay Area and nationally. She devotes her volunteer time following her passions of photography, art education advocacy and supporting the arts. She goes to extremes in pursuit of extraordinary art installations.