The Club's Professionals

ADMINISTRATION

David L. Solo, President / CEO

David Solo has spent the last 16 years working with various Boys & Girls Clubs in the Pacific Region. David was formerly the Director of Major Gifts and Annual Giving for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, the Chief Executive Officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo, and the Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs in Western Lane County, Florence, OR. David is a graduate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Advanced Leadership Program. David is a member of the Academy of Boys & Girls Club professionals, and a Resource Development Consultant for Boys & Girls Clubs of America in the Pacific Region. David was a recipient of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Service to Youth Award in 2005. David is a Wells Fargo North Coast Valley Community Advisory Board and a Downtown Petaluma Rotary Club Board Member. David attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in 1992. He was a NAIA College Football Pre-Season All American and Academic All-American and All Conference athlete in 1990 and 1991. David's lifelong commitment has been to raise funds for programs to improve the lives of children in need, and he attended the Boys Club in Kirkland, WA as a child growing up.

Merlyn Teague, Director of Finance

Merlyn Teague has a Masters in Public Administration from USF and 25+ years in Finance, HR, and Facilities Administration of non-profit organizations. Merlyn joined the staff of the club in May of 2009.

Kim Grisell, Area Director

Kim joined Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties in October 2006. Since then, she has worked her way through various roles at Lucchesi Park Clubhouse, McDowell Clubhouse, and McKinley Clubhouse. In her role as Area Director, Kim oversees the operations of Lucchesi Park Clubhouse, La Tercera ASES Program, Club 203, Cavanagh Clubhouse, McKinley Clubhouse, Washington Creek Clubhouse, Downtown River Clubhouse, and Corona Ranch Clubhouse. Kim has a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies & Planning and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, both from Sonoma State University. Kim has over ten years of experience working with youth in a multitude of settings including after-school programs, summer camps, licensed childcare, one on one mentoring, a nature preserve, and elementary school classrooms. Kim is President Elect of the Boys & Girls Club Professional Association Wine Country Chapter and is a member of the Redwood Empire Active 20-30 Club. Kim is also a trainer of after school professionals with the California School-Age Consortium. Kim believes that the key towards building a stronger, healthier community is providing a safe place for all students in the hours before and after school.

Shannon Griffin, Area Director

Shannon began working with Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties as Program Director of McKinley Clubhouse in the Spring of 2007. The following August she took on the role of Program Director at McDowell Clubhouse, where accomplishments included implementing the KidzLit reading enrichment curriculum, science club, and working with a team of talented staff to produce the first McDowell Clubhouse theatre production of Snow White. Shannon has been in the role of Area Director since May 2008, where she oversees the operations of the Athletics Department, McDowell, Cavanagh, Old Elm Village, Roundwalk Village, and Davidson Clubhouses. Shannon received her B.A in Political Science from UC Davis, and holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with CLAD emphasis. She is also active as a trainer of after school professionals with the California School Aged Consortium. Previous youth experience includes 10 months of national service with AmeriCorps NCCC, teaching, working in the field of autism intervention, and summers spent in her native Santa Cruz as a camp counselor. When not working diligently with her colleagues to improve the lives of our Club Members, Shannon volunteers as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay, is a member of the Redwood Empire Active 20-30 Club, and is a newly minted half marathon runner.

Cary Haris, Development Coordinator

We are happy to have her on the team! Her bio is coming soon.

Jake Smallwood, Business Office Coordinator/Technical Director

Bio coming soon!

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Jim Duel, Program Director, McKinley Clubhouse

Jim Duel joined the Club staff team in April of 2006. Prior to taking over as the Old Elm Village Program Director, Jim was the Athletic Director for Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties. Before his time with the Club, Jim Duel was the public relations director for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). The CIF is the organization that oversees high school athletics in California. With the CIF, Jim initiated and administered several successful youth recognition programs and worked closely with Character Counts in developing sportsmanship policies for the organization. In addition, he had several articles published in the National High School Sports magazine on topics such as sportsmanship and media relations.

Juliet LaMariana, Program Director, Cavanagh Clubhouse

Juliet's past experience includes a position as Program Coordinator at McKinley Clubhouse as well as Program Coordinator for Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County. Juliet was a Program Supervisor, for the "Kids Club" Summer Program through the City of Petaluma's Parks and Recreation Department. Juliet has also been an active volunteer for the past ten years for the Old Adobe Union School District's 6th Grade outdoor education program, and is currently one of two directors for the program. As a college student at San Jose State University, Juliet worked as a Resident Advisor and was active in developing programs that enhanced residential life on campus. A number of the programs that Juliet developed won national awards. Juliet holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Photography.

Ben Cain, Program Director, McDowell Clubhouse

Ben joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties in September of 2008 as a coordinator at Round Walk Village. In December of 2008 he joined the director team as Program Director of Davidson Clubhouse in San Rafael. In August of 2009, he took over as the Program Director of McDowell Clubhouse in Petaluma and is happy to be a part of such a wonderful organization who strives to make a difference in the lives of kids. Ben also has over four years of experience working with a variety of youth and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Sonoma State University.

Joey Brisson, Program Director, Lucchesi Park Clubhouse

Jen Parsons, Program Director, Old Elm Village Clubhouse

Jen Parsons is pleased to have the opportunity to help "Create a Community" at the Old Elm Village Boys and Girls Club. She brings to the club a strong desire to open doors and expand the experiences of the club members and to connect with the community. Jen has spent many years pursuing her dreams as an Artist, Art teacher and Mentor. She is the mother of three daughters who are thrilled to be members of the Boys and Girls Club. She is excited to expand the programs at Old Elm to include, Fine Arts, Crafts, Cooking, Gardening and Outdoor Environmental Education.
Jen's past experience includes work as a Program Coordinator at McDowell Clubhouse, Para-Educator and After School Program Coordinator at Mineral Elementary School , After School Program Tutor at Venetia Valley Elementary School and an AmeriCorps Watershed Project Community Coordinator at the Sacramento River Discovery Center.

Jessica Joerger, Program Director, Round Walk Village Clubhouse

A veteran Lucchesi Park Clubhouse Program Coordinator, Jessica brings with her a strong sense of behavior management principals, years of experience facilitating Club programs, a dedication to serving youth, energy, and stability. Jessica holds a degree in Administration of Justice and two certificates for working with children in the justice system. Jessica has been working with children for over eight years, including two of her own.

Olivia Bidaurreta, Program Director, Corona Ranch Clubhouse

Olivia Bidaurreta, a Petaluma native, joined Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties as a program coordinator in December 2006. She has worked at the Cavanagh Clubhouse, Lucchesi Park Clubhouse, McKinley Clubhouse, and Washington Creek Clubhouse and now calls the Corona Ranch Clubhouse home. Olivia graduated with her BA in Psychology with an English Writing minor in December 2004 from Dominican University of California, and plans on furthering her education in Psychology sometime in the near future. Olivia comes to Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties with a variety of experiences including being a resident advisor at Dominican and a 6th grade camp counselor for Petaluma's Old Adobe School District 6th grade camp. She is enthusiastic to be part of such a dynamic organization.

Erica Briceño, Program Director, Downtown River Clubhouse

Erica, a Petaluma native, joined Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties in 2007, as the Downtown River Program Coordinator. Erica stepped into the Clubhouse leadership role shortly thereafter. Passionate about connecting the Clubhouse to the community, Erica is adept at offering Members real world learning experiences such as visiting the fire department, area museums, and the ever-bustling downtown area to learn about Petaluma history.

Chris Bell, Athletic Director

Chris is back with Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties after spending seven years as Student Advisor at McNear Elementary. He previously served as Athletic Director and Program Director of the Cavanagh Rec Center Clubhouse. Chris graduated from Sonoma State in 1994 with a B.A. in Creative Writing and minor in Film Studies. Over the last fourteen years, Chris has coached almost fifty teams for the Club and was one of the first two inductees into the Club's Coaching Hall of Fame. He is excited to be back in a job that combines two of his passions - sports and working with youth.

Billie Barbash, Program Director, Davidson Clubhouse, San Rafael

Billie's professional background includes a BA from the University of San Francisco, with an English Major, A California K-12 Teaching Credential and a Master's Degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling, also from USF. Her classroom experience has been mostly at the middle school level, which is clearly her favorite. She is currently on four San Rafael Boards: She is the Chair of the School Site Council for Davidson Middle School, and sits on the Site Leadership Team (SLT) at San Rafael High School, the Redeemer Preschool Board of Directors and the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer's Vestry Board.

She is a former parent of both Glenwood Elementary School and Davidson Middle School and is still an active parent at San Rafael High School, where her youngest son attends. She has been active in San Rafael City Schools for over 15 years, including Davidson where she volunteered and later served as Chair of the now defunct PTA Lunch Program. At SRHS, she was the 2007 Class Parent, the Football Program Head Parent, and is currently the President of the SRHS Football Program's Endzone Club. Her two older sons attend the University of Colorado Boulder after having graduated from Davidson and San Rafael High. Her passion is working with adolescents and helping them to actualize their potential, while following their dreams.