Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley Logo

Locations, Staff, & Board

Locations

We are proud to serve more than 60% of the youth in Sonoma Valley at our seven different locations.

Maxwell Clubhouse (Our main clubhouse)
Maxwell Farms Regional Park
100 W. Verano Avenue
Sonoma, CA 95476
Serving grades K through 8th

Yair “Yaya” Alvarez, Program Director
Call/Text: 707-210-2519
[email protected]

Hours of Operations:
End of the School Day to 6:30 pm

El Verano Elementary School Site
18606 Riverside Dr
Sonoma, CA 95476
Serving grades K through 5th

Karen Sanchez, Program Director
Call/Text: 707-312-4684
[email protected]

Hours of Operations:
End of the School Day to 6:00 pm


Flowery Elementary School Site
17600 Sonoma Highway
Sonoma, CA 95476
Serving grades K through 5th

Alex Hoyt, Program Director
Call/Text: 707-299-8589
[email protected]

Hours of Operations:
End of the School Day to 6:00 pm


Sassarini Elementary School Site
652 Fifth Street West
Sonoma, CA 95476
Serving grades K through 5th

Bianca Gutierrez, Program Director
Call/Text: 707-299-8223
[email protected]

Hours of Operations:
End of School Day to 6:00


Altimira Middle School Site
17805 Arnold Dr
Sonoma, CA 95476
Serving grades 6th through 8th

Ricardo Arenas, Program Director
Call/Text: 707-779-9936
[email protected]

Hours of Operations:
End of School Day to 6:00 PM


Dunbar Elementary School Site
17700 Dunbar Rd
Glen Ellen, CA 95422
Serving grades K through 5th

Natalie Wallace, Program Director
Call/Text: 707-779-9935
[email protected]

Hours of Operations:
End of School Day to 6:00 PM


Sonoma Charter School Site
17202 Sonoma Hwy
Sonoma, CA 95476
Serving grades K through 5th

Jojo Sanchez, Area Director
707-721-2497
[email protected]

Hours of Operations:
End of School Day to 6:00 PM

Sonoma Charter School opens Monday November 7th


Teen Services Sonoma
17440 Sonoma Highway
Sonoma, CA 95476
Main Line: 707.931.6961
Club Cell: 707-775-1284
Serving grades 9th through 12th

Eric Gonzalez, VP of Teen Services
707-931-6961 x101
[email protected]

Alixya Soto, Director of Teen Programs
Call/Text: 707-775-1284
[email protected]

Araceli Gutierrez, College & Career Program Manager
707-931-6961 x104
[email protected]

Erin Shallat, Lovin’ Oven Culinary Academy Culinary Nutritionist
[email protected]org

School Year Hours of Operation:
3:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
2:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Wednesday

Summer Hours of Operation:
12:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Monday – Friday

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Meet the dynamic leadership team committed to supporting Sonoma Valley youth in reaching their full potential!

2021 10.29 Bgcsv Board 070 50 1

Leadership Team

Cary SNOWDEN, President & CEO
(707) 938-8544 x107
[email protected]

Eric Gonzalez, VP of Teen Services
(707) 931-6961
[email protected]

Proud BGCSV Alumni. Once a Club kid, always a Club kid.

Joe Hardeman, VP of program operations
(707) 938-8544 x101
[email protected]

Proud BGCSV Alumni. Once a Club kid, always a Club kid.

Dawn Holman, VP of Administration
(707) 938-8544 x103
[email protected]

Michael Irvine, VP of Development & MARKETING
(707) 938-8544 x104
[email protected]

Proud BGCSV Alumni. Once a Club kid, always a Club kid.

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BGCSV Team

Meet the passionate and dedicated team committed to supporting Sonoma Valley youth in reaching their full potential!

Cassie Oaks, Senior Program Director
(707) 938-8544 x111
[email protected]

Proud BGCSV Alumni. Once a Club kid, always a Club kid.

Brooke Padgett, Director of Child & Club Safety  
(707) 938-8544 x114
[email protected]

Proud BGCSV Alumni. Once a Club kid, always a Club kid.

JOJO SANCHEZ, AREA DIRECTOR
(707) 938-8544 x111
[email protected]

YAYA ALVAREZ, PROGRAM DIRECTOR – Maxwell Clubhouse
(707) 210-2519
[email protected]

Proud BGCSV Alumni. Once a Club kid, always a Club kid.

RICARDO ARENAS, PROGRAM DIRECTOR – ALTIMIRA MIDDLE SCHOOL
(707) 779-9936
[email protected]

BIANCA GUTIERREZ, PROGRAM DIRECTOR – SASSARINI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
(707) 299-8223
[email protected]

CRYSTAL HELMER, EVENTS Manager
(707) 938-8544 X113
[email protected]

MAIA LAZARUS, HR Administrative coordinator
(707) 938-8544 X112
[email protected]

KATIE OVANDO, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
(707) 210-7898
[email protected]

ADRIAN PALENCHAR, OPERATION BICYCLE MANAGER
(707) 343-7223
[email protected]

JOE PETERSEN, ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
(707) 210-7898
[email protected]

Proud BGCSV Alumni. Once a Club kid, always a Club kid.

Kirsten Roberts, Literacy Program director
(707) 938-8544 x110
[email protected]

ARLEnE ROMAN, Marketing & Development Administrative coordinator
(707) 938-8544 X105
[email protected]

KAREN SANCHEZ, PROGRAM DIRECTOR – EL VERANO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
(707) 312-4684
[email protected]

NATALIE WALLACE, PROGRAM DIRECTOR – DUNBAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL & ART PROGRAM Manager
(707) 779-9935
[email protected]

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Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is a highly dedicated group of volunteers who oversee the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley's mission, purpose, and policies. Every member of our board has set an example of generous financial support and brings a unique set of skills and expertise to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley.

Jay Rooke – BOARD CHAIR, safety chair

Proud BGC Alumni. Once a Club kid, always a Club kid.

A member of Forbes Coaches Council, Jay Rooke, J.D., is a trained executive and business coach who resides in Sonoma. Jay spent the first half of his life on the East Coast where he worked as a toxic tort litigator for the City of New York, as well as helping Merck pharmaceuticals launch the first-ever anticancer vaccine. He attended culinary school in New York City, and later opened his own restaurant in California. Prior to coaching, he most recently worked for NBC Sports; he also has experience working in the clean tech, sustainability and wine industries. Jay is the Co-Founder of GivingKicks.com, a charitable initiative to provide 1,000 shoes to 1,000 underprivileged kids when they go back to school in the fall.

Windee Smith – Vice chair

Before moving to Sonoma in 2002, Windee Smith had a restaurant and a wine store in San Francisco for many years. She was most recently the owner of The Valley Wine Shack in Sonoma. Not long after moving here, she became aware of The Club and its positive impact on the community. After seeing how many families feel the impact of The Club’s programs, she was committed to serving The Club in any capacity. She feels that being a member of the Board and the Marketing Committee allows her to serve not only The Club, but also the community, and The club is such an integral part of Sonoma.

marney malik – TREASURER

With husband Shah, moved to Sonoma in 2016 from Vancouver, WA to be closer to kids and grand-kids, who all live in Sonoma. One of the founders, and a former Executive Officer of the Greenbrier Companies, Inc. a NYSE listed company, where I held various senior management positions over my 30+ year career, primarily focused on finance, risk management, business development and mergers and acquisitions. Served on the Board of Directors of Easter Seals Oregon for 13 years, including as Treasurer. Was a 10-year student sponsor through Marathon Education Partners, a non profit that pairs gifted but economically and socially challenged students with a mentor and a direct college bound financial support system. Currently serve on the Board of Directors of Impact 100 as Treasurer and former Board Member and Treasurer of Teen Services Sonoma.

kATHY bLOCH – SECRETARY

Kathy retired from the practice of law in 2013. She served as the General Counsel of a technology company in San Jose and previously was a partner at the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto. Kathy received her J.D. from Stanford Law School and has served as Chair of the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors. She received the Stanford Governors’ Award for service to Stanford University in 2017. Since retiring, Kathy has enjoyed volunteering with a number of organizations, from reading with Sassarini Elementary School first-graders, to tutoring Sonoma residents studying to take the U.S. citizenship exam, to serving as a docent at Sonoma’s historic State Park. She also serves on Impact100 Sonoma and Girl Scouts of Northern California and is a former board member of Teen Services Sonoma.

Dub Hay – PAST Board Chair

As a senior vice president, Global Coffee Authority, Willard (Dub) Hay led the team responsible for championing the Starbucks coffee experience and ensuring a single global voice of coffee in Starbucks stores around the world. As the company’s chief coffee advocate, Dub also oversaw internal programs to further demonstrate Starbucks passion, quality and leadership in all things coffee. For more than 30 years, Dub traveled to the far reaches of coffee growing regions, such as Sulawesi, Rwanda and Papua New Guinea, building deep relationships with generations of farmers, and in 2007, was designated as and Elder by the Kikuyu Tribe in Kenya. Dub started with Starbucks in November 2002, and retired December of 2012. He led the development of C.A.F.E. Practices, Starbucks’ socially responsible coffee buying guidelines, as well as global development of Farmer Support Centers to improve coffee quality and farmer livelihoods.

Jennifer blesius

A partner in the real estate investment firm A&C Ventures, Jennifer Blesius supports CEO David Grieve with all business and personal entities, including Grieve Family Winery. She is also involved in many aspects of the firm including investor summits, special events and non‐profit efforts. Jennifer joined ACV in 2016 following a decade‐ long career with TPG Capital in San Francisco, where she most recently managed global meetings and logistics for their in‐house Fundraising Team. While there, she was responsible for coordinating the firm’s international conferences and annual events.

Jennifer’s non‐profit work extends well beyond her day job, having spent years volunteering with groups such as Team in Training, Bark for Life, Children’s Book Project SF and SF Firefighter’s Toy Program. An experienced non‐profit coordinator, Jennifer has organized and volunteered for several charitable golf tournaments including Taco Bell Foundation, Score Fore Kids‐Children’s Hospital and Nordstrom JRDF Golf Tournament. Since moving to Sonoma in 2017 with her husband Mark, Jennifer has embraced small-town life and the boundless opportunities to engage with her new community. As part of that effort, she reached out to Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley about volunteer opportunities. She joined the committee for the 2nd Annual Fairways Fore Futures Golf Tournament and has co‐chaired the event for the past two years. As a committee member for the Sweetheart Gala, Jennifer has been instrumental in soliciting wine and auction donations. In 2019, Jennifer was chosen as Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley Star Volunteer of the Year.

DOUG hanford

Doug grew up in Sonoma Valley attending public schools and is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a BA in Landscape Architecture.  A licensed Landscape Architect and General Engineering Contractor, Doug is the founder and president of Hanford ARC, a general engineering construction firm founded in 1984 specializing in large scale stream and wetland restoration projects.

Doug has served for 6 years on the Sonoma County Planning Department Design Review Board, 14 Years on the Sonoma County Agricultural and Open Space Advisory Committee, and 7 years on Sonoma Valley Teen Services Board developing employment skills and job opportunities for teens.

Katie Holden

Katie currently works at Friedman’s Home Improvement at the headquarters office in Petaluma as Leadership Team Administrator. In her role she is responsible for: managing all internal communications, planning corporate events and meetings, managing the office, and providing administrative support for the President and Leadership team. Katie previously worked as the Project Manager for Carleton Group managing the installation of medical casework and equipment for large medical office buildings and hospitals in the Bay Area. She also previously worked as the Director of Development and Director of Marketing & Events at Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley for nearly 10 years. Katie was born and raised in Sonoma. She graduated from Chico State with a BA in Communications.

Larry Krieger

Krieger has lived in Sonoma since 2000 and has served on the Club’s Board since 2005 as VP of Strategic Planning and Governance. A lifelong tennis player, Krieger is the General Manager of the Bay Club in Marin, a former board president of International Health and Racquet Sports Association, and a member of the Advisory Board of The Tennis Hall of Fame. He has represented the US in 10 senior team matches in the UK, Mexico, France and Canada. Larry is married to the lovely Virginia Krieger, who works for the Sonoma Valley International Film Festival.

STUART PRICE

Bio coming soon.

ESMERALDA SANCHEZ MOSELEY

Esmeralda Sanchez Moseley has twenty-three years of experience working in the field of education and currently serves as the Director of Educational Services for Petaluma City Schools. Esmeralda served as the principal of Flowery Elementary in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District from 2009 to 2021. She resides in Boyes Hot Springs with her husband Steven and their two children Maya and Mateo. Esmeralda also served as an elementary vice-principal, literacy specialist, professional development instructor, and elementary classroom teacher.  She has been successful in working with stakeholders across districts to support professional development, innovation, and collaboration. Her experience includes a focus on multilingual learners and creating culturally-sustaining environments that prepare students for a global society.

Esmeralda earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Santa Clara University and a Master of Arts in Educational leadership from California State University, Sacramento.  She also holds both a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential:  Bilingual Cross-Cultural, Language, and Academic Development (BCLAD-Spanish) and a Clear Professional Administrative Credential.

Esmeralda is passionate about supporting all youth in Sonoma Valley. She spent twelve years building strong relationships with parents, students, and staff as a school administrator and has an understanding of the daily lived experiences of the youth in our valley. Esmeralda is a strong supporter of the Boys and Girls Club’s mission to support youth to discover their highest potential. Her children currently attend the Flowery ASES program and participate in sports and summer camps every year.  She looks forward to the opportunity to continue serving the youth of Sonoma Valley through the Boys and Girls Club.

Connie Sangiacomo

Connie Sangiacomo was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California. She attended Mater Dei Catholic High School in Santa Ana, California and continued her studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder graduating with a BA in English. After her college career, Connie moved back to Southern California and began her career working in Los Angeles as a Casting Associate for feature films. She spent the next six years working for various Corporations including Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers and directors/producers such as Anthony Minghella and Jerry Bruckheimer. After moving to Sonoma in 2002 she shifted focus and began work as a corporate sales manager for Villagio Inn & Spa and Vintage Inn located in Yountville. Working there for four years Connie received Villagio and Vintage Inn’s Exceptional Leadership Award in 2005. It was also in 2002 when Connie developed a passion for charity work. For several years, she worked closely with committee members to organize the first annual Fertile Hope Gala. Fertile Hope is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to providing reproductive information, support and hope to cancer patients and survivors whose medical treatments present the risk of infertility. Today this organization is a part of the Lance Armstrong foundation known as Livestrong Fertility. Connie’s charitable work continued with Queen of the Valley Hospital Foundation, Saint Francis Solano Church and School and most notably, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley. The Sweetheart Gala & Auction is the largest annual event for Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley and critical funds are raised at this Event to support their operating budget. Connie worked for 8 years on the committee assisting in the planning of this Event in various capacities. She co-chaired the Event for 3 years working to build momentum around the Event and increasing the event revenue through tickets sales and sponsorships. Connie lives in Sonoma with her husband Steve Sangiacomo and her boys Drew (11) and Sam (9).

MELISSA BUCKLEY VAIO

Having moved to Sonoma at the age of 2, Melissa is deeply rooted in Sonoma Valley. After graduating from UCSC, she worked and traveled for a year in the Torres Straights, Australia before moving back to Sonoma to work as a licensed agent in the Life & Health Insurance Industry. Shortly after having her twins, Melissa quit her job to support her husband’s burgeoning plumbing business. Melissa and her husband Bart, have 3 children, Lucas, Georgia, and Josephine all of who have participated in various BGCSV programs since very young ages. Melissa previously served as Treasurer for the Diamond A Recreation Association and as the President & Co-President of the Presentation School Parent Association. Melissa is deeply committed to supporting the young people in our community.

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