CHOOSE 180 Team

Our team is intentionally made up of people with lived experience from the communities we serve. We are a diverse group of leaders with different skills and experiences that come together through a passion to serve young people.

Allie Steinberg

Diversion Workshop
Coordinator

Allie joined CHOOSE 180 in July of 2022 as the Diversion Workshop Coordinator.

Alvin "Boomer" Lowe

CHOOSE Freedom Community Navigator

As a young child I never had positive influences or people that mentored me or supported me in any way. I am very passionate about turning my pain and struggles into connecting with our youth and giving back to them and young adults in the community. Being the positive mentor I never had, someone who can relate and understand their struggles and help guide them. (If God gave you a second chance use it to help someone on their first.)

Cemal joined CHOOSE 180 in 2022 with BS in Sports Management, BS Business Management and minor in Finance. He has worked with various nonprofits for over 20 years. His hobbies are traveling, playing golf, watching sports and trying new restaurants.

Cemal Ford

Director of Community Engagement

Chase Gawiran

Restorative Community Pathways Community Navigator

Chase joined CHOOSE 180 in October of 2020 and serves as a Restorative Community Pathways Community Navigator.

Christina Umali

Teaching & Advancement Project Manager

As someone who has been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, Christina is passionate about systemic change and using both qualitative and quantitative methods to uplift and leverage community voice. She joined CHOOSE 180 in 2022 after graduating with her Masters in Public Health from the University of Washington. Outside of work, she enjoys working out, traveling, and eating good food.

Daicia Mestas

Expressive Arts
Therapist

Daicia is a 2020 MSW University of Washington graduate and is certified in Expressive Arts Therapy. Daicia choses to use the expressive arts in counseling because she believes in the power that creativity can have on a young person. She is from the New Mexican desert, she loves poetry, activism and her family/friends.

Dante Thomas

Program Coordinator,
School-Based Diversion

Dante joined CHOOSE 180 in January of 2024 and serves as a School-Based Diversion Program Coordinator.

Demitrus Wood

Program Coordinator,
School-Based Diversion

Demitrus joined CHOOSE 180 in March of 2024 and serves as a School-Based Diversion Program Coordinator.

Durell Green

Teaching & Advancement Project Manager

Durell joined CHOOSE 180 in January of 2018 and serves as a Teaching & Advancement Project Manager.

Edoukou Assouan

Communications & Marketing Manager

Edoukou joined the CHOOSE 180 team in 2023 as the Communications and Marketing Manager. When she's not working, she's usually skating, baking cookies, or playing Sims.

Emily Westlake

Director of
Operations

Emily’s family was deeply impacted by the criminal legal system with the incarceration of her dad, and is most inspired by organizing work led by current and formerly incarcerated people. She has been active in prison reform and abolition work since moving to Seattle in 2013, and is a graduate of Seattle University’s Masters of Nonprofit Leadership program. She is from New York and in her free time enjoys swimming, music, and art.

Esther Lee

Contracts & Reporting
Manager

Esther joined the CHOOSE team in August 2022 with the goal of supporting staff in service of the youth and young adults of CHOOSE 180. She is passionate about creating structures of support and collaboration centered on the collective ability to exercise agency, honor human dignity, and cultivate thriving communities.

Henok Gebreyohannes

Restorative Community Pathways Community Navigator

Heni joined CHOOSE 180 in December of 2021 and serves as a Restorative Community Pathways Community Navigator.

Izzy Eads

Advocacy Program
Coordinator

Izzy is passionate about community activism and advocacy towards collective liberation. She joined CHOOSE 180 in 2022 with a BA from UW where she double majored in Law/Economics/Public Policy and Society/Ethics/Human Behavior and minored in Human Rights. She has a background in abolition, community/grassroots organizing, and general rabble rousing. She loves being near bodies of water, Hawaiian food, and is interested in learning more about radical rest.

Jana Detrick

Mental Health
Therapist

Jana grew up in the Northwest and has a deep drive to embody love and justice in action. In 2020, Jana began our CHOOSE180 Counseling Program after completing her Masters in Counseling Psychology in 2019. Jana loves to sing, have deep conversations, explore neighborhoods, and watch some ridiculous reality tv on Netflix. :)

Jasmin Tucker

Director of
Programs

Jasmin joined CHOOSE 180 in December of 2022 as the Director of Programs.

Jayanna Thompson

Director of Communications & Marketing

Jayanna is passionate about using communications platforms for anti-oppression advocacy. She joined CHOOSE 180 in 2021 with a BA in Communications, MA in Nonprofit Management, and a background in nonprofit work. When she's not planning comms, she's usually traveling or spending time outside.

Johnny Walker Jr.

Program
Manager

Johnny has been serving in the community since 2009. After 8 years of working with gang-involved youth, he joined Choose 180 to take on a leadership role to help others in their mission to serve our young people. When Johnny isn't working, he is enjoying his time being a husband and a father.

J’Quai Holiday

Aftercare Success
Coach

J’Quai joined CHOOSE 180 in February of 2024 as an Aftercare Success Coach.

Julissa Sanchez

Director of
Advocacy

Julissa Sanchez is CHOOSE 180’s passionate Director of Advocacy. She works for collective liberation, intergenerational healing, cultural resistance, empowerment of our Young People and transformative justice. Julissa leads with and by the voices of the most impacted.

Kanani Parish

Program
Manager

Kanani joined CHOOSE 180 in August of 2020 as an Aftercare Success Coach and in 2024 she was promoted to Program Manager.

Lamaria Pope

Program
Manager

Lamaria is passionate about serving the young people in the Highline School District. Lamaria was a participant in the diversion workshops in 2018 and began to look at her own life as a possibility to be developed, not a problem to be solved. In fact, it later gave her the opportunity to join CHOOSE 180 in 2021 as a full-time program coordinator and in 2024 she was promoted to Program Manager. When she's not in schools facilitating school based diversion workshops, she is working on building her candle business or traveling.

Michael Witherspoon

Community Engagement
Manager

Michael is passionate about community building and fostering joy in the lives of others. With a love for creativity and innovation, Michael constantly seeks new ideas and opportunities to collaborate with others towards a greater good. Whether through spreading joy or working towards a common goal, Michael strives to make a positive impact on the world around him. He joined CHOOSE 180 in 2023 with a BA in Geography, MBA, and a background in community work. Michael spends his free time coaching girls basketball at Foster High School in Tukwila, Wa.

Michelle Hurd

Office
Manager

Michelle joined CHOOSE 180 in June of 2023 and serves as an Office Manager.

Miran K.

Grants
Manager

Miran joined CHOOSE 180 in 2022. She is interested in community-based programming and articulating the relationship between racial capitalism and the carceral state. Miran holds a MA in Communications and a BA in English.

Nneka Payne

Executive
Director

Nneka holds a dynamic background spanning a decade across community-based organizations, human services, and the legal system. Rooted in her firsthand experiences with the King County juvenile legal system, the mission of CHOOSE 180 is deeply personal for her.

Olivia Crawford

Aftercare Success
Coach

Olivia joined CHOOSE 180 in January of 2023 as an Aftercare Success Coach.

Patricia “Trish” Mejia

Program Coordinator, School-Based Diversion

Trish is passionate about creating connection, working with young people and forming authentic relationships. She joined CHOOSE 180 back 2022 with 17 years of youth/teen programming experience with the City of Burien. When she isn't doing outreach, she's spending quality time with her dog and going to shows.

Rebecca Thornton

Finance
Manager

Rebecca started volunteering with CHOOSE 180 as a workshop speaker in 2016. In March of 2020, she came on full-time as our Office Manager/Bookkeeper and now holds the Finance Manager role. Rebecca is passionate about giving back to her community through her own story of resiliency and has infused her passion for helping others with her passion for finance - creating a pathway to support our staff in all they do for our community.