The Focus Staff
Jason Meekma jmeekma@focusracine.org executive director & agency representative "Greetings from myself and Focus on Community. I have served this organization as the Executive Director for the past six years and this agency as a team member for the past fourteen. I began as a program facilitator and have had the opportunity to work directly in every program our agency has to offer. When I stepped into the Directors role in 2016, we set a vision to build on what we did well, while identifying ways we could better integrate ourselves into our community. In the past six years, we have been able to double our agency’s operating budget, launch four new programs and build a team that is passionately dedicated to serving our community and advocating for the value of prevention. Please take the time to read about each of our team members and learn more about who we are. While one website cannot capture even a fraction of the work we do or the impact we have, we are happy you have taken the time to begin exploring the engaging, exciting, and essential world of prevention." Carl Olsen colsen@focusracine.org Accountant I have worked as Focus' Accountant since December of 2013. Racine was where I was born, less than a mile from our office in fact. For the past 25 years, I have worked in education, industry, and the nonprofit sector. In 2010, seeking to expand my opportunities and better serve the organizations I work for, I obtained my CPA licensure in the state of Wisconsin. Kim DeVecchis kdevecchis@focusracine.org Communications manager Kim DeVecchis has been with Focus for 14 years and began working while two of her daughters were also at Focus as Teen Peers. She is currently the Communications Manager and really enjoys seeing the difference our programs have on the youth in the community…including all four of her kids. Sondra McGrone Program Associate & AFA Coach Recently graduated from Gateway Technical College with an associate’s degree in human services. FAST is one of my favorite programs, I truly enjoy watching the families interact and spend quality time together. Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. — Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States smcgrone@focusracine.org Sadie Wilson DFC Coordinator swilson@focusracine.org " I am the coordinator of the Drug-Free Communities Program which seeks to prevent youth substance misuse. I have my Bachelor's in Public Health from the University of Iowa and a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I am passionate about promoting family stability and well-being through addressing the social determinants of health. In my free time, you can expect me to be curled up with a good book, or in my kitchen baking." LaQuana Archer Program Coordinator larcher@focusracine.org My perspective of life is to be the role model I needed growing up. My daughter was my biggest inspiration for getting involved in the educational field. Although I have an Associate degree in Criminal Justice, my heart/calling has always been to help our youth. By joining Focus I hope to keep my vision alive, gain more knowledge, and extend another helping hand to the community. |
K.C. Missall kmissall@focusracine.org PROGRAM DIRECTOR K.C. Missall is the Program Director for Focus on Community managing all of the programs Focus provides to the community. K.C. has worked for Focus since 2013. K.C. has a Bachelors of Science in Human Services Degree from UW Oshkosh. K.C. has 25 years of experience working with youth in the prevention field and over 20 years of experience in substance abuse prevention. The best part of working for Focus on Community is spending time working with youth and making a difference in the community. John Kidd jkidd@focusracine.org Program coordinator My name is John Kidd. I started working for Focus in 1995. I was raised in Racine and went to the Unified School District . My duties at Focus through the years include working with the Homeless population for almost 20 years. I worked with the Veterans at Vets Place Southern Center for almost 10 years .I worked in the classrooms at the Unified schools doing Lifeskills and FAST programs since 1998 . I have worked with the alcohol and drug recovery community making countless referrals to treatment facilities and have facilitated groups using the Smart Recovery Program. I was a part of the Adam Board Alliance for Alcohol & Drug Abuse Management of Directors to help indigent people get treatment for substance abuse. I was on the Board of Directors at Gateway Technical College Human Service Advisory Committee for 3 terms. I have been blessed to have countless opportunities at Focus on Community helping build a better community. Nicollette Harris program coordinator nharris@focusracine.org I began working with Focus in October of 2022 as a Program Coordinator. I came across the job posting on LinkedIn and I was immediately interested. Since working at Focus I have been given ample opportunities to help out in the community, all the while meeting some awesome people. I facilitate the LifeSkills program, the Extended Learning program, Strengthening Families, and Opportunities Club. I am grateful to be a part of a team that cares for the people in our community. Beth Brandt Program Associate & AFA Coach bbrandt@focusracine.org As a recent graduate with my Associate of Applied Science/Human Services degree it was important for me to find a place that was invested in supporting our community. I am so grateful to be here at Focus On Community where they do just that through programming, outreach, and one on one coaching. When I first started, I thought I would just be doing my internship with Focus but I instantly became invested in this organization from the people to the programs, and now I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. Savannah Davis Program Coordinator sdavis@focusracine.org I was first introduced to Focus through participating in Teen institute. After that I choose to join the team as a Teen peer. I agreed with focuses mission and wanted to be apart of helping our community. After being a teen peer I graduated and pursued a career in the health field. I realized I wanted to do more than just that. so I joined the Focus team again as a program associate. Aja Molitor program coordinator amolitor@focusracine.org Aja has been involved with Focus since 2018. She started as a college student in a community based learning program that partnered with Focus to create a fundraiser for them. After graduating from UW-Parkside, Aja took on a full-time position with Focus providing programs during and after school for RUSD students and families. She then went on to pursue other interests but continued to donate and volunteer her time with Focus at their annual fundraiser each year. Moving forward, she's back as a program coordinator and is super excited to be a part of the wonderful team again. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, playing dominoes with her grandma, and spending time with her dogs. |
Gina Wisialowski gwisialowski@focusracine.org Director of Operations Gina has been a team member of Focus since 2011. With an educational background, she started her Focus career as a facilitator in many of the prevention programs and now is the Director of Operations. Gina is a native of Racine. She is married and has 2 adult daughters. In her spare time you will find her with her family and their 3 dogs, either watching movies or playing games. Lisa Avila lavila@focusracine.org Program coordinator Lisa is Program Coordinator at Focus on Community. She has been with Focus since 2012 and is involved with most of the programs offered to our community. Family programming is her favorite. “The work we do can change lives for the better, and I am beyond grateful to be a part of that.” Lisandra Nelson lsaldivar@focusracine.org Program Coordinator Lisandra is a Program Coordinator at Focus and you can catch her in the classroom facilitating LifeSkills and Opportunities Club after school, she is always wanting to help out where she can. Lisandra joined the Focus team in 2022 after completing an apprenticeship through Americorp Public Allies and has a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from UW-Parkside. Lisandra's favorite part of working with Focus is working with the youth in the community and being a part of them learning valuable life skills. Alicia Mojica Program Coordinator amojica@focusracine.org Alicia is a program coordinator at Focus and she is currently working with the Homeless Resource Navigator grant. Alicia has worked on and off at Focus since she was 13 years old starting off as a Teen Peer in the Teen Peer program. Alicia has a bachelor's degree in Sociology from UW-Parkside. She really enjoys working with youth and families and encouraging them to live happy and healthy lives. “I love seeing the amazing work we do inspire and change so many families for the better!” Makiah Bouchee Program Coordinator mbouchee@focusracine.org As a recent graduate from UW-Parkside, I began my search for a rewarding career. As I searched through different organizations, I stumbled upon Focus On Community and after doing some extensive research on the agency, I found that their mission, vision and values were also all things that I felt were important. I am excited to be part of a team as a Program Coordinator as I intend to help youth grow meaningful life skills that will take them on their journey of life. Emily Conigliaro Program Coordinator econigliaro@focusracine.org I am currently an intern, working toward a degree of Associate of Applied Science majoring in Human Services. During my final internship hours spent with Focus on Community, I have built confidence and developed leadership skills. I am thankful to be welcomed with open arms from a facility that encourages positive change for the people in our community. It has been a rewarding experience for me to see the wonderful programs Focus has to offer. During my free time, I am a dog mom and you can find us walking around town or cuddled up watching his favorite show, Bluey! |
Focus Board of Directors
Executive Committee
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General Members
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