YouthCare Announces New Chief Impact Officer and Other Program Leaders

SEATTLE, March 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- YouthCare, an organization working to end youth homelessness and empower young people to achieve their potential, has named Emma York-Jones its new chief impact officer (CIO) and has promoted other program leaders overseeing its housing and workforce programs.

York-Jones joined YouthCare in 2009 providing direct service to youth and young adults in housing programs. Since then, she has held various leadership positions, overseeing YouthCare's Young Adult and Adolescent Housing Departments and the agency's performance and quality improvement efforts, respectively. She has also led YouthCare's capacity building Project EQTY and has presented nationally on topics related to serving LGBTQ homeless youth and adolescents transitioning to independence. In her new role as CIO, York-Jones will lead program, quality and impact efforts and direct the agency's strategic planning process and outcomes measurement.

"Emma brings deep experience and understanding of YouthCare's services," said Chief Program Officer Degale Cooper. "She also has a true passion helping young people experiencing homelessness, making her a fantastic fit to continue aligning our organizational programming with our mission to have the greatest impact in our community."  

Prior to launching a career at YouthCare, York-Jones was a health education volunteer in the United States Peace Corps in Tanzania. 

"I am thrilled to take on this new role. Everyone deserves a safe and warm place to call home. Through data-driven work and performance improvement, we can help more young people experiencing homelessness and ultimately achieve housing equity," said York-Jones.

Additionally, YouthCare named Erin Chapman-Smith senior director of housing services. Erin has spent more than seven years with YouthCare, beginning as a program manager of transitional over-18 housing and advancing to director of that program and also served as director of training and program quality. In her new role, Chapman-Smith will provide strategic leadership and direction for the development and delivery of housing service models to stabilize and meet the developmental needs of youth and young adults ages 13 to 24 years.

Also newly promoted is Audra Laymon, now senior director of workforce development and engagement. Since 2021, she has served as YouthCare's director of integrated workforce development. Prior to that, Laymon was employment services manager at Tacoma Community House and a program director with Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region. With this promotion, Laymon will lead transformational workforce development and engagement center programming.

About YouthCare 
Founded in 1974, YouthCare was one of the first shelters to serve runaway and homeless youth on the West Coast. Since then, YouthCare has expanded to 15 sites serving more than 1,500 youth every year. Through a comprehensive range of services including outreach, prevention, shelter, housing, education, and employment training, YouthCare ensures that young people experiencing homelessness have the hope, skills, and self-confidence needed to thrive. For more information, visit the website at https://youthcare.org/ or follow along on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.  

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SOURCE YouthCare