Diana Curtin, Executive Director

After being the Program Director at Chops for a little over a year, Diana was promoted to Executive Director starting August, 1, 2010. During Diana’s time as Program Director, Chop’s flourished, with membership and programs growing significantly. She has over 20 years experience working with children, teens and adults in various capacities including; camps, after-school programs, Girl Scouts, outreach programs, and survival backpacking with troubled youth. Diana has extensive experience as a supervisor, as well as in the design, delivery and marketing of vibrant programs for youth. Diana has been the Director of Membership Marketing and Outreach for the Girl Scouts, a Nonprofit Management Consultant, a trainer for the California School-Age Consortium and an Adjunct Faculty in Child Development at Mendocino College. Diana holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Recreation Administration and a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Organization. Diana is currently enrolled in the class of 2010 Leadership Santa Rosa and enjoys living in Santa Rosa with her husband Dan and 7 year old son Ben.
dianac@chopsonline.com

Koy is the Operations and IT manager. Having worked in recreation since 1990, he attended Sonoma State University pursuing a degree in math and environmental education. After completion of a BS, he’ll join the credential program. When that’s done he hopes to teach math. Koy also coaches club volleyball for Empire Volleyball Club along with Montgomery high schools varsity volleyball team.

“The more we increase the active participation and partnership with young people, the better we serve them. … And the more comprehensively we work with them as service partners, the more we increase our public value to the entire community.”
- Carmen Martinez
koys@chopsonline.com

Emily Pugh finds that her job of heading an art studio fulfills one of her life passions; that of creating community around art making! With an extensive history of living in artist-work spaces, specializing in metal sculpture, she now can extend her knowledge to the teen-artist space at Chops! What she likes in particular is the compassion and intelligence each one of the Art Studio Staff brings to their work-shifts. Creating art has historically been marginalized to only a select few within society. However, the Studio Staff gifted in their own ways builds a new legacy that defines art making as fun for any member that walks into Chops!
emilyp@chopsonline.com

For 5 years, Melissa has been involved in Food Service Management. With a desire to work with youth, Melissa has brought her skills to our facility to do both. She strives for Chop's Café to be the place where teens go to eat, hang out and have fun. She is continually bringing new items in the Café and surveying the interests of our members. She has made the Café into a place where teen employees learn work ethic, time management, tasking and customer service.
melissac@chopsonline.com

Dax Talbert started working with teens when he was still a teen himself. He was involved in a lot of after school programs; volunteering and working with different organizations and clubs.
Dax started his own disc jockey business, DJ Dax, during his junior year in high school, which also included volunteer work and fundraisers. By his senior year he was volunteering at Chop’s in teaching members how to DJ, along with DJing middle school and high school dances held on Friday and Saturday nights.
After graduating from Elsie Allen High School with the Principal’s Leadership Award, PAC Scholar Achievement Award for The Arts & Academics, Outstanding Achievement Web Design Award, and being nominated for The Press Democrat Community Youth Service Award in Journalism/Media, he then left Chop’s for two years to further his education at Santa Rosa Junior College and to devote more time to his DJ business.
Now that Dax has graduated with an Associates Degree from Santa Rosa Junior College he has returned to Chop’s as their Public Relations/Marketing Specialist. He extremely loves his job and all the staff he works with. Dax continues his love of DJing and also plans on attending Expressions College in Emeryville to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sound Engineering in the near future.
daxt@chopsonline.com

Nick started working with youth as a youth.  In 1995 when he was 15 years old, he joined Positive Images, Sonoma County’s LGBTQ Support Group, working as a Peer Advocate.  By 2000 he was assisting in all the major functions of the support group.  He thrived on speaking publicly with the group, helping create awareness on GLBTQ issues.  Later in 2000, he broadened his work in the community by joining the Sonoma County AIDS Network which is known as Face to Face.  In 2003, Nick turn down a radical road when he started working in the real estate industry as an Executive Assistant.  Over the next couple of years he obtained his real estate license.  In 2008 he decided that it was time to refocus his energy on youth as that was always his passion so he came to Chop’s in an effort to mentor Santa Rosa’s youth.
nickk@chopsonline.com