Board of Directors

Melanie Tucker, Chair
Denver, Colorado

Melanie Tucker is a licensed CPA with 16 years of public accounting experience. She is Vice President-Finance for JE Dunn Construction Company, one of the largest construction companies in the United States. Melanie also serves on the Accounting Advisory Council for the Business School at the University of Colorado-Denver and participates in the mentor program for accounting degree candidates.

Stephanie O’Connell, Vice-Chair
Washington, DC

Stephanie O’Connell is a young marketing professional, currently working as a Sales & Marketing leader at Google, where she works with public sector advertisers to reach their target audience and grow their organizations. Born and raised in Kansas City, Stephanie earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Harvard University. Her lifelong passion for volunteering and civic involvement came from her parents, and she has volunteered with her alma maters and with various organizations in the DC area.

Vicki Clark, Secretary
Memphis, Tennessee

Vicki Clark is a consultant and trainer from Memphis, Tennessee. In her practice, Building the Capacity of Organizations, she works in the business, nonprofit, and public sectors. Her experience includes 12 years at the Points of Light Foundation in Washington, D.C., and serving as an AmeriCorps/VISTA trainer. Vicki also developed two youth volunteer programs for the Volunteer Center in Houston, Texas.

Tristen Caudle, Treasurer
Westwood, Kansas

Tristen Caudle is an economist and business intelligence professional working with individuals and organizations to generate insights and automated data analytics from their data. Tristen currently works at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, using analytics to improve the affordability of healthcare in Kansas City. A Kansas City, MO resident, Tristen graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City with a Master’s in Economics. He started with YVC as a Bank of America Student Leader at the YVC of Kansas City and, as a longtime volunteer with local and national nonprofit organizations, believes strongly in volunteerism’s power to positively impact the volunteer and their community.

David Battey, Founder
Kansas City, Missouri

As a political economy major at Williams College, David Battey developed “An Analysis of National Youth Service” thesis. This group project uncovered the need for service opportunities for high school students. David’s passion was ignited. He developed a plan, garnered support, planned service projects, and recruited youth. And YVC was born. David founded Youth Volunteer Corps in Kansas City in 1987, and it has since expanded across the United States and into Canada, becoming a national service movement.

Kingston Chee,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Kingston Chee is a junior attending Western Canada High School in Calgary, AB, Canada. He has committed over five years to spearheading social issues and promoting volunteerism at the local and international levels. More recently, he has served as an executive on the YVC International Youth Advisory Board. As a result of his involvement with the Calgary Youth Foundation, Kingston has contributed to granting $19,000+ to youth, philanthropic community projects, and fundraising $16,000+ from private and corporate organizations towards youth support programs across Calgary. The Penny Hume Volunteer Award of the Youth of Distinction Awards 2024 has recognized his efforts. Kingston says that the biggest motivation behind his activism stems from his time serving in Kirua, Tanzania.

Andy DeMarea
Kansas City, Missouri

Andy DeMarea has been an active trial lawyer for three decades. Although his career and legal practice have taken him into many different kinds of legal claims, he is most at home representing “the little guy.” Andy was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and is a graduate of Center High School, followed by an engineering degree and law degree at the University of Kansas. Andy loves working with charities like YVC; his passions have included Angel Flight Central, the Hands and Hearts Board (affiliated with Children’s Mercy Hospital), and the Johnson County Bar Foundation.

Cathi Duchon
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Cathi Duchon retired from her position as President and CEO of Ann Arbor YMCA, host site of YVC in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She served in a variety of roles in YMCAs in Illinois, Texas, Ohio, and even Hong Kong. She has served on many boards including the national board of YMCA of the USA, the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital, the Ann Arbor Rotary Club, and the American Humanics of Eastern Michigan University. Cathi’s husband is the former President and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, and she also has three other family members who work at YMCAs throughout the country.

Holly Kulka
New York, New York

Holly Kulka is the Global Chief Risk and Compliance Officer for S&P Global Ratings and the Chairman of the Board of CRISIL Ratings.

Holly previously served as Deputy General Counsel at NYSE Euronext and was a federal prosecutor earlier in her career.

Holly is one of the four Williams College seniors, along with YVC Founder David Battey, who presented a thesis on national service. That thesis is what later became the beginning of Youth Volunteer Corps.

Margi Pence
Leawood, Kansas

Margi Pence is an active community volunteer, serving on several boards, including Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinics, the Hall Family Foundation, Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association, and the American Red Cross, Kansas City Chapter. She was chair of the 2013 Jewel Ball which benefits the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kansas City Symphony. Margi and her husband have three children.

Christi Terefenko
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania

Christi Sychterz Terefenko, former biomedical engineer and orthopedic research consultant for over 20 years, co-founded the nonprofit VOiCEup Berks, which has hosted Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading since 2016. Over the last decade, Christi has become increasingly involved in nonprofit work, volunteering and serving on boards for many organizations, using her experience in medical research, technical/proposal writing, and organizational leadership to assist nonprofits in creating positive change in the community. She currently serves as the executive director for VOiCEup Berks.

Board of Directors