Our Staff
Executive Management
Syd Stewart
Founding Member, CEO & Mentor
Syd Stewart is the founder and CEO of Better Youth, a social impact nonprofit based in South LA with a mission to build creative confidence, bridge resource gaps, and prepare foster and system-impacted youth for sustained success in the creative economy. Syd is a former educator for GirlUp, a teen girls empowerment initiative through The United Nations Foundation. Ms. Stewart was a former Director for Ushers New Look Foundation and LAUSD/Beyond the Bell Arts in Education program, where she managed grant programs for two high schools and five community satellite sites in Watts. Syd is also a television writer and filmmaker.
Shawn Jackson
Chief Innovation Officer & Mentor
Shawn Jackson values growing and supporting youth-serving nonprofit organizations. Jackson has spent years researching the growing practice of new media and web-based technology. His strengths rely on his ample time serving various youth organizations.
Larry Hughes
Chief Financial Officer
A financial consultant working on Wall Street with many investment banks and individuals, Larry Huges has been active with Better Youth for over 5 years. His financial expertise is gained by years of experience with financial institutions such as Nathan and Lewis, Met Life, America Portfolios and Oppenheimer.
Program Leadership
Johna Rivers
Real to Reel Global CO-Founder & Lead Producer
Johna is an eight-year program alum and TAY foster youth who produces community events. She is a writer, poet, and filmmaker who advocates for foster youth, working in her community with noted leaders, including Representative Karen Bass and Congresswoman Maxine Waters. The UN Foundation recognized Ms. Rivers as a Youth Champion and she has traveled abroad as a cultural ambassador. She co-founded Real To Reel Global and works for Disney on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.
Dr. Katryna Starks
Interactive Gaming
Dr. Katryna Starks is a game scholar and researcher specializing in curriculum development, training, narrative, and psychology.
She holds a Master’s degree in Psychology with a focus on how video games can foster health-promoting behaviors, and a PhD in Psychology which explores how female protagonist agency affects youth and young adult female player identity.
She co-developed a Bachelor of Serious Games degree and designed the Interactive Narrative minor within that program. Her most prominent research includes "Cognitive Behavioral Game Design: a framework for creating Serious Games", and "Using Twine as a Therapeutic Writing Tool for Creating Serious Games".
Michelle Drayton
Resource Advisor
Mrs. Drayton is a dedicated activist who believes in involving the community in children's education. She advocates for students to graduate high school academically prepared, career-ready, and self-sufficient.
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She holds a Bachelor’s in Behavioral Science from National University and a Master's in Educational Leadership from CSU (California State University) Northridge. Her 30-year career began as a Business and Life Skills teacher at LAUSD (The Los Angeles Unified School District), working with adults and at-risk students. She later became a Career Advisor in LAUSD’s Career and Technical Education Division. She also worked as an Administrator at Grace Hopper STEM Academy, retiring in 2020.
Grant Webster
Animation
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Grant Webster is a lifelong creative with a history of producing his own animated sketches. His animations are always modeled after adult animated comedies such as The Simpsons and Bojack Horseman.
Through his cohort at Better Youth, he has been exposed to a plethora of animated styles such as anime, in which he aims to combine multiple genres in his work. He loves leading and cultivating an environment of positivity for all collaborators and feels with animation, the sky is the limit!
Paul Calderon
Film + TV
Paul Calderon is a Writer/Director and educator. He holds a degree in Philosophy and an M.F.A. in film. He has over twenty years experience teaching film at the college level.
Charmaine Framer
Senior Program Manager
Charmaine Farmer is a dedicated youth development specialist with over 25 years of experience transforming the lives of young people in Los Angeles. She has served in leadership roles at organizations such as the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club of America, STAR Inc., and Better Youth, Inc., where she currently mentors youth ages 16 to 24 through media arts training programs, including the AIM-N-Inspire Fellowship.
Charmaine's expertise spans program development, staff training, and innovative initiatives like financial literacy workshops and STEAM-focused curricula. Her passion for fostering mind, body, and spirit wellness and empowering young people to achieve their full potential is evident in the strong relationships she builds with the communities she serves.
Program Support
Ivanna Jackson
Program Associate
Ivanna Jackson is a recent graduate from Grand Canyon University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Film. She joined the Better Youth family as a high school student, where she was an intern who received media arts training and mentorship. She also was a youth producer for film festival Real to Reel Global for multiple years.
These many experiences led to the point of employment where Ivanna works as an executive assistant to Executive Director and Director of Operations, assists with coordination tasks of AIM-N-Inspire, Real to Reel Global, and new apprenticeship program, prepares correspondence for stakeholders and community partners, and creates media assets.
Breyon Jackson
Social Media Specialist
Breyon Johnson is a former foster youth currently attending Santa Monica College to study animation and is getting ready to attend Emile Cohl, a college specializing in animation. She now works at Better Youth as an executive assistant and helps with their social media. Her dream is to be a storyboard artist and hopefully create an animation studio that travels to different countries to produce people's stories. Better Youth has been able to help her get closer to obtaining her dreams by assisting in obtaining an internship with Skydance Studio where she was able to meet people and create future opportunities.
Autumn Taylor
IFoster TAYAmericorps
Resource Assistant
With strong community support, Autumn has a proven track record in Project Management across sectors, specializing in social impact. Her nonprofit work in Los Angeles County has deepened her understanding of local challenges and opportunities. She has led diverse initiatives, from education and health programs to global film festivals, driving tangible, sustainable impact.
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Her expertise in philanthropy, grant-making, and resource navigation ensures effective allocation of resources. Thriving in dynamic environments, she leverages strategic planning and adaptability to achieve results. With a collaborative and empathetic approach, she fosters inclusivity, empowering teams to reach collective goals.
Loe Renee
IFoster TAYAmericorps
Program Assistant
Loe Renee (they/them) is a former foster youth that has been system impacted since early childhood. After volunteering as a youth counselor and seminar speaker for foster youth conferences, they became a part of the Better Youth team after participating in the program as a youth when they were just 19 years old. They currently help assist with all programs and administration. Loe is also an avid lover of Film and Television as a former Emmy's Academy Program Alum and enjoys watching horror films and late night comedies.
Taylore Thomas
Film & Fellows
Teaching Assistant
Taylore Thomas is an educator and independent filmmaker based in Inglewood, CA. She earned a B.A. in African American Studies and Film and Television from UCLA. Her degree pushed her to become a Reading Interventionist for the Los Angeles Unified School District. There she works one on one with students to increase literacy rates in local communities. Outside of school walls she continues her passion for filmmaking. Being an independent filmmaker connects her with a number of LA community based film programs, including Better Youth, Venice Arts, and
the Academy Museum’s own Promise Workshops.
Junior Leadership
​Tyree Shaw
IT Support
Kyori Garcia
Program Support Gaming Fellow