meet our team
​

richard graham

executive director

Richard came to JIFF as Executive Director on March 24, 2014, after serving six years on the Executive Board of JIFF as Secretary. His professional background has been in national account sales and management. For three years he served on the East Memphis Board of Young Life. He and his wife, Frances, have been married for 30 years, and have two wonderful daughters, Natalie and Katelyn. Richard’s passion is to give youth a chance, seeing they are not the problem, but the solution to transforming change in families.

kaitrin valencia

Assistant to the executive director

Kaitrin Valencia came to JIFF in July, 2018 after serving on our Board. She is a licensed Illinois attorney, an author, worked for 18 years in Chicago’s juvenile court as a top administrator, and also has a plethora of ministry and Christian non-profit management experience. She is passionate about and has expertise in juvenile justice reform, including juvenile detention alternatives and the implementation of evidence based programming. As an expert in female responsive programming, she volunteers much of her time combatting human trafficking both locally in Memphis and nationally. She and her husband, Emilio, have three children and enjoy mentoring. writing, and teaching.

keusi donald

program Director

​Keusi Donald is the  Program Director *. He has worked in youth development for many years. Keusi was formerly employed by the Memphis Leadership Foundation as the Program Manager of MARRS (Mediation Restitution Reconciliation Services) - which merged into JIFF and became the Early Intervention Program. He and his wife work alongside each other to serve the youth in the community.

shelia medlin

finance coordinator

Shelia serves as JIFF’s Finance Coordinator with well over 20 years experience in handling the bookkeeping needs of JIFF. She has been married to her husband, David, for over 43 years. They have two children, a daughter, Cristi, and a son, Matthew. They are the proud grandparents of 8 grand-children (4 girls and 4 boys) and one great-grandson. Shelia counts it a privilege to serve God through the ministry of JIFF standing alongside a dedicated team of HIS servants.

Troy dotson

program manager

Troy is the Program Manager of the JIFF Case Mentoring and the Evening Reporting Center programs. He has been working for JIFF for 5 years now. Troy is originally from Chicago, Illinois and now resides in Memphis with his wife of 14 years. Troy is a firm believer that "true change comes from the inside out". He advocates that once a person comes into contact with Jesus, it is impossible to stay the same. 

hannah mcdaniel

marketing manager

Hannah comes to us from Knoxville, Tennessee. She attended the University of Tennessee and graduated with her degree in Sociology and Criminology. Hannah is passionate about advocating for our youth and uses this passion to share their stories through social media, events, marketing, and communications. Hannah and her husband, Mark, live Downtown, and they love being involved in their community and working together to create the best Memphis there can be.

jefferson walker

assistant program manager

Jefferson Walker is our Early Intervention Assistant Program Manager. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in Early Childhood Education. He comes to JIFF from Memphis Athletic Ministries where he was a middle school youth coordinator and Up2Us coach. Prior to that, he served for 4 years at Kids Across America, an urban youth sports camp located in Missouri. ​

ronold frazier

Supervisor of the mentoring department

Ronald has been fully committed to serving the greater Memphis community since arriving in 2005 from the south side Chicago. Faith, character and integrity have been his driving force while serving in the mental health arena, providing an insurmountable amount of time, energy, and effort into community service projects, and fundraiser initiatives via fraternal relations (Prince Hall Masons). Ronald came over to JIFF in late 2015 as a case mentor, and has been on absolute fire for the JIFF mission of bringing an end to "the destructive cycle of juvenile crime”.

case mentors

nick butler

A proud native of South Memphis, TN, Nick attends Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church and is the gracious father of Jieret Butler. He is a Prince Hall Affiliated Mason of Robert J.Spraggins #163. His passions include change, growth, and discipline.

ronnie Cole

Pastor Cole had a childhood full of foster homes, gang activity, and street involvement. He accepted Christ in 1995 and has since "worked as hard for the Lord as he did for the devil". He has served as a counselor and child advocate, worked with Urban Youth Initiatives in Juvenile Court, and conducted motivational speaking on gang awareness in many forums. Pastor Cole has been with his wife, Jacquetta, for 29 years and they have three daughters, Junia, Ronishia, LaSharra, and two grandchildren. His goal is to make a difference in surrounding communities, the city, and ultimately, the world. 
​

Sheamus cox

Sheamis is a mentor and proud father of seven children. He comes to JIFF after extensive experience working with at-risk youth. After accepting Christ and leaving a life of violence, crime, and drugs, Sheamus found his purpose is pouring faith, hope, and wisdom into youth. He believes in helping hopeless lives become productive and prosperous lives. 

DIONYSUS SISSON

"Coach D" - as he is known - has been transformed from a life of pain, violence, and crime as a direct result of an ever-growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Having a history both on the street and behind bars allows him to mentor youth from an understanding, strong, and loving perspective. ​

grady turner

Grady Turner has been a case mentor since 2012. He graduated from Wooddale High School, and is currently studying Criminal Justice at the University of Memphis. He has always had a passion for working with youth. He spent six years coaching baseball and now uses his passion as a dedicated life coach for the youth at JIFF.

Theirsa burke

Mentor coordinator

Theirsa is an AmeriCorps Vista assigned to the City of Memphis - Grizzlies Team Up Program as Mentor Coordinator for JIFF.  Theirsa began her mentoring journey as a Girl Scout, mentoring the younger scouts.  That experience gave her the passion to attend Lane College in Jackson, TN pursuing a degree in Education with a Minor in Business. She taught school for several years before becoming more interested in the corporate world. There, Theirsa was given the opportunity to work closely with community grassroots projects and serve on the Board of Directors for several organizations.  She has worked in Staffing & Recruiting, Human Resources and Sales Management.  As a mother, wife, and proud grandmother, her goal is to try and make a positive difference in the lives of today's youth.

Naieshia Fitch

custodian

 

kesha mcclure

front desk receptionist

Kesha serves us at the front reception desk.  She has been with JIFF for over two years. She is often the first voice you hear when you call and the first face you see when you visit JIFF. Kesha enjoys working at JIFF because of the friendly interactions with fellow employees. It is also enjoyable because of the impact that JIFF has on the young adults they serve.

jo ann means

family support care worker

Jo came to JIFF through her mission to serve others. At JIFF, Jo is the liaison for the parents of JIFF youth and the Juvenile Court. She connects families to resources for assistance and / or counseling. She supports the JIFF families with prayers and parent support groups. Jo cares deeply for her families and goes above and beyond in making sure they are loved and supported. 

david medlin

facility maintenance SUPERVISOR

​Since retiring from BellSouth after 30 years of service, Dave now stays quite busy handling the repair and maintenance needs around the JIFF building. His background includes serving in the Air Force and Air National Guard as well as many years at the phone company. Come by and you might just see Dave on the roof changing air-conditioning filters, out back checking the oil in one of JIFF’s vans, or dressed-out in his coveralls painting one of our many offices. He always has a smile on his face while he works to keep JIFF in tip-top shape!

sheryl miller

chef, culinary arts training

Sheryl is our Chef in our Culinary Arts Department. She also serves as the in-house manager of Sweet LaLa’s Bakery. Chef stays smiling while feeding large amounts of people in many different settings and remains patient and understanding while teaching her young culinary students.

becky pearce

administrative assistant

Becky has lived in Memphis her entire life and is dedicated to serving her community. Her professional background includes working as a teacher at Treadwell, an officer for the Memphis Police Department, and a Probation Counselor in Juvenile Court for 33 years. As an Administrative Assistant, Becky assists the Program Manager and keeps records for Juvenile Court. Becky has two sons and is a very proud "Nana" to her granddaughter.

brittney reamey

Educational advancement coordinator

Brittney has a passion for working with youth. Her professional background includes working at STAX Music Academy, Memphis Urban Young Life, Youth Villages, and substitute teaching. At JIFF, Brittney is overseer of the Education program.