YCWF board of directors

CHAIR OF THE BOARD
Lt. Col. George Stewart

George Stewart is a Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel whose roles as logistician and support staff gave way to leadership in the Drug Demand Reduction Program of the Florida National Guard.  That role developed his interest in Youth Crime Watch, which he has served intensively for a decade, first on the Board and Executive Committee of Youth Crime Watch of America, then as Chairman the past two years of Youth Crime Watch of Florida.  He plays prominent roles in the crime prevention and youth programs efforts in his home area of Miami Gardens and Opa-Locka , Miami-Dade County, Florida, and is also a well-known state and national  leader and tireless worker for Youth Crime Watch causes as well as  the National Conference on Preventing Crime in the Black Community as well as the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.  He has been the sitting Chair of the Florida Board.

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Marilyn Morris
Civic Activist

Marilyn Morris started Youth Crime Watch in Broward County in the early 1980s as the Mother of seven involved in their school activities.  She has been a civic activist in South Florida over the years and has been the Youth Crime Watch “do-it-all” Board Member even before the inception of the national organization in 1986 and has served as President and Chair of its Board and Chair of the Florida Board. She is the only Board Member to have participated in every single Youth Crime Watch State, Regional, and National Conference.

CEO
Christopher DiCarlo

Christopher DiCarlo has held senior management positions in both the private and nonprofit sectors. As a Vice President at Sanwa Bank, Mr. DiCarlo oversaw a $2 billion loan portfolio consisting primarily of Fortune 500 clients. His nonprofit experience includes lead roles in operations, resource development and executive management. A graduate of the United Way of America management training program, Chris has served at four local United Ways, including most recently as a President & CEO in South Carolina. He has significant international experience, including extended stays in Europe, Asia and South America. On April 1, 2008, DiCarlo became Chief Executive Officer of Youth Crime Watch of America and also holds that position for Youth Crime Watch of Florida. Chris holds a Bachelors Degree in History from Dartmouth College and has MBA and MPP degrees from the University of Chicago.

TREASURER
Lawrence Jefferson
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
Re-Entry Project

Lawrence Jefferson is a longtime civic activist and local leader in Jacksonville, Florida.  He adminsters the Re-Entry Program in the Duval County Sheriff’s Office and served in the Safe Neighborhoods Project.

Lt. (Ret.) Gerald Rudoff
Chairman of Board
Youth Crime Watch of America

Jerry Rudoff is a Founding Father of Youth Crime Watch in Miami-Dade County in the late 1970s and has served Youth crime Watch continuously since that time. He has held virtually every major position on the Board of Youth Crime Watch of America, and has the distinction of being Chair Emeritus of that Board.  He provides YCW technical assistance through the ycwa.org web site and is responsible for the impressive feats of that site.  He is also the father of the international Youth Crime Watch movement, which is now solidly in 20 countries on five continents.

Monique R. Catoggio (EMBA 2003)
Director, Office of Alumni Affairs
FIU College of Business Administration

Monique Catoggio began her affiliation with Youth Crime Watch as the YCWA Conference Coordinator in the late 1990s.  For Florida International University, she has risen to the position of Director of Alumni Affairs of the FIU College of Business Adminstration.  She has served in a number of leadership positions on the YCWF Board.

SECRETARY
April Griffin
School Board Member
District 6 (Countywide)
Hillsborough County Public Schools

April Griffin is an At-Large (countywide) Member of the Hillsborough County School Board.  She is one of seven members responsible for making policy decisions and overseeing a budget of $2.6 billion for the 8th largest school district in the country with 30,000 employees. She has been a successful business owner and long-time child and elder advocate.  She is a member of numerous public service committees in Hillsborough County and co-founded her Neighborhood Watch Group.  Her son Randy was responsible for potentially the largest life-saving initiative in Youth Crime Watch history when he reported another student in another school who was building a bomb and had a plan to kill a total of 36 persons at the school.  As a result of his actions, no one was hurt.

Honorable Dorothy “Dottie” Johnson
Vice-Mayor, City of Opa-Locka, Florida

Honorable Dorothy “Dottie” Johnson is a City Commissioner and Vice-Mayor of the City of Opa-Locka in Miami-Dade County.  She has served the City as Interim Mayor.  She hold officer positions in more than a dozen local and regional organizations to include the NAACP, Florida Federal Executive Board, and Education Subcommittee of the Governor’s Revitalization Council (Front Porch).  She has also received numerous awards for her work and leadership with the US Postal Service.  In April of 2000, she founded and serves as the President of the Portrait of Empowerment, Inc., a not-for-profit community-based organization.  She has sponsored and hosted Youth Crime Watch trainings with the goal of establishing community-based and faith-based sites in the Opa-locka area.

Minister George E. Ellis, Jr.
Miami’s River of Life

Minister George E. Ellis, Jr. is Founder/President & CEO of Miami’s River of Life, Inc., a faith-based community organization providing services to youth and families since 1993. He has over 25 years of involvement in youth, civic, and social issues in Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida.  He is a member and officer of numerous professional sector, juvenile justice, and faith organizations.   

Youth Members (ages 18 to 23)

Elienne Anoriscat is a Junior at Florida Atlantic University majoring in a Pre-Law curriculum.   She had the highest possible academic record at Boyd-Anderson High School and was the Student Government President there.  She is a Member of the Black Student Union at FAU.  She is on the Board of her church, the Holy Temple Holiness Church pastored by Reverend Thomas E. Douglas, and is Vice-President for Awareness and Community Outreach.

Charmain Ervin is a Freshman at Florida Junior Community College.  She graduated from A. Philip Randolph High School in Jacksonville.  She has strong interests in architectural drafting, construction, and engineering and has won awards in these fields.  She was a Member of the Youth in Action Program, of which Youth Crime Watch is a part, of the Northeast Florida Community Action Agency in Duval County, an organization which is one of the strongest and most loyal affiliates of Youth Crime Watch of Florida, and was mentored by Gerrie Ford, one of Youth Crime Watch’s most prominent site advisors.

Marquiese Mervin is a Junior at Jacksonville University where his work is directed toward his career goals of computer graphics, computer illustration, and computer animation.  He graduated early from high school in Jacksonville, having participated in the International Baccalaureate Program there and taken all Advanced Placement courses.  He was also a member of the Northeast Florida Community Action Agency Youth in Action program, where he was mentored by Gerrie Ford.  In 2004, he was the student voice when Youth Crime Watch of Florida delivered three PSAs on the Florida Radio Network, PSAs that reached three million listeners around the state.

Jordan St. Clair is a college student in Tampa.  He graduated from high school in Brandon, Florida, where he was a major leader in his Youth Crime Watch and also a prominent leader in Law Enforcement Explorers there. He is a Community Service Officer for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Advisory Board