Tim Svoboda
President
YWAM San Francisco Bay Area Coordinator

Timothy Svoboda is currently the International Urban missions Director for Youth With A Mission and also serves as the City Coordinator for YWAM San Francisco and the Bay Area. Tim, his wife and children have served in India from 1983 to 2007. Tim was the National Director for YWAM India, the South Asia Urban Ministry Coordinator and the Chennai City Coordinator. YWAM Chennai has developed into a decentralized movement of 17 focused teams that are living incarnationally and reaching out to leprosy patients, slum dwellers, university students, urban middle class people, Muslims, and into other sectors of society. Tim also was one of the founders for Chennai Transformation Network which is a movement that unites the Christians of the city for transformational ministry. Tim and Karol currently live in San Francisco giving leadership to the ministry of YWAM there and around the world in cities. Tim has also served on the Global Leadership Team for YWAM international and locally Tim has served on several San Francisco faith initiatives. Tim earned his Doctorate in Ministry from the Bakke Graduate University in 2007 and is an adjunct professor for BGU for their courses in India.

John Briggs
Chair of the Board
COO at Mission Builders International

John and Donna Briggs enjoy helping others discover the joy of knowing God and making Him known. With degrees in Education and Resource Conservation from the University of Montana, John and  Donna used their skills and callings to assist small organizations in realizing their very big dreams. Along the way, business opportunities added to their experience and management skills and led them to join Youth With A Mission of Montana in 1984. For the next 15 years, John and Donna served in a variety of roles necessary to develop a new ministry including the areas of communication and business administration. In 2000, John and Donna were literally called out of YWAM Montana and into Mission Builders International.  They have worked to build a team of volunteers who share a desire to know the Lord Jesus and serve Him wherever he leads. John and Donna are available to serve conferences and churches as they challenge and provide immediate placement for those interested in exploring ministry opportunities in the U.S., Canada, and 29 other nations. Their goal is to assist short-term volunteers to come alongside long-term missionaries in over 1,200 operating locations in more than 186 nations.

Kirsten Markley
Inspirational senior leader with the ability to develop complex strategies and motivate cross-functional teams to endorse, adopt and execute on the vision. Passionate about increasing customer and business value through innovation and optimization. High degree of learning agility and business acumen.

I love the challenges that come with a career in consulting: discovering ways to improve and add value to different organizations, developing relationships with new people and helping ideas become reality - all driven by the opportunity to create more value for the customer.

I enjoy working in innovative, creative environments I am energized by cross-functional teamwork. I love the city I live in and I highly value the opportunity I have to serve and work in this community.

Jason Martinez
Board Secretary
YWAM San Francisco Finance Director

Jason did his Discipleship Training School in San Francisco in 2005. He and Justine got married in 2008 after meeting her when she did her Discipleship Training School in San Francisco. Jason has served in most of the departments of the base and is presently the base operations manager. In this position Jason coordinates those who oversee the office, communications, kitchen, maintenance, hospitality and finances. Jason and Justine have 3 children. Jason loves sports, is a Dodger and Lakers fan, is a bicyclist and an avid story teller. 

Gordy McDonald
YWAM Montana Leadership Development

Gordy and his wife, Renee, began their ministry as youth pastors shortly after being married in 1973. In 1979 they joined Youth With A Mission in Kona, Hawaii and have served in the training and equipping of missionaries in both Hawaii and Montana. In 1985 the McDonalds moved to Lakeside to direct the training programs of YWAM Montana and in 1989 they assumed the overall leadership of the ministry until November of 2002. Gordy served as the Northwest Director for Youth With A Mission having responsibilities for the other YWAM works in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Alaska and Wyoming. In June of 2004 Gordy was invited to join the staff of Evergreen Community Church in Bothell Washington and served there until June of 2007. Later that year the McDonalds rejoined YWAM and are now serving in Montana and at large in the area of leadership development. Gordy has also recently completed a Masters degree in Leadership. The McDonalds have two children, a married son Cory, age 33 and a married daughter Krista, age 29.

Craig McClurg
Mission Adventures Studio: YWAM San Diego/Baja

Craig did Discipleship Training School at Youth With A Mission in Los Angeles in 1992. There he met and married Kay Charlotte. Together they developed a summer short-term outreach training program in partnership with YWAM

Tijuana. As the program grew, it attracted the interest of other YWAM centers. In 1996, Craig and Kay Charlotte moved to San Diego to join the staff of YWAM San Diego/Baja and to multiply the program. Since then, the Mission Adventures Network has grown to include dozens of YWAM centers on every continent, (with the exception of Antarctica!) Craig and Kay Charlotte also regularly teach courses in YWAM’s global University of the Nations on Identity in Christ; Relationships; Redemption, Sin, and the Cross; Spiritual Warfare; and Outreach Preparation. The McClurg’s live in Chula Vista, California and have two adult children.

Shani Mahany
Chair of the Audit Committee

Shani Mahany is currently the Director of Finance for Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. She has served in the past with Pimentel Solutions directing their forensic accounting projects, with A2Q2 as a Managing Director guiding their financial projects, with Huron Consulting Group as the Director of Financial Consulting, Macromedia Inc as a Finance Manager and Arthur Andersen as an Experienced Senior.

She has her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a minor in psychology. She is a Certified Public Accounting (California), Certified Fraud Examiner, and Certified in Financial Forensics.

Shani is married to Jason Sauvie and they have three children Shayla, Ashlyn, and Zachary. Shani loves being with people and providing strategic direction to projects.

Gabrielle Alzate
Executive Director of Because Justice Matters

Gabby Alzate is currently the Executive Director of Because Justice Matters (BJM) a ministry of YWAM San Francisco Bay Area. She is passionate about empowering women and girls and creating spaces for families to thrive in the inner city. Quickly after joining the team in 2010, she launched BJM's youth ministry serving girls in the Tenderloin District and piloted BJM’s Leadership Development Intensive, a 3-month leadership school for women in ministry.

Having lived in San Francisco for more than a decade, Gabby sees and believes that cities are close to God’s heart. Urban communities influence the world by developing culture and innovating fresh ways of being. Newness is birthed in cities, often by women and girls—who are today’s influencers and tomorrow’s leaders.

Gabby is a strategic and visionary leader, and a tireless advocate for women and girls in San Francisco. She is a dynamic speaker, mentor, and coach bringing energy and new ideas to communities, teams, and individuals.

She studied psychology in undergrad and has a Master of Arts in Christian Community Development. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Ministry with a focus in CCD at Northern Seminary, which she puts into practice every day as Executive Director of Because Justice Matters.

She and her husband, Mateo, along with their Maltipoo pup Luna, are committed to being rooted in the Tenderloin as a family and believe God is building and restoring thriving families in San Francisco.