Board of Directors

Dr. William E. L. Syms is a collaborative community educator, equity advocate, and transformational leader with more than two decades of experience advancing educational access, student success, and social justice. He currently serves as Vice President of Student Services, Equity Initiatives, and Enrollment Management at West Los Angeles College, where he leads college-wide strategies to close equity gaps, increase completion and transfer rates, and expand access to higher education for disproportionately impacted students across Los Angeles County. Dr. Syms has dedicated his career to developing cohort-based educational pathways that shorten time to completion, reduce cost for students, and increase rates of degree and transfer. At Pasadena City College, he led the development of noncredit pathways that expanded workforce opportunities. He designed K–12 partnerships at the Northwest campus with Pasadena Unified School District, including a dual enrollment middle college program. At Sierra College, he led teams that developed the Umoja Village Pathway, Community, and other cohort programs in an intentional and community-centered model that improved student persistence and retention through culturally relevant practices. Now at West Los Angeles College, Dr. Syms is advancing this work across the institution by developing aligned pathways through Umoja, Puente, and an emerging HBCU pathway to the bachelor’s degree, ensuring that students have affordable, coherent, and supportive options from entry to completion. His leadership has established innovative student support hubs, including Veterans, Basic Needs, and Pride Centers, and expanded high-impact initiatives such as the Native American Student Success and Rising Scholars programs. He has secured millions in grant and categorical funding to sustain and grow services for foster youth, student parents, LGBTQ+ students, and students with diverse abilities. Dr. Syms’ career includes executive roles at Sierra College and Pasadena City College, where he successfully increased retention and persistence for underrepresented students, expanded dual enrollment opportunities, and oversaw significant programmatic growth in TRIO, noncredit, and workforce education. His professional background also includes national leadership within Amnesty International USA, the NAACP, the United States House of Representatives, and the City of Pasadena, work that sharpened his skills in policy advocacy, community organizing, and coalition building. Outside of work Dr. Syms serves as Director of Education for Eta Pi Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Dr. Syms channels this expertise into developing and overseeing educational initiatives that align with Alpha Phi Alpha’s mission of Scholarship, and Love for All Mankind while providing service and advocacy. His approach integrates mentorship, college readiness, scholarship support, and leadership training to cultivate the next generation of scholars and servant-leaders. Dr. Syms holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University, a master’s in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, and a doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California. Husband to Shauna and father to August and Ellington, he remains deeply connected to his community through service on multiple nonprofit boards, civic organizations, and educational partnerships. His leadership philosophy is rooted in action, empathy, and equity-minded theory. He ensures that every program he leads reflects the fraternity’s values, uplifts the community, and builds pathways for sustained academic and personal success.

Javier Gil is a Mexican American first-generation college graduate from Baldwin Park, CA. Javier graduated from Citrus College in 2014 with an Associate of Arts degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Cal Poly Pomona in 2017. He started his journey with Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development in 2016 as a Program Coordinator, then served as Managing Director of the program from 2017-2019. Javier has a passion for assisting students in meeting their full potential and helping them grow academically, personally, and professionally. In his free time, Javier enjoys outings with family, cooking, and playing music alongside friends.

In April 2002, Tecumseh Shackelford co-founded Mentoring & Partnership for Youth Development (MPYD). Its mission is to provide academic achievement, social skills development, family relations enhancement, and future educational and employment resource referrals. MPYD seeks to better the lives of high school male students within the Pasadena/Altadena area. By providing mentorship and support, MPYD positions the youth to better themselves by applying transferable lessons and skills in their academic and personal lives to become better men. MPYD operates on the campus of John Muir High School in Pasadena California and is one of the only organizations that offer one-on-one mentoring to youth, which has been proven to be a juvenile delinquency prevention strategy. Under Shackelford’s leadership, the program has served over 3,500 young men since the program’s inception. His goal is to expand the student’s idea of what is possible for their futures and prepare them for lives of economic self-sufficiency. Mr. Shackelford served as a member of the Altadena Town Council. He was the recipient of the 2005 Altadena Citizen of the Year award. In 2006, he received the Pasadena Neighborhood Housing Service Agent of Change award. In 2007, he was Community Grand Marshall of the Pasadena Black History Parade. Mr. Shackelford was also honored by the Archdiocesan Youth Employment Services with the 2011 Mentor-of-the-Year award. In 2012, he received the Altadena NAACP Freedom Fund Award. In 2013, he received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Spirit of the Dream Award by Los Angeles County Fifth District

Darrion is a native of the Pasadena area and John Muir Alumni. After graduating high school, Darrion went on to obtain his Bachelor of Science in Finance and pursued a career in Finance ultimately landing within the entertainment industry. He has over 15 years of experience in the industry including tenures at 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, and Endeavor Content. Darrion is currently the Vice President of Finance at William Morris Endeavor (WME) talent agency in Beverly Hills. He resides in West LA where he enjoys the close proximity to the beach, in addition to his passion for travel, sports and all things outdoors.

Jose Grande is an MPYD Alumni who benefited greatly from the Lincoln Crossing job opportunities he had during his high school days at John Muir High School. He graduated from John Muir in 2010, with the help of MPYD and his mentor, Tecumseh Shackelford. In 2010, Jose was admitted to the University of California, Berkeley. He majored in American Studies in Health Disparities. During his freshman and sophomore years he worked in the Ryan Laboratory and worked in the field of microbiology. During 2012-2013, he was appointed Internal Affairs Chair for the Hermanos Unidos support organization at UC Berkeley for underrepresented males. He was also an ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor, helping students who were not primary English speakers or who had difficulties with homework and the English language. He also assisted in and facilitated parent and teacher conferences for those parents who did not speak English and needed a translator. Tyler Paul Gilmore is an accomplished business leader with more than 15 years of experience driving revenue growth, building strategic partnerships, and leading high-performing sales and account management teams across some of the world's most recognized organizations. His career has been defined by a consistent ability to develop innovative business strategies, strengthen client relationships, and deliver measurable results in complex and competitive markets. Throughout his professional journey, Tyler has held leadership roles with Uber, Amazon, American Express, and UPS, where he managed multimillion-dollar portfolios, led enterprise-level initiatives, and helped organizations achieve significant growth through strategic planning, digital transformation, and consultative sales solutions. His expertise spans business development, revenue optimization, enterprise account management, market analysis, and large-scale negotiations. Recognized for his collaborative leadership style and analytical approach to problem-solving, Tyler has successfully guided cross-functional teams, cultivated executive-level partnerships, and implemented solutions that create long-term value for both organizations and their customers. His work has consistently resulted in revenue growth, increased customer retention, and expanded business opportunities across diverse industries.

Tyler holds a Master of Arts in Communication Management from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge. He is also pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Louisiana State University Shreveport. Passionate about mentorship, leadership development, and community impact, Tyler is committed to using his professional expertise to help organizations grow, empower future generations, and create meaningful opportunities for success.

Johnie Driver resides in Altadena and is currently retired from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he worked for 33 years as a Mission Analysis Engineer for space shuttle mission development and spacecraft missions to planets, asteroids, and comets. He earned a M.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. He is active in his local church as a Deacon, and tutor for the church tutorial program. He has served as Co-Chair for the committee to select the Principle for John Muir High School and currently serves as the Auditorfor Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development.

Clevaughn Wynter is an accomplished engineer and proud alumnus of John Muir High School who is deeply committed to giving back to the community that helped shape his success. After graduating from John Muir in 2009, he continued his education at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) and built a diverse professional career spanning the engineering, construction, medical, film, and television industries. Throughout his career, Clevaughn has worked with several respected organizations, including DreamWorks Animation, L.A. Care Health Plan, and M.A.R.S. His dedication and achievements have earned him special recognition from former California State Senator Isadore Hall III for his professional and community contributions. As a former participant of Mentoring & Partnership for Youth Development (MPYD), Clevaughn understands firsthand the transformative impact that mentorship and youth development programs can have on young people. His personal experience gives him a unique perspective and strong passion for supporting MPYD's mission to empower and inspire future generations. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Clevaughn is dedicated to community service through volunteer work, teaching, and mentoring. He remains committed to creating positive opportunities for others and helping young people reach their full potential.