Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County Mentoring Programs (including Operation Bigs and Sports Bigs)
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, 4305 University Ave, Suite 590, San Diego, CA 92105
About
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County Mentoring Programs, including Operation Bigs and Sports Bigs, focus on one-to-one mentoring between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”) through a variety of activities. The programs include activities that ignite the power and promise of San Diego’s youth, and Sports Bigs brings Bigs and Littles together through sports and a variety of activities to lay the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle. Operation Bigs provides mentors to children of military families, including active duty, veteran, and Gold Star families.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County’s mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters is the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, and every local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency is an independent nonprofit organization with its own audited financial statement. Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers and children in communities across the country, and anyone who is 18 or older and lives in San Diego County can apply to be a mentor.
Operation Bigs supports military families facing frequent relocation, school transitions, separation from extended family, increased responsibility and a sense of loss when a parent deploys, and the physical and psychological stress when parents return from war. Sports Bigs unites Bigs and Littles through sports and a variety of activities to support a healthy, active lifestyle. Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County describes its staff as a compassionate and dedicated group of individuals, willing to do whatever it takes to help change children’s lives for the better.
The organization has operated for more than 120 years nationally and 60 years locally. The leadership team includes Tina Rose, Chief Executive Officer; Claudia Aldana Robles, Program Director; Renee Patey, Director of Finance & Operations; Katie Jensen, Director of Innovation & Growth (also noted as Director of Philanthropy); Talia Capozzi, Director of Philanthropy; Mae Briseño, Senior Program Manager of Match Support & Special Initiatives; Mariela Nuza Cohen, Senior Program Manager of Enrollment; Christopher Santos, Partnerships & Outreach Manager; Margie Freeman, Development Coordinator; Marie Thorsted, Bookkeeper; Hanna Hogan, Marketing & Strategic Initiatives Coordinator; Alisa Alcantar, Senior Event Specialist; Sara Beth Cooper, Project Coordinator; Yiase Brunette, Senior Match Support Specialist; Madelaine Hernandez-Levin, Enrollment & Matching Specialist; Kim Pham, Operation Bigs Coordinator; and Nicolette Minaird, Enrollment & Matching Specialist. Tina Rose graduated summa cum laude from Vanguard University and was a scholar athlete who played four years of collegiate volleyball. Claudia Aldana Robles holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. Renee holds a B.A. from the University of Georgia and an M.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University. Katie holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. Talia holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a B.A. from UCLA. Mae holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University and a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies with concentrations in Cultural Anthropology and Religion from San Diego State University. Mariela holds a B.A. in International Business with an emphasis in Management and Spanish from San Diego State University. Chris holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and Operations and a minor in Africana Studies, along with an MBA from Binghamton University.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County partners with parents, guardians, volunteers, and others in the community, and has San Diego Community Partners. The Jack in the Box Foundation is noted as a partner, and there is a decades-long partnership between Jack in the Box Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County. Tina Rose works with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board and the greater community to build awareness of the need for more mentors and funding, and Chris spearheads volunteer recruitment and fosters partnerships in the community.
One Big Sister, Julie, shared that since becoming a Big, she now sees the world through a different lens, feels more appreciative of her own life, and has met other Bigs. A Little Brother, Jared, said he connected well with his Big Brother Conor from the beginning, can talk with him about everything happening in his life, and believes Conor has changed his life for the better and inspired him to stay in school until he gets a college degree and reach his goals as a student and scholar athlete. Former Big Maridel A. from National City said she was matched with a Little Sister for a year and described it as a fun experience for both of them, and that it was meaningful to be a role model, go-to person, or someone to do activities with to keep her Little away from the streets and teach important things in life. The Yousko Family stated that they continuously support Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County one-to-one mentoring programs because they believe the programs deliver results and that Big Brothers Big Sisters supports young people by providing a mentor and helping them develop into adults. Casey Birkdale, Director of the Jack in the Box Foundation, said that through the foundation’s decades-long partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, they have seen the impact that one person and one relationship can have on a child’s mental health and personal trajectory, and that Jack in the Box is proud to invest in Bigs and Littles who offer guidance, support, and friendship while strengthening the broader San Diego community.
Last updated April 9, 2026.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County’s mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters is the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, and every local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency is an independent nonprofit organization with its own audited financial statement. Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers and children in communities across the country, and anyone who is 18 or older and lives in San Diego County can apply to be a mentor.
Operation Bigs supports military families facing frequent relocation, school transitions, separation from extended family, increased responsibility and a sense of loss when a parent deploys, and the physical and psychological stress when parents return from war. Sports Bigs unites Bigs and Littles through sports and a variety of activities to support a healthy, active lifestyle. Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County describes its staff as a compassionate and dedicated group of individuals, willing to do whatever it takes to help change children’s lives for the better.
The organization has operated for more than 120 years nationally and 60 years locally. The leadership team includes Tina Rose, Chief Executive Officer; Claudia Aldana Robles, Program Director; Renee Patey, Director of Finance & Operations; Katie Jensen, Director of Innovation & Growth (also noted as Director of Philanthropy); Talia Capozzi, Director of Philanthropy; Mae Briseño, Senior Program Manager of Match Support & Special Initiatives; Mariela Nuza Cohen, Senior Program Manager of Enrollment; Christopher Santos, Partnerships & Outreach Manager; Margie Freeman, Development Coordinator; Marie Thorsted, Bookkeeper; Hanna Hogan, Marketing & Strategic Initiatives Coordinator; Alisa Alcantar, Senior Event Specialist; Sara Beth Cooper, Project Coordinator; Yiase Brunette, Senior Match Support Specialist; Madelaine Hernandez-Levin, Enrollment & Matching Specialist; Kim Pham, Operation Bigs Coordinator; and Nicolette Minaird, Enrollment & Matching Specialist. Tina Rose graduated summa cum laude from Vanguard University and was a scholar athlete who played four years of collegiate volleyball. Claudia Aldana Robles holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. Renee holds a B.A. from the University of Georgia and an M.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University. Katie holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. Talia holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a B.A. from UCLA. Mae holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University and a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies with concentrations in Cultural Anthropology and Religion from San Diego State University. Mariela holds a B.A. in International Business with an emphasis in Management and Spanish from San Diego State University. Chris holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and Operations and a minor in Africana Studies, along with an MBA from Binghamton University.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County partners with parents, guardians, volunteers, and others in the community, and has San Diego Community Partners. The Jack in the Box Foundation is noted as a partner, and there is a decades-long partnership between Jack in the Box Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County. Tina Rose works with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board and the greater community to build awareness of the need for more mentors and funding, and Chris spearheads volunteer recruitment and fosters partnerships in the community.
One Big Sister, Julie, shared that since becoming a Big, she now sees the world through a different lens, feels more appreciative of her own life, and has met other Bigs. A Little Brother, Jared, said he connected well with his Big Brother Conor from the beginning, can talk with him about everything happening in his life, and believes Conor has changed his life for the better and inspired him to stay in school until he gets a college degree and reach his goals as a student and scholar athlete. Former Big Maridel A. from National City said she was matched with a Little Sister for a year and described it as a fun experience for both of them, and that it was meaningful to be a role model, go-to person, or someone to do activities with to keep her Little away from the streets and teach important things in life. The Yousko Family stated that they continuously support Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County one-to-one mentoring programs because they believe the programs deliver results and that Big Brothers Big Sisters supports young people by providing a mentor and helping them develop into adults. Casey Birkdale, Director of the Jack in the Box Foundation, said that through the foundation’s decades-long partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, they have seen the impact that one person and one relationship can have on a child’s mental health and personal trajectory, and that Jack in the Box is proud to invest in Bigs and Littles who offer guidance, support, and friendship while strengthening the broader San Diego community.
Last updated April 9, 2026.
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