Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County Mentoring Programs
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 creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers, called “Bigs,” and children, called “Littles.” Matches can take part in fun and meaningful activities together, including sports through the Sports Bigs program. The organization also holds events such as the Casino Royale Poker Tournament and the Golf Marathon at Singing Hills Golf Club at Sycuan.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County Mentoring Programs operates within a national network that has existed for more than 120 years, with 60 of those years locally. The mission of the program is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters is described as the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, and every local agency is an independent nonprofit organization with its own audited financial statement. Anyone who is 18 or older and lives in San Diego County can apply to be a mentor.
Operation Bigs is a part of the mentoring programs that provides mentors to children of military families, including active duty, veteran, and Gold Star families, and supports families facing frequent relocation, school transitions, separation from extended family, increased responsibility when a parent deploys, and physical and psychological stress when parents return from war. Sports Bigs is another part of the program that unites Bigs and Littles through sports to lay the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle.
The leadership team includes Tina Rose as Chief Executive Officer; Claudia Aldana Robles as Vice President of Programs; Talia Capozzi as Vice President of Advancement & Growth; Miguel Vasquez as Vice President of Finance & Operations; Mae Briseño as Senior Program Manager of Match Support & Special Initiatives; and Mariela Nuza Cohen as Senior Program Manager of Enrollment. Additional team members include Christopher Santos as Partnerships & Outreach Manager; Margie Freeman as Development Coordinator; Marie Thorsted as Bookkeeper; Hanna Hogan as Executive Operations Lead; Alisa Alcantar as Senior Event Specialist; Benjamin Fortney as Marketing & Outreach Lead; Sara Beth Cooper as Project Coordinator; Yiase Brunette as Senior Match Support Specialist; Madelaine Hernandez-Levin and Nicolette Minaird as Enrollment & Matching Specialists; Kim Pham as Operation Bigs Coordinator; and Carmina Mireles, Desiree Nash, Cynthia Salgado Velazquez, Melissa Serrano, Lauren Pressley, and Natalie Cunningham in various match support and Sports Bigs roles. Staff credentials include degrees from institutions such as Vanguard University, the University of California, Berkeley, Pepperdine University, UCLA, the University of San Diego, Boston University, and San Diego State 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 described as having a decades-long partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, and Partnerships & Outreach Manager Christopher Santos spearheads volunteer recruitment and fosters partnerships in the community.
Testimonials describe experiences from Bigs, Littles, families, and community partners. Big Sister Julie shares that since becoming a Big, she now sees the world through a different lens and has met other Bigs. Little Brother Jared says he connected well with his Big Brother Conor from the beginning, feels able to 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 describes being matched with a Little Sister for a year as a fun experience for both of them and mentions being a role model, go-to person, and someone to do activities with. The Jack in the Box Foundation, through Director Casey Birkdale, states that through its decades-long partnership it has seen the impact that one person and one relationship can have on a child’s mental health and personal trajectory and notes pride in investing in Bigs and Littles. The Yousko Family states 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 the organization supports young people by providing a mentor and helping them develop into adults.
Last updated July 8, 2026.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County Mentoring Programs operates within a national network that has existed for more than 120 years, with 60 of those years locally. The mission of the program is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters is described as the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, and every local agency is an independent nonprofit organization with its own audited financial statement. Anyone who is 18 or older and lives in San Diego County can apply to be a mentor.
Operation Bigs is a part of the mentoring programs that provides mentors to children of military families, including active duty, veteran, and Gold Star families, and supports families facing frequent relocation, school transitions, separation from extended family, increased responsibility when a parent deploys, and physical and psychological stress when parents return from war. Sports Bigs is another part of the program that unites Bigs and Littles through sports to lay the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle.
The leadership team includes Tina Rose as Chief Executive Officer; Claudia Aldana Robles as Vice President of Programs; Talia Capozzi as Vice President of Advancement & Growth; Miguel Vasquez as Vice President of Finance & Operations; Mae Briseño as Senior Program Manager of Match Support & Special Initiatives; and Mariela Nuza Cohen as Senior Program Manager of Enrollment. Additional team members include Christopher Santos as Partnerships & Outreach Manager; Margie Freeman as Development Coordinator; Marie Thorsted as Bookkeeper; Hanna Hogan as Executive Operations Lead; Alisa Alcantar as Senior Event Specialist; Benjamin Fortney as Marketing & Outreach Lead; Sara Beth Cooper as Project Coordinator; Yiase Brunette as Senior Match Support Specialist; Madelaine Hernandez-Levin and Nicolette Minaird as Enrollment & Matching Specialists; Kim Pham as Operation Bigs Coordinator; and Carmina Mireles, Desiree Nash, Cynthia Salgado Velazquez, Melissa Serrano, Lauren Pressley, and Natalie Cunningham in various match support and Sports Bigs roles. Staff credentials include degrees from institutions such as Vanguard University, the University of California, Berkeley, Pepperdine University, UCLA, the University of San Diego, Boston University, and San Diego State 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 described as having a decades-long partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, and Partnerships & Outreach Manager Christopher Santos spearheads volunteer recruitment and fosters partnerships in the community.
Testimonials describe experiences from Bigs, Littles, families, and community partners. Big Sister Julie shares that since becoming a Big, she now sees the world through a different lens and has met other Bigs. Little Brother Jared says he connected well with his Big Brother Conor from the beginning, feels able to 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 describes being matched with a Little Sister for a year as a fun experience for both of them and mentions being a role model, go-to person, and someone to do activities with. The Jack in the Box Foundation, through Director Casey Birkdale, states that through its decades-long partnership it has seen the impact that one person and one relationship can have on a child’s mental health and personal trajectory and notes pride in investing in Bigs and Littles. The Yousko Family states 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 the organization supports young people by providing a mentor and helping them develop into adults.
Last updated July 8, 2026.
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