Dr. Justin Altschuler, Medical Director
DYF’s diabetes education and care is led by our Medical Director, Dr. Justin Altschuler. Dr. Justin’s life has been shaped by Bearskin Meadow Camp since he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 9. He attended Bearskin as a camper, counselor, program coordinator and medical staff for over 20 years. In 2002 he met his wife (Dr. Sarah) at camp and they now attend every summer with their kids Lukas and Aliza.
Dr. Justin is excited about continuing the “Bearskin Magic,” and leading DYF’s year-round programs. Dr. Justin is passionate about the sense of community and belonging DYF creates for those affected by type 1 diabetes.
Marcela Arregui Reyes, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Programs
Marcela Arregui Reyes is a highly accomplished bilingual professional with a wealth of experience in health services research, education, project management, and program development. Her career spans over three decades, during which she has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a commitment to improving public health, social services, education, and service quality. Marcela is passionate about securing strategic roles that allow her to design and implement impactful programs on both national and international levels.
A proud member of the DYF community since 1994, Marcela has been deeply involved in initiatives that empower young people and foster community development. Her longstanding connection to DYF reflects her dedication to youth empowerment and her belief in the transformative power of education and mentorship.
Contact Marcela at arreguireyes@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 116
Stephanie Beinke, Operations Manager
Stephanie joined DYF in January 2019. She graduated from California State University, Chico with a degree in Recreation Administration and spent the first 10 years of her career in the hospitality industry. Stephanie is excited to move into nonprofit organization and support her community with the power of recreation and education.
In her free time, Stephanie enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
Contact Stephanie at beinke@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 105
Marissa Clarke-Howard, Director of Development and Communications
Marissa joined DYF in April of 2018. After graduating from SFSU with a degree in theater, Marissa spent the first 8 years of her career in the child development field as a teacher and administrator. In 2016, she moved into the nonprofit sector as a member of the development team for the American University of Armenia. Marissa loves working with the DYF community and donors to serve a mission that so closely aligns with her child development values. The highlight of her first season with DYF was participating in Family Camp, where she got to know DYF’s families personally and share with them a part of their T1D journey.
While not at work, you are likely to find Marissa performing in local theater, learning about regenerative agriculture, or perusing a local farmers market. She loves to cook, hike, and spend time with her family.
Contact Marissa at clarke-howard@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 107
Samantha Gomez, MPH,CHES(R), Camp Director
Sam has spent 11 summers under the Sierra stars. Her first program with DYF dates back to 2006, where she began attending camp at the age of 13, first as a kid’s camper, teen camper, LIT, and eventually as a counselor, then volunteer. Camp holds many firsts for Sam, such as meeting other people with diabetes for the very first time, trying new set/CGM locations, and meeting one of her good friends that ultimately introduced her to Dogs 4 Diabetics, where Sam has been paired with her diabetes alert dog, Megumi.
Prior to joining DYF, Sam earned her Master of Public Health degree from California State University, Fresno, with an emphasis in Health Promotion. Additionally, she holds her Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) certification through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC). In her previous role, Sam worked as a project manager within a Health System, where she tackled Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) research and systemwide Community Benefit operations.
During downtime, Sam can be found hanging out with family, friends, or in the kitchen cooking up new recipes. Sam is looking forward to reconnecting with her purpose to serve and support the diabetes community.
Contact Sam at gomez@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 101
Colleen Haupt, Development Projects Consultant
Colleen Riley Haupt, a previous DYF Board Member, has vast experience in the non-profit sector and close personal ties to Type 1 Diabetes. She was the founder and Executive Director of another diabetes organization whose mission was to benefit under- and uninsured persons affected by Type 1 Diabetes. Colleen took her personal experience with diabetes, and her passion to help people, to drive the development of the non-profit, ABCD. Colleen has a niece and two grandchildren managing type 1 diabetes. She saw first-hand the challenges faced by many families who go through financial hardships and having to find ways to get the needed supplies to keep their children healthy during these challenging times. Through successful fundraising efforts over many years, Colleen has also provided much needed funds to DYF in support of the camp scholarship program. Colleen has a long professional history working as an Executive in the high-tech industry for a variety of companies including Hewlett-Packard. In that role she spent time living abroad in Amsterdam and worked extensively in Latin American countries as their Regional IT Manager. In later years, Colleen launched her own Program and Project Management firm, GSD Consulting, working with the public sector in and around the Greater Bay Area. Colleen is very committed to the mission and vision of the DYF organization.
Contact Colleen at haupt@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 115
Lauren Kimbrough, Marketing and Branding Manager
Lauren joined DYF in September 2021. She graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising, worked in agencies on large marketing campaigns and consulted for startups. After that, she realized that her passion was doing non-profit work because it allows her to do fulfilling work and make a difference.
Growing up in Chicago, Lauren spent a lot of time outdoors around the Midwest where she fished, canoed, hiked and went horseback riding. She also spent time volunteering at soup kitchens and shelters around the city. In her free time she enjoys traveling to new places, trying new recipes, and cuddling with her dogs.
Contact Lauren at kimbrough@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 109
Janet Kramschuster, Executive Director
Janet brings over 25 years of leadership experience in mission-driven organizations, with a focus on operations, finance, and strategic planning. She first joined the DYF community in 2003 as Camp Director at Bearskin Meadow Camp and later served as Executive Director until 2020. During her tenure, she expanded access to DYF’s programs, strengthened community partnerships, and led key organizational initiatives to support children, teens, and families affected by type 1 diabetes.
Most recently, Janet served as Vice President of Finance and People at Tidepool, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating open-source software to help people with diabetes and their care teams. In that role, she oversaw financial strategy, organizational development, and HR operations, helping the organization scale its impact while fostering a collaborative, mission-aligned culture.
Outside of work, Janet is a middle-of-the-pack triathlete, enjoys being active outdoors, and values time with her husband and two teenage children. Janet has had T1D for 38 years and counting. She is thrilled to return to DYF and help advance its mission to support and empower the type 1 diabetes community through exceptional programs.
Contact Janet at kramschuster@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 103
Shanti Peterson, Donor & Corporate Relations Manager
Shanti started her career in the nonprofit sector in 2015. She has had the privilege of working for organizations with powerful missions. Now, Shanti is eager to play her part in contributing to the success of DYF’s mission. She looks forward to creating a meaningful influence in the lives of the children and families DYF serves.
In her spare time, you can catch her playing superheroes with her son, checking out the local outdoor dining scene with her two dogs, discovering new recipes, and soaking up the sun.
Contact Shanti at peterson@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 104
Julia Philips, Assistant Director of Camps & Community Programs
Shortly after graduating from Cal State East Bay with a Bachelor degree in Hospitality and Tourism Julia began working at a large urban hotel where she now holds a supervisor position. She is also currently attending a graduate program to obtain her Masters in School Counseling.
Following ten years as a Bearskin counselor, group coordinator and year-round programs/events support person she is excited about her new role at DYF as Community Programs Coordinator. Julia began attending camp at the age of three, first as a family camper, then as a kids camper, followed by participation in the teen program, and then as a LIT. Camp was the place for so many diabetic firsts, including finger pokes, shots, and finding new set locations. All of this diabetes growth and knowledge was only possible due to the encouragement and support of DYF staff. So, coming on board as part of the DYF year-round team is a dream come true for Julia.
In Julia’s free time, she enjoys hanging out with family, friends, and her new puppy, Moira Rose.
Contact Julia at philips@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 106
Erandy Ramirez, Latinx Community Engagement Liaison
My name is Erandy, also known as Andy, and I was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 2. I am a mom to a 5-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. I have been attending DYF programs since the age of 10 and working in the nonprofit sector since the age of 18. During my free time I like going on walks with my kids and, as a reward, we always stop for ice cream at the end!
Contact Erandy at programas@dyf.org or (925) 412-4423
James Walker, Facilities Manager
James earned his North Carolina Unlimited Plumbing License in 1982. He worked with a large plumbing company in Durham, NC until 1986 when he accepted a Maintenance Supervisors position with Duke University Medical Center. In 1996 James left Duke for a Maintenance Director position with Beverly Health Care in Brandon, FL. He started Walker’s Plumbing Service in 1999. In 2006 he sold WPS to start up a renewable energy company Integro Earth Fuels in Asheville, NC. At Integro they built the world’s first wood torrefaction pilot plant. James ran the pilot plant for 14 months, then moved into facilities development where he took the processes developed in the pilot plant and worked with engineers to develop a functional production facility. During the development of the production facility James designed, constructed and managed Integro’s research lab. Once construction started on the Integro production facility he moved into the Project Management and Safety Manager rolls. Due to changing regulations and markets for torrefaction James decided to leave Integro to become a member of the DYF family.
James has been an active student of the Martials Arts of Shito Ryu Karate and Hakka Ryu Jujitsu since 1992. In 2013 he helped develop a self-protection class for kids in Greenville, SC.
Contact James at walker@dyf.org or 559-335-2403
Whitney Wright, Program Director
Whitney fell in love with Bearskin Meadow during her first summer there in 2016. After graduating with a degree in Environmental Sciences, Whitney was led to teach environmental and experiential education and guide wilderness trips in the backcountry for several years. She has run trips in many beautiful places in Washington, Arizona, Pennsylvania and all over California. Every summer she would come back to the warm embrace of Bearskin Meadow and its community. She served as the LIT coordinator for several years and led the short backpacking trips as well. In 2021 Whitney got to help launch the new Adventure Programs and was so excited to help DYF grow in this way. Moving into full time work with DYF as the Program Director has been a dream come true to Whitney and she is excited to serve the community in a deeper way.
Contact Whitney at wright@dyf.org or 925-680-4994 ext. 108