Alysyn Thibault

Executive Director

Alysyn served as a youth member for six years from 1998 to 2004.  In that time, she served as Bar President and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors.  She later worked for AYC as a part-time front desk associate before going on to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and her Master of Arts in Teaching.  Upon receiving her Master’s, she went on to work in the Anchorage School District as an English teacher for 11 years, working at Clark Middle School, Bartlett High School, and Eagle River High School.  Alysyn found a passion for supporting young people and working with them to excel both in and out of school through her time as an educator.

​When not supporting youth in our community, she enjoys reading, yoga, running (lots of running), and spending time with her family and two dogs.  She’s a devoted fan of the Backstreet Boys, breakfast tacos, and purple pens

Jessica Hetzel

Legal Advisor

Jessica grew up in Killeen, Texas. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2014, and worked as a College Mentor for high school students throughout her undergraduate studies. She eventually attended and graduated in 2021 from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, where she interned for many nonprofit and public interest organizations, such as: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Tualatin Riverkeepers, and the Federal District Court. She also served on the board of the student-run nonprofit Public Interest Law Project (PILP) for three years, helping to raise funds for students doing unpaid public interest work. After graduating from Lewis & Clark, she worked as a Law Clerk in the Native Law unit at Alaska Legal Services before joining us at AYC. 

​Jessica is a strong proponent of restorative justice and strongly believes that each person is so much more than the worst thing they may have ever done. She enjoys attending the many community events in Anchorage and thrifting, hiking, and trying new restaurants and foods. 

Kali Spencer

Peer Navigator 

​Kali Spencer grew up in Eagle River Alaska and attended college in Juneau at the University of Alaska Southeast. At UAS she received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with emphases in Political Science, Psychology, and Philosophy. Kali has been involved with student leadership groups her entire life having served as the Alaska Association of Student Governments President, ASD Student School Board Representative, UAS Student Body President, and was appointed Student Regent from 2021-23 by Governor Dunleavy. She hopes to one day attend law school.

Outside of supporting restorative justice initiatives Kali enjoys singing, reading, cross-stitch and searching for antiques.

Kayla Reynolds

Bookkeeping and Payroll Coordinator

Kayla was born and raised in Southern Oregon where she was a peer mediator in middle school and high school. After high school, she moved to California and managed the front-of-house at a World War II-themed brewery; she is a bit of a history nerd! Kayla currently lives in Henderson, Nevada with her fiancé and 14-month-old daughter where she works remotely for AYC. In the three years that she has worked for AYC, she has assisted with grant-writing, fundraising, social media management, and now she coordinates bookkeeping and payroll. 
 
Kayla has always been a passionate supporter of both restorative justice and youth-led initiatives. She has a collection of over 100 houseplants and 1 cat, Ginkgo. Her hobbies include botanical illustration, gardening, foraging, hiking, sailing, reading, cooking, and researching.

Zoraleda Mendel

Volunteer Coordinator

Zoraleda was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and was previously an AYC member. She is currently a junior at the University of Alaska Anchorage where she is majoring in Pre-law and Spanish. After college, Zoraleda plans to continue on to law school to eventually become an immigration lawyer. Zoraleda enjoys working with youth of all ages, here at AYC and also at Early Learning for Everyone as a preschool teacher and admin assistant. If Zoraleda is not at work she is probably hiking, reading romance novels, or roller skating. ​

Mateo Jaime

Case Coordinator

Mateo is a current foster youth, and student at UAA studying cello performance and legal studies. His history with AYC started when he was a defendant and became a member in 2019. He has been involved in foster care advocacy for 3 years, and is a member of the FFCA legal committee.