About Us

Mis­sion

We part­ner with com­mu­ni­ties to sup­port peo­ple of all ages to nav­i­gate life’s chal­lenges through per­son­al­ized pre­ven­tion, inter­ven­tion, treat­ment, and recovery.

Vision

Togeth­er We Thrive.

Our Work

Ken­neth Young Cen­ter is a 501(c)(3) not-for-prof­it fos­ter­ing health­i­er com­mu­ni­ties through: 

• Coun­sel­ing for adults, chil­dren, families
• Assess­ment, sta­bi­liza­tion, link­age for adults/​children in psy­chi­atric crisis
• Treat­ment, sup­port, and recov­ery ser­vices for those with seri­ous men­tal illness
• Ser­vice coor­di­na­tion and in-home ser­vices for old­er adults
• Sub­stance use pre­ven­tion and recovery
• Alco­hol, drug, and preg­nan­cy pre­ven­tion pro­grams for youth
• LGBTQ+ Cen­ter for youth and young adults
• Vol­un­teer opportunities

We are accred­it­ed by the Joint Com­mis­sion, a nation­al­ly respect­ed body with strin­gent stan­dards of excel­lence in healthcare.

Board of Directors

• Elizabeth Demaret, President, Carrier Services, Sedgwick
• Eileen Gillespie, Principal, Huron Consulting
• Jack Mauro, Sr. Director, Accounts Receivable, Credit and Accounts Payable, Packaging Corporation of America
• Mudita Rastogi, PhD, LMFT, CEO and Founder, Aspire Consulting and Therapy, PLLC
• Scott Saxe, President, Saxe Enterprises, LLC
• Elizabeth J Stigler, PhD, Director of Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging, American College of Chest Physicians
• Melissa Williams, PhD, Township Administrator, Township of Schaumburg

Exec­u­tive Lead­er­ship Team

• Maurice D. Ware, Chief Executive Officer
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Maurice D. Ware

Chief Executive Officer

Maurice brings over two decades of expe­ri­ence in non­prof­it and behav­ioral health lead­er­ship across Ohio, North Car­oli­na, and Michi­gan. His career is defined by trans­for­ma­tion­al lead­er­ship, oper­a­tional excel­lence, and deep com­mit­ment to access and equi­ty in behav­ioral healthcare.

Most recent­ly, Maurice served as the Chief Exec­u­tive Offi­cer of Oesterlen Ser­vices for Youth in Ohio, where he led a strate­gic turn­around that sta­bi­lized ser­vices, tran­si­tioned core pro­gram­ming, and pre­served the orga­ni­za­tion’s lega­cy through the cre­ation of a new grant­mak­ing foun­da­tion. He pre­vi­ous­ly served as Vice Pres­i­dent of Res­i­den­tial Ser­vices at The Buck­eye Ranch, lead­ing sys­tem-wide improve­ments that increased client sat­is­fac­tion, reduced staff turnover, and improved access to care. He holds a Master’s Degree in Coun­sel­ing Psy­chol­o­gy from West­ern Michi­gan Uni­ver­si­ty and a Bachelor’s Degree in Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion from North­wood University.

• Nicholas Brown, Vice President of Programs
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Nicholas Brown

Vice President of Programs

Nicholas Brown is a behavioral health and human services leader with a career spanning direct care, residential treatment, behavioral health, juvenile justice, and community-based services. His professional journey—from working directly with individuals and families to leading multidisciplinary teams and complex programs—has shaped a leadership philosophy rooted in people, purpose, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Throughout his career, Nicholas has held progressively responsible leadership roles, including Regional Director, Residential Director, and Program Director. He has led multidisciplinary teams, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, strengthened regulatory compliance, developed staff, improved organizational performance, and built partnerships across public and private systems.

Nicholas believes effective leadership is less about being the smartest person in the room and more about creating an environment where talented people can bring their expertise, challenge ideas, solve problems, and grow. He is particularly passionate about leadership development and organizational culture, and he believes that when people feel valued, supported, and accountable, organizations are better positioned to achieve meaningful outcomes.

A defining aspect of his leadership has been his ability to transform organizational culture. He has helped move programs from traditional, compliance-driven approaches toward environments grounded in therapeutic relationships, strength-based practices, and trauma-informed care.

Nicholas holds a Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University and an Associate of Arts from Columbus State Community College. As Vice President of Programming at Kenneth Young Center, he brings his frontline experience, operational leadership, and passion for behavioral health together with a commitment to developing people, strengthening programs, and improving the lives of the individuals, families, and communities served by the organization.

His leadership philosophy is simple: invest in people, build strong teams, create the right environment—and better outcomes will follow.

• Steven Gaydos, Chief Financial Officer
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Steven Gaydos

Chief Financial Officer

Steve joined the KYC team in January 2024, taking on the role of Chief Financial Officer. Steve spent the first part of his professional career as a healthcare consultant. While serving as a Board member of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, Steve discovered a passion for mission-driven financial work. This led him to become the Director of Finance and Administration at Catholic Charities. Later, Steve brought his expertise to All Chicago Making Homelessness History as Chief Financial and Operations Officer. At both organizations, he played a key role in substantial financial growth and operational improvements, earning recognition as a “CFO of the Year” by the Daily Herald in 2015. Inspired by KYC's mission, Steve feels honored to be chosen as its first CFO.

Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois, Urbana, and a Master’s Degree in Taxation from DePaul University. He is a licensed CPA and received the Elijah Watt Sells Award and the Illinois Bronze Medal for his performance on the CPA exam. Outside of KYC, Steve enjoys spending time with his wife and four children. He is actively involved in his church, contributing his musical talents to the church choir by singing and playing soprano saxophone.

• Shanta Haney, Interim Director of Human Resources
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Shanta Haney

Interim Director of Human Resources

Shanta Haney is an executive HR and business leader with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations navigate growth, transformation, and change. She has worked closely with senior executives and business leaders to develop talent strategies, strengthen organizational effectiveness, build leadership pipelines, and create workforce solutions that support business goals. Known for her ability to connect people strategies to business outcomes, Shanta brings a practical, collaborative approach to helping leaders address complex challenges and prepare for the future.

Most recently, Shanta served in senior HR leadership roles at Capital One, formerly Discover, where she partnered with executives across Risk, Compliance, Legal, Human Resources, and Technology. She advised leaders on workforce strategy, organizational priorities, talent decisions, and enterprise transformation initiatives. Her work included leading succession and talent review processes, developing executive talent profiles, supporting workforce integration efforts, and creating workforce insights that helped leaders anticipate talent risks, identify capability gaps, and make informed decisions. Her contributions earned her the Discover President's Award, a distinction awarded to the company's top 2% of employees for exceptional impact, innovation, and leadership.

Her experience also includes HR leadership roles with OfficeMax/Office Depot and HSBC North America, supporting large and complex organizations across corporate, operational, technology, banking, and retail environments.

In addition to her corporate experience, Shanta served 24 years in the United States Army National Guard, retiring as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer at the rank of E-7. Her military service further reflects the leadership, discipline, accountability, and commitment she brings to every aspect of her work.

Shanta holds a Master of Organizational Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Elmhurst University, and executive credentials in business strategy and problem solving from McKinsey & Company, along with an AI + Human Intelligence Certificate from SHRM.

Shanta is passionate about helping organizations build stronger leaders, develop high-performing teams, and create workplaces where people and businesses can thrive. She brings a strategic mindset, a focus on practical solutions, and a deep commitment to achieving meaningful results.

• Yashica Weeks, Director of Development & Communications
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Yashica Weeks

Director of Development & Communications

Yashica Weeks is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 17 years of experience in philanthropic development and strategic fundraising. Her career spans a diverse range of sectors including performing arts, higher education, healthcare, community foundations, and social services. From her early work as a legislative aide in state government to her fund development positions guiding individuals, families, and closely held business owners in articulating and fulfilling their charitable goals, Yashica brings a unique talent for uncovering the “why” behind giving—building relationships rooted in shared purpose and mutual value.

Deeply committed to both her profession and her community, Yashica actively contributes to causes that align with her passion for people, philanthropy, and purpose. She has served as a course facilitator and mentor with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Chicago Chapter, and was a board member of the West Suburban Philanthropic Network (WSPN) for three years. Most recently, she volunteered as a mentor-practitioner with KidsMatter’s Teen Philanthropy Initiative, helping high school juniors and seniors develop leadership skills, nonprofit management and community giving.

Yashica holds a bachelor’s degree in public affairs and entrepreneurship from Columbia College of South Carolina and a master’s degree in higher education administration, with a concentration in institutional advancement, from Bay Path University. She earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2017 and her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) certification in 2023.

Outside of her professional work, Yashica continues to connect people with purpose through active service in her local church and by spending quality time with friends and family.

Annu­al Reports

Our annu­al report out­lines the high­lights of our fis­cal year: July 1 to June 30.

2023 Annu­al Report

Press Releas­es

Ken­neth Young Cen­ter issues press releas­es to local media out­lets to help announce events and oth­er orga­ni­za­tion­al information.

1 12 26 Announce­ment Part­ner with Endeav­or Health Com­mu­ni­ty Invest­ment Fund

2 16 26 Announce­ment KYC 5 K Press Release

If you are a mem­ber of the media and would like to be added to the media dis­tri­b­u­tion list, please con­tact, Yashica Weeks, Direc­tor of Devel­op­ment and Com­mu­ni­ca­tions at yashicaw@​kennethyoung.​org.

Who Was Ken­neth Young?

Ken­neth Wayne Young played many roles in his life: hus­band, father, pas­tor, mil­i­tary man, schol­ar, advi­sor, friend. He was many things to many peo­ple. He loved to preach and give speech­es, and when he spoke, every­one lis­tened. He had a way of mak­ing each lis­ten­er feel as if he was speak­ing just to them. He had a spir­it that cap­ti­vat­ed oth­ers and inspired great­ness. He knew when to lead and when to let oth­ers shine as lead­ers. Over thir­ty years after his death, those who knew him talk about him with warmth, rev­er­ence, and always a smile.

But one of Ken’s great­est titles had to be ​“com­mu­ni­ty activist”. Dur­ing deseg­re­ga­tion, he fought to inte­grate his com­mu­ni­ty in Cicero, Illi­nois. He worked tire­less­ly for the Fam­i­ly Ser­vice Cen­ter there to give equal rights to peo­ple of all col­ors, believ­ing to his core that every human being had the right to be cared for and respected. 

When his fam­i­ly moved to Hoff­man Estates, he worked as Pas­tor of Our Sav­iour’s Unit­ed Methodist Church and quick­ly got involved with the Elk Grove-Schaum­burg Town­ship Men­tal Health Cen­ter, which would lat­er be renamed in his mem­o­ry as Ken­neth Young Cen­ter. An ide­al­ist and rev­o­lu­tion­ary at heart, he vol­un­teered for the cen­ter as a mem­ber of the board, becom­ing a trust­ed advi­sor to the CEO and lead­er­ship team. At that time, the cen­ter focused exclu­sive­ly on men­tal health ser­vices, advo­cat­ing for the most vul­ner­a­ble in the com­mu­ni­ty to have access to qual­i­ty and com­pas­sion­ate men­tal health care. Despite years of his own health prob­lems, Ken’s tena­cious spir­it nev­er fal­tered. He tried to nev­er miss a Sun­day at the pul­pit and helped at the cen­ter when­ev­er pos­si­ble. At 60 years old, Ken passed away from can­cer in Octo­ber, 1986. Just months lat­er, the cen­ter where he spent so much of his time got a new name: Ken­neth Young Center. 

The rest, KYC friends, is history.