YCCI Board of Directors
Wayne L. Williams
Founder/President
Khristina Smith
Vice President
Attorney Brandon Davis
Paul R. Johnson Sr.
Robin Holmes-Lanier
Willis Brookins
Youth Career Commission Inc. History
17 Years of Developing Youth and Shaping Success
Youth Career Commission Inc. (YCCI) was founded in June 2006 by Rev. Wayne L. Williams as Youth Career Week (YCW). YCW was introduced to the Membership Committee of the Bulloch County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as a free youth event for teenagers in 9th through 12th grades, exclusively supported by the NAACP. The Branch President was Carlos Brown, and the Membership Committee Chair was Laurtha Far-Best. The first event coordinators were Eva Rivers, Burnette Connely, and Chiyoko Douglas. Youth Career Week (YCW)-06 was conducted at the Georgia US Department of Labor Statesboro Service Center, and Georgia Southern University Department of Career Services. Dorsey Baldwin helped structure the program, and served as program advisor. In 2007 Mount Zion Outreach Center – Statesboro became the Headquarters for YCW, and under the leadership of Rev. Williams and Jonathan McCollar the event was restructured into a one week training program to include 8th grade students. After conducting YCW-07 in Statesboro, Rev. Williams conducted YCW in the rural town of Gifford, South Carolina in August 2007. Coordinators for “YCW-07 Gifford” were the Honorable Mayor James Risher, Myrtle Sumter, Adam D. Brown, Edith Hankerson, Prudence Garvin, Isadora Jenkins, James Stokes Sr., Johnny Allen, Lilly Gray, Lucille Martin, Carolyn Shands, Tony Singleton, and Pat Cotman of Cotman & Cotman Inc, Jacksonville, FL.
In 2008, YCW’s volunteer staff consisting of Rev. Wayne L. Williams, Jonathan McCollar, Felicia Rivers, Eva Rivers, Terry Golden, Paula Williams, and Robbin Homes-Wooten. In February 2009 YCW was developed into two week summer camp, and the name “Youth Career Week” was changed to “Youth Career Camp” (YCC). In April 2009 YCC established a board of directors, separated from Mount Zion Outreach Center, and was incorporated by the Georgia US Secretary of State as Youth Career Camp Inc. (YCCI). Board members were Wayne L. Williams (President/CEO, Lisa M. Whitaker (VP), and Christie Van Cura (CFO), Adrian Cunningham, and Eva Rivers (Secretary). (YCCI received its status as a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt organization in 2011. In 2020 YCCI was rebranded as Youth Career COMMISSION Inc. reflecting the expansion of services to both youth and young adults ages 13 - 24.
Today, our Board of Directors are a Commission of professionals and entrepreneurs, dedicated to building strong communities by providing low income families and underserved rural areas access to essential resources such as employability skills, educational options, and critical life skills.