Program TEAM
The STOP team is comprised of community experts who grew up in Marin County, primarily in the drastically under-served community of Marin City. Because of this intimate knowledge, we know how to identify the needs of our community and match young people with our program. John Wallace and Melissa Greene will host all workshops provided and make themselves available on a daily basis so program participants can seek additional mentoring and support. Driven by a strong desire to give back to the younger generation, our program staff has relevant life experience and has ‘Survived The Odds,’ making us excellent culturally competent candidates for mentoring the marginalized youth population.
John Wallace & Melissa Greene at a Warriors Game
photo credit: Trevor Henley
John wallace
Founder & CEO
John grew up in Marin City and found refuge in the arts as an escape from a troubled home life. Street life and drug use caught up to him, landing John in Marin County Jail numerous times and eventually in San Quentin State Prison for several years. Refusing to give up, John worked hard and earned his GED while in prison. After he was released, John went on to attend classes at College of Marin, Santa Rosa Junior College and Butte College. He is currently a recognized musician, tattoo artist, and hairstylist who often provides his services at low or no cost to those in need. John believes in the importance of giving back and understands the therapeutic value of art and music. The artist name he writes music under is 'FREEDOM.' His self-produced debut EP, All My Life, was released in January 2018 on his very own record label, Revolution Records. His follow up album, Surviving The Odds, was released in July 2018. Founding and creating STOP has developed as part of the natural progression of his life’s work and passion.
photo credit - Jeanine Akers
melissa greene
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Melissa grew up in Novato and graduated from Novato High School. She went on to earn a B.A. degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University with a minor in Business Administration. Melissa continued her education in law school, receiving her J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco in 2004. Her work experience began at a young age in the family retail business. Melissa was an office manager for a solar company, a technical support analyst for a software company, and most recently she worked as a Classroom Coordinator for a private K-12 school for children with special needs. Melissa feels most in her element when working with the youth in her community. An artist at heart, she recognizes the value of providing young people the opportunity to explore and develop their creative talents.
Deverick landrum
Production Engineer
Bio coming soon...
