Senior Staff

Dixon Slingerland

Dixon Slingerland is the Executive Director of the Youth Policy Institute (YPI), a nonprofit agency providing education, technology, and training services to lift Los Angeles families out of poverty. Since 1996, Dixon has directed YPI as it has grown from an annual budget under $1 million to the current annual budget of $35 million, with at least 50% annual growth in each of the past six years. Dixon leads more than 1,200 staff serving over 40,000 youth and adults each year at 125 program sites in Los Angeles. Key YPI programs include the Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood, the Full-Service Community Schools programs in Pico Union/Westlake and the Northeast San Fernando Valley, the Hollywood FamilySource Center, afterschool programs at 56 school sites, job training for 800 clients in health careers, a federal GEAR UP college preparation program, AmeriCorps, Family Technology Project, summer youth employment, tutoring, and many others.

Beginning in 2004, Dixon led efforts to open two community-based charter middle schools that have outpaced area schools in student academic achievement. Bert Corona Charter School in Pacoima serves 370 predominantly Latino and low-income families, while Monsenor Oscar Romero Charter School has an enrollment of 325 students in Pico Union.  Dixon is Board President for the schools, and also leads the only pilot school in the Los Angeles Unified School District operated by an external agency, the San Fernando Institute for Applied Media Pilot School. Awarded by LAUSD in the first round of Public School Choice, this pilot school opened in September 2010 and now serves 420 grade 6-8 students.

Dixon served on President Obama’s National Finance Committee (NFC) and Education Policy Committee during the 2008 Presidential campaign. He is now a member of the NFC for the Democratic National Committee. Dixon was an Honored Guest at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Election Night in Grant Park (Chicago), and the Presidential Inauguration in January 2009.

Dixon is a graduate of Stanford University. Dixon’s wife Suzanne Steinke is a partner with the law firm of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp. They have two children.

Iris Zuniga

Iris Zuniga is the Chief Operating Officer for the Youth Policy Institute, a leading non-profit organization in the Los Angeles area with approximately 1,100 staff whose programs reach 40,000 individuals a year.  Since joining YPI in 2006, Iris has lead efforts to reinforce YPI's commitment to the communities they service.  Her day-to-day management efforts ensure that YPI effectively accomplishes its mission to support families out of poverty by providing educational support and opportunities to youth and adults.

Prior to this, Iris was YPI Chief of Staff where she was responsible for the direct oversight of 6 Program Departments, that delivered services to over 125 school sites. She oversaw the daily operations of education and training services throughout Los Angeles.

Before joining YPI, Iris served as Education and Health Field Deputy for California State Senator (now Los Angeles City Councilmember) Richard Alarcon. In this capacity she oversaw the development and implementation of education and health community programs to support community residents, including the Valley Education Collaborative, Write it Right!, Got College?, Insuring our Kids Future, and Plan ASAP for your SAT. While working as Deputy, Iris also served as an Assistant Education Consultant to the Senate Select Committee to Develop a Master Plan to End Poverty in California.

Iris received her A.A. degree from Los Angeles Mission College and transferred to UCLA where she earned her B.A. in Sociology and Chicano Studies and Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from California State University, Northridge. She was raised in Pacoima where her parents still reside today. She has completed training for Coro Health Leadership Program, Center for Nonprofit Leadership Development Program funded by the California Wellness Foundation and Hispanas Organized for Political Equality, Leadership Program (HLI 2011). Iris is an active member of HOPE in addition to being a member of Comision Femenil of the San Fernando Valley. 

Mario Matute

Mario Matute is the Director of Valley Operations for the Youth Policy Institute. In this role, he works with program coordinators and community leaders to implement collaborative solutions to the challenges facing low-income families in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.

Previously, Mario was Director of the Pacoima Workforce Development Initiative. He has also worked as Director of the Community Service Center at San Fernando Gardens in Pacoima, the only public housing site in the San Fernando Valley.  Mario has Bachelor and Masters’ degrees in Clinical Psychology, and holds a CDC (Chemical Dependency and Family Counseling Credential). He has counseled people suffering from emotional and psychological distress at Gateways Mental Health Hospital, Hillview Mental Health Center, and Northridge Medical Center.

Mario serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Pacifica Hospital of the Valley, and as Vice-President for the Pacoima Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Advisory Boards for the Pacoima Skills Center and for the North Valley Occupational Center, as well as a member of the Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce. Mario serves as a Bert Corona Charter School Board member and as Director of Government Relations for the El Salvador Chamber of Commerce-California.