Donald W. McNeill 

Don McNeill (MA. Secondary Education, U of A) draws upon deep understanding of youth issues acquired in the course of more than thirty years of continuous contact with young people and their families- as a parent, teacher, counselor, youth pastor, administrator (in both public, charter, and private schools) and coach.  Born in Yuma, Arizona and raised in Southern California, Don has combined education, youth work, and athletics in a career that began with a BA in Education from Northern Arizona University, where he lettered in Track and Field and was in the U.S. top ten in the Triple Jump.

In 1976, Don served for seven years as the Assistant Principal, Athletic Director, Teacher, and Coach at Grace Christian School.  He has taught in Special and Adaptive Education programs in the Amphitheater, Flowing Wells, and TUSD School Districts.  Don has been on the coaching staff of Santa Rita, Sahuaro, and the Amphitheater High School as the head Track and Field Coach, and at La Paloma Academy as the “Title One- No Child Left Behind” Director.

In 1985, Don founded Youth for Christ/Campus life here in Tucson and directed ten Campus Life clubs in public schools where hundreds of teenagers came to know Christ as Savior over the ten year span.

In 1995, Don became the Executive Director of One-On-One Partners, a national mentoring program for at-risk youth, and developed a county-wide program working closely with the Pima County Attorneys Office, Juvenile Court, and the Tucson Police Department.

In 2006, Don started MentorKids USA, a faith-based mentoring outreach to children of incarcerated parents, those in group or foster homes, and youth from single parent homes.

Just this year in 2010, Don has taken over One-On-One once again, and is now the Executive Director for both; MentorKids USA (Faith-Based) and One-On-One Mentoring (Community-Based).

Over the last 20 years, Don has recruited, mobilized and trained hundreds of adult volunteers to create and sustain successful, supportive relationships with at-risk youth and their families.

Don is married to Shirlie (43 years), has two daughters and 5 grandchildren. He loves to spend time with his family, especially at the family cabin, fishing, hiking, and playing horshoes.