History
STAFF
Christopher Yanov
Program Manager 619 516 2218 grace_realitychangers.org
Christopher Yanov, Executive Director & Founder
Christopher Yanov graduated in two-and-a-half years from the University of California, San
Diego in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish Literature. Mr. Yanov also
completed two Masters programs at the University of San Diego in 2004 with degrees in Peace
& Justice and International Relations.
As the Founder and Executive Director of Reality Changers, Mr. Yanov raised and awarded over
$1,000,000 in scholarships to inner-city students before turning 30 years old.
Mr. Yanov began working with high school-aged youths at the Hispanic Presbyterian Church in
1996. For five years, the primary focus of Mr. Yanovs work involved reaching out to gang
members who had fallen down a self-destructive path that was punctuated by drugs and violence.
Seeking to find students that lived in these same tough neighborhoods yet had a strong desire to
change these realities, "Reality Changersî was born in May 2001. The programs 50+ program
graduates and 110 current students have earned over $4,200,000 in scholarships.
Currently, Mr. Yanov is a recent graduate of LEAD San Diego, serves on the board of directors
for various scholarship-focused organizations, and is an inaugural commissioner of the San Diego
Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention. In 2008, Mr. Yanov has accepted invitations to
speak in front of local, statewide, and international audiences to address such issues as how to
end gang violence and how to achieve academic success in urban schools.
Marcia Borgman, Board Secretary
Arturo Castro, COO, Tucker Sadler Architects
Dr. Carl Cohn, Clinical Professor of Urban School Leadership,
Claremont Graduate University
Steve Dunn, President, Romar Company
Pedro Noyola III, CPA, A.V. Arias & Co
Pablo Palomino, Legacy Counselors
Jesse Sanchez, Student, Reality Changers
Mary Catherine Swanson, Founder, AVID
Nick Unkovic, Allen Matkins
Tomas Villegas, Father of two RC students
Christopher Yanov, RC Founder
