Officers & Staff
The following is a list of the executive staff members of the National Youth Rights Association. It will grow as the organization grows. The board of directors elects the corporate officers and hires the Executive Director, who in turn hires all other staff.
Bill Bystricky
Executive Director
Bill Bystricky, a long time NYRA-member, comes to us from San Jose, CA, where he worked in the administrative offices of their Boys & Girls Clubs affiliate. He has also provided political organizing for such groups as Planned Parenthood, the Humane Society of the United States, PETA, and various election campaigns, but he says youth rights is the cause that moves him most. His first job out of college was high school teacher, and he saw first-hand how our society often hurts youth. Now he seeks to fix that. Bill joined the staff in 2011 and was promoted to E.D. in 2012.
Jeffrey Nadel
President
Jeffrey Nadel, born in 1993, lives in South Florida. At a young age, he became interested in civil rights and began combating the injustices he faced on a daily basis. Eventually, his passion for civil rights evolved into a focused dedication on youth rights. In May 2008, Nadel founded NYRA of Southeast Florida, the chapter of which he is President. The chapter quickly became active, commencing efforts to lower the voting age in Florida to sixteen, meeting with legislators across the state, holding rallies, and spreading awareness. Later that year, the chapter of NYRA began fighting an unconstitutional curfew in West Palm Beach and filed a lawsuit, the first lawsuit filed by a youth-led civil rights group against a curfew, against the City in 2009. In addition to the curfew and voting age, he is interested in all youth rights issues and abhors the injustices to which youth are so commonly subjected. His ultimate goal is to work with youth, adults, legislators, organizations across the country, and others in the community to effect real, lasting change. Elected to the Board in 2009, Jeffrey currently serves as the President of NYRA.
Stefan Muller
Vice-President
A Harvard graduate and now a computer science PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University, Stefan Muller has served previously as NYRA’s President, Vice-President, and Treasurer. He was instrumental in creating NYRA’s Student Rights Handbook. Stefan was re-elected to NYRA’s board in 2012.
Jaylen Bledsoe
Treasurer
Entrepreneur Jaylen D. Bledsoe has done much to advance youth rights and to increase the number of successful youth entrepreneurs. He runs a successful I.T. company, and as chapter president of NYRA-St. Louis, he successfully got his middle school cafeteria to offer vegan choices daily so no student need ever again violate her ethics or her faith to enjoy a warm lunch. Jaylen was elected in 2012.
Katrina Moncure
Secretary
Katrina has been involved with NYRA since 2004. She has helped table at many events including NCOR, JSA, and more with NYRA’s Washington, D.C. chapter, and has attended all annual meetings from 2005 to present. She has been a moderator for the NYRA forums since 2005 and is a regular contributor to the NYRA blog. Katrina has lived in Montgomery County, MD, her entire life. She graduated from Salisbury State University in 2003 and worked as a biotech lab assistant. Katrina joined the Board in 2005.
