Steve Tseckares, Executive Director, first fell in love with sports when he was a child growing up in suburban Washington, D.C. That love of sports continued through high school and eventually at Amherst College where he played football and was captain of the lacrosse team. In his professional life, Steve brings a diverse background to his role as Exec Director. He spent many years working as a television journalist, producer and executive for a variety of companies including CNN, MTV and MSNBC. His volunteer experience includes work as a board member and head of fundraising for The Oaks School in Los Angeles and as a tutor and mentor at the East Harlem Tutorial Program.
Dillon, Chief Operating Officer, has always been passionate about sports. Growing up in Westchester County, his experiences playing multiple sports lead him to pursue a degree in Sport Management at SUNY Fredonia. After a decision to no longer pursue basketball as a player, Dillon became the Student Assistant Coach of the Men’s basketball team under Head Coach, Phil Seymore at SUNY Fredonia. Graduating Summa Cum Laude in May of 2016, Dillon received a B.A. in Sport Management with a Minor in Communications. Dillon went on to graduate with a 4.0 from Manhattanville College, earning an M.S. in Sport Business Management. Dillon’s passion for sports and community steered him to Backyard Sports, where he now serves as the President (BYS) and COO (BYSC), creating access to sports and recreation for deserving children across Westchester County.
Ray Wilcox, Chief Advancement Officer, is a passionate Buffalo Bills and Lakers fan, and has been immersed in sports since his youth. His athletic background has shaped him into a sociable, ambitious, and competitive individual he is today.
With nearly two decades of experience in marketing and advertising, Ray is a skilled brand strategist and marketer. He has a proven track record of driving social impact through initiatives like The PowerLab and collaborations within the arts community.
Committed to his community, Ray has worked tirelessly to ensure equitable access to resources and opportunities. His dedication has earned him wide recognition, including being named a Generation Yonkers ambassador, and a Business Council of Westchester 40 Under 40 Rising Star.
A Lehman College graduate with a BA in Business Administration and a minor in English, Ray is an art enthusiast who enjoys exploring galleries. And loves cookies!
Vin Minotti, Chief Program Officer, Coach Minotti (Chief Program Officer) spent the early years of life watching his father teach elementary physical education and coach athletics. By the time Minotti entered his freshman year at Fox Lane High School he already knew his chosen profession. Minotti is currently in his 27th year of teaching/coaching special needs, underserved and able student athletes. Minotti earned both his undergraduate and master's degree from Springfield College.
At SC, Vin taught physical education courses and became the Assistant Men's Basketball Coach. After his college teaching tenure, Minotti's passion led him to coaching High School Basketball, Football, Baseball and teaching both elementary physical education and high school health. Vin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Backyard Sports, infusing both solid teaching progressions and dynamic lessons that enable our Backyard Sports Athletes to develop love of the game and increase their maximum potential. Minotti has been with BYS/BYSC since the company’s inception and cherishes working with our community partners, our Backyard Sports staff and most importantly the athletes and families we are privileged to serve.
Vin currently teaches health education for the Mamaroneck Public Schools and lives in Bedford, New York with his wife Lorraine and two children.
Jessica Riesel, Administrative Director, believes that her lifelong love of sports, both as a participant and a fan, along with her commitment to giving back to her community, makes Backyard Sports Cares a perfect fit. After graduating from the University of Michigan and Brooklyn Law School, Jessica practiced commercial litigation until she began her most important job as wife and mom of two. While raising her kids, she went on to run the PTA of the Harrison Central School District for several years, as well as serving on various boards for local children's causes. Following Jessica's example of community service, her children both volunteered with Backyard Sports Cares while growing up. Jessica quickly fell in love with its mission, its people and the organization's hands-on approach to enabling our children to help make their world a better place. Now that her own kids have moved on, she is thrilled that it's her turn to be part of the Backyard Sports Cares team.
Jeanne Barnett, Chief Financial Officer, a life long participant and fan of sports, came to join Backyard Sports in 2015 through her children’s volunteer commitment to the BYSC Sunday Special Needs Programs. Backyard Sports Cares enables Jeanne to continue her life long commitment to family, community and children. A graduate of Fairfield University she has worked in various finance and accounting positions in the entertainment industry at Time Warner and Warner Communications. Although Jeanne’s 3 children have graduated out of the BYSC volunteer programs, she continues to be a valuable part of the BYSC team.
Craig Butler, Program Director, grew up in upstate NY and moved to Westchester in 2001. His wife is currently a middle school physical education teacher and coach for Valhalla Schools. Craig brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Backyard Sports having taught elementary physical education for Mamaroneck Public Schools for 20 years. He was a 3 sport athlete in high school and went on to play football collegiately at SUNY Cortland. Craig has been with Backyard Sports since 2020 and currently serves as Program Director. He enjoys working with kids of all ages, and especially athletes with special needs. Craig wears many hats as program director. He is involved in everything from running programs, developing new staff, organizing daily schedules, and planning events for athletes with special needs. In his free time, Craig loves to fish, and more specifically fly fish! He also enjoys golf, hiking, and being at his second home in the Adirondacks. Craig currently resides in Yorktown with his wife Stephanie and 3 children, Sophia, Darin and Dylan.
Stephanie Spiridon, Associate Director, has joined our team after being involved with MVP Basketball Camp since 2013. Stephanie, a high school business teacher and varsity lacrosse coach at Danbury High School, originally received a B.S. in Management & Entrepreneurship at UConn. She then went on to pursue two additional degrees, a M.A.T. in Secondary Business Education at Sacred Heart University and M.B.A. in Marketing & Management at UConn. These degrees have allowed her to not only be a contributive member in the business world but also allowed for her to teach dual credit college level classes to her students.
Luis Lizarzaburu, Assistant Program Director, journey to Backyard Sports started with his interests with helping people at a young age. He would volunteer at the Yorktown Food pantry during the holidays and helped raise money for Relay for life. With his dedication to sports, soccer in particular, he enjoyed fundraising for his teams in order to participate in tournaments and camps, as well as purchasing of uniforms and attire.
He attended Mercy College where he played soccer, graduated with his BS in Psychology and was President of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) where he continued to fundraise money for all sports teams and donate time in running sports camps for kids with the help of his fellow student athletes.
After college, he pursued his passion in helping people and worked in fields such as social work and education of kids until he found Backyard Sports, where his interests came together all in one place. He knew this place was special and was where he could call home.
Please call (914) 304-4052 or Click Here to contact us if you would like information on our community partnership opportunities and programs, or if you would like to volunteer.
Backyard Sports Cares
75 South Broadway, 4th Floor
White Plains, NY 10601
Copyright © Backyard Sports Cares - All Rights Reserved
Backyard Sports Cares is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Gifts to BYSC support programs that strengthen and enrich the development of Westchester children and are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
