Dandelion officially retired in 2019 as Project YANO Program Coordinator after 35 years. He helped develop the concept of the organization in 1984.
People
Organizational structure
Project YANO's is guided by an all-volunteer community advisory board who meet every year, and an all-volunteer board of trustees who meet every month. Additionally, a pool of volunteer veterans, educators and other community supporters participate in presentations, tabling, and other activities.
Board of trustees (2025)
Dandelion
Hydrangea
Hydrangea retired in 2015 and was an adjunct faculty member in the Bilingual Credential program at the College of Education, San Diego State University, California.
Leopard Gecko
Leopard Gecko began organizing in high school, helping to launch a coalition that challenged militarism in public schools. After completing a teacher preparation program, they taught high school Spanish through a critical Ethnic Studies framework. Now a doctoral candidate, their research and teaching focus on transnational encounters, decolonial pedagogy, and school militarization.
Prickly Pear Cactus
Prickly Pear Cactus is a racial and social justice advocate working in the City of Chicago on decarceration measures. She grew up in Illinois joined the Marine Corps and was subsequently stationed in San Diego, CA. Upon completing her 4 yrs of service, she went on to earn a B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Diego, worked as a youth organizer, and went on to earn her master's in public policy from UC Riverside.
Sequoia
Sequoia is a retired adult education teacher who taught English language learners.
Star Patch
Star Patch works in higher ed and studies and teaches about US militarism and antimilitarism struggles past and present.
Symbol
Symbol is a professor in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at San Diego State University.
Tan Chihuahua
Tan Chihuahua is a professional educator that embraces the liberatory power of teaching invested in encouraging youth to think critically about militarism and their relationship to empire. Tan Chihuahua serves as the organization’s secretary and is also a contributor to the quarterly publication Draft NOtices.