Courtney Baltiyskyy is an advocate for children, youth, and their families. She has over 15 years of experience in child and youth program development and is now the Vice President of Policy and Advocacy with the YMCA of San Diego County. At the Y she helps build collaborations to impact systems-level change. She believes community informed, smart policy can be prevention and focuses on issues involving child care, expanded learning programs, youth homelessness, mental and behavioral health, and equitable access to the outdoors. Courtney has built a career on leveraging the intersection between public, private, and nonprofit agencies for community benefit through a collaborative spirit, innovative thinking, and evidence-based decision making. She helps facilitate the Children First Collective San Diego and loves exploring nature with her two young kiddos.