Marshon Anderson’s story did not begin with rank, awards, or leadership. It began in the streets of Chicago. He grew up with very little, surrounded by circumstances that could have easily dictated the direction of his life. In an environment where survival often came before planning for the future, Marshon learned early that the choices a young person makes—and the people placed around them—can change everything. He knew what it felt like to come from a place where opportunity was not guaranteed. And he knew he wanted something different. That determination eventually led Marshon into the United States Army, where he would spend 21 years serving his country. As a bomb technician, he took on assignments most people would never volunteer to do, disarming explosive threats and serving seven tours in Iraq. His service would ultimately earn him the Bronze Star. But his career was about more than military accomplishments. It was about learning how to remain calm when everything around you is uncertain. How to lead when the stakes are high. How to make difficult decisions. And how discipline can change the direction of a life. During his years of service, Marshon also supported protective missions with the United States Secret Service, helping provide specialized explosive-ordnance expertise during presidential protection operations. After leaving the Army, he continued serving through the Department of Homeland Security, eventually becoming an Assistant Federal Security Director responsible for approximately 1,300 employees. He hired people. He developed people. And when necessary, he terminated people. But one termination stayed with him. The employee was not lazy. He was not unreliable. In fact, he was one of Marshon’s strongest employees—the kind of person who arrived early, stayed late, and did whatever was asked of him. But a background review uncovered financial and credit instability. Late payments. Financial problems. Decisions and circumstances that had followed him into his professional life. Marshon received a directive from Washington requiring the employee’s termination. And he carried it out. But after that conversation was over, Marshon could not stop thinking about the bigger issue. This man had done so much right. Yet something as basic as financial preparation had the power to affect his career and his future. Marshon began asking himself a question that would stay with him: **What could we have taught him earlier?** What if someone had explained credit before it became a problem? What if someone had taught him financial responsibility before adulthood? What if young people were prepared not simply to find jobs, but to protect the opportunities they worked so hard to earn? That question became part of Marshon’s reason for joining YES Jacksonville. Because somewhere today, there is a young person growing up in circumstances that look a lot like the streets he came from in Chicago. There is a child who has talent but little direction. There is a teenager who understands survival but has never been taught credit. There is a young athlete who can see a future on the court but has never been shown how to build one after the game ends. Marshon understands that young person because, in many ways, he once was that young person. Today, he brings more than 20 years of military service, combat experience, federal leadership, and executive management to YES Jacksonville. He brings perspective. He brings discipline. He brings proof that where a young person starts does not have to determine where they finish. And he brings a belief that preparing young people for adulthood means teaching them more than how to compete. It means teaching them how to lead. How to manage money. How to protect their credit. How to make sound decisions. How to become dependable leaders in their households. And how to create a legacy that reaches beyond themselves. For Marshon, sports are not the destination. They are the doorway. The court gets their attention. **What we teach them after that can change the rest of their lives.**

Christopher Pryce’s story did not begin with opportunity. It began with survival. He was born into a home with almost nothing, and some of his earliest lessons about life came from watching his family fight to make it from one day to the next. There were times when the lights were cut off. There were times when, around the age of 12, he watched his mother cry while using EBT benefits to buy bottled water—not because the family needed something to drink, but because they needed water they could heat just to take a bath. By the time he was 15, there were moments when he genuinely did not know whether he would have a place to sleep the next day. For many people, experiences like that can make the future feel small. For Christopher, they made the future feel urgent. At a young age, he understood that if he wanted a different life, he would have to build one. He could not wait for the perfect opportunity, the perfect circumstances, or for someone else to rescue him. Somewhere between the darkness of a home without electricity, the uncertainty of not knowing where he might sleep, and watching his mother do everything she could to keep her family going, an entrepreneurial mindset began to form. He learned early that stability matters. Ownership matters. Independence matters. And having the ability to create opportunities for yourself can change the direction of an entire life. At just 19 years old, Christopher purchased his first home. For him, buying that house was about far more than a mortgage or a set of keys. Only a few years earlier, he had experienced moments when he did not know where he would sleep. Now, before reaching his twenties, he owned the roof over his own head. That property would later become a rental property, turning one of the greatest symbols of stability in his life into an asset and another step toward entrepreneurship and financial independence. Christopher continued building his career through corporate America while never losing the entrepreneurial mindset that had been developing since childhood. Over the years, he gained experience across multiple professional roles, including several years in project management-related work. He learned how to organize people, manage priorities, solve problems, coordinate moving pieces, meet deadlines, and take responsibility for getting things done. At the same time, he gained hands-on experience managing and working with multiple small businesses. Those experiences taught him lessons that cannot always be learned from a textbook: how to make decisions when the answer is not obvious, how to lead when resources are limited, how to keep moving when things do not go according to plan, and how to turn an idea into something real. For the past two years, Christopher has been fully self-employed. That sentence may sound simple, but to him, it represents the distance between where he started and where he stands today. The child who once lived in a home where the lights could be turned off is now creating his own income. The teenager who once wondered where he might sleep is now a property owner. The young man who bought his first home at 19 transformed that home into a rental property. The person who once watched his family struggle for basic necessities now has experience managing businesses, leading projects, building opportunities, and creating a life through entrepreneurship. And Christopher does not look at that journey as a reason to believe he is better than anyone else. He looks at it as a responsibility. Because somewhere in Jacksonville, there is a young person living through circumstances that look a lot like the ones he came from. There is a child sitting in a dark house because the lights have been turned off. There is a teenager wondering what tomorrow is going to look like. There is a young person who may have never met a homeowner, a business owner, an entrepreneur, or someone who can look them in the eye and say, “I understand where you are because I have been there.” That is what Christopher believes he brings to YES Jacksonville. Not simply a resume. Not simply corporate experience. Not simply project management or business knowledge. He brings proof. Proof that your starting point does not have to become your ending point. Proof that circumstances can change. Proof that ownership can replace instability. Proof that hardship can become fuel. And, most importantly, proof that sometimes a young person does not need someone to tell them that success is possible—they need someone standing in front of them whose life shows them that it is. Christopher wants to use everything he has learned—from hardship, corporate America, project management, entrepreneurship, property ownership, business management, and self-employment—to help build an organization capable of creating real opportunities for young people. His goal is not simply to tell young people to dream bigger. It is to help give them the tools, exposure, relationships, guidance, and examples that allow them to believe those dreams can actually become their lives. Christopher’s journey is still being written. But if there is one lesson his life has already taught him, it is this: Where you come from may explain your story, but it does not have to determine how that story ends.

Clifton Taylor is a Jacksonville, Florida entrepreneur, business owner, and community advocate whose story is rooted in humble beginnings, perseverance, and purpose. Growing up, Clifton was exposed to challenges and negative influences that could have easily pulled him in the wrong direction. Sports became more than recreation for him—it became a source of discipline, focus, structure, and an escape from some of the difficult things he witnessed around him. Those experiences helped shape the man he is today. As the owner of multiple businesses throughout Northeast Florida, Clifton understands that success is not only about what you build for yourself, but also about what you are willing to build for others. His journey has taught him the importance of opportunity, mentorship, positive environments, and having people who believe in your potential. Clifton believes greatness is measured by impact. Through this nonprofit, he sees both an opportunity and a responsibility to help create meaningful change in his community, particularly for young people who may be facing many of the same obstacles he once saw growing up. He wants them to understand that their environment does not have to determine their future and that sports, education, mentorship, and strong leadership can open doors to a different path. As a Black man, Clifton also believes there is a responsibility for successful men to reach back, stand together, and help strengthen the communities that helped shape them. His goal is not simply to speak about change, but to actively participate in creating it. Clifton's mission is centered on leadership, service, unity, and legacy. He is committed to using his experiences, resources, and platform to inspire the next generation, create opportunities, and leave Jacksonville—and ultimately the world—better than he found it.

Our Lead Head Coach brings a strong combination of athletic leadership, education, and real-world mentorship to YES Jacksonville. With an MBA and coaching experience across multiple schools and programs, he understands that developing young athletes requires more than teaching plays and improving performance. Throughout his coaching career, he has worked with student-athletes from different backgrounds, helping them build discipline, confidence, accountability, teamwork, and a stronger understanding of what it takes to succeed both on and off the court. His advanced business education also gives him a unique perspective on leadership, organization, communication, and long-term development. He brings that knowledge into the program by helping young people understand that the same principles that create success in sports—preparation, consistency, decision-making, and responsibility—also create success in education, business, and life. As Lead Head Coach, his mission is not simply to build better players. It is to help develop focused, confident, and prepared young leaders who are ready for whatever comes after the final buzzer.

As a personal injury lawyer and General Counsel, Jerrica Anderson serves as YES Jacksonville's primary legal advisor, overseeing all legal matters, contracts, compliance, liability management, risk mitigation, child-safety policy development, and organizational governance. Beyond her legal practice and advisory responsibilities, she is passionate about mentoring youth in legal literacy, helping them understand their rights and the importance of ethical decision-making.

Coordinates Jacksonville corporate sponsorships, internship pipelines, and community volunteer circles to surround every student with dependable role models.