Steven DeLira Joins CommUnify Leadership Team

The Board of Directors of CommUnify (www.CommUnifySB.org), a Community Action Agency, is pleased to announce Steven DeLira has joined the nonprofit’s staff in the position of Program Manager, South Coast Youth Safety Partnership (SCYSP) effective Monday, March 27, 2023. In his role with

CommUnify, Mr. DeLira will continue the collaborative work to ensure youth safety through education, outreach, and violence prevention in the southern region of Santa Barbara County.

Mr. DeLira is the former Deputy Chief Executive Officer from Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara County where he played a key role in the merger of Family Service Agency with Santa Maria Valley Youth and Family Center and Little House by the Park in Guadalupe. Mr. DeLira previously worked for Santa Barbara County Probation where he spent 30 years working with juveniles and their families before retiring as a Deputy Chief Probation Officer in 2017.

Among the many highlights of his long career in that position, Mr. DeLira wrote and received a competitive grant to address the overrepresentation of youth of color in the Juvenile Justice System and developed and implemented a specialty court for youth that are victims of commercial sexual exploitation. He also chaired the Santa Barbara County Foster Care Commission’s summit which paired renowned leaders from across the state with local professionals to discuss issues relating to children and youth in foster care working in collaboration with the District Attorney, Public Defender, Department of Social Services, and Behavior Wellness.

“CommUnify is very fortunate to have Steve joining our team in a role for which he is highly qualified through his expansive career in working with at-risk and disadvantaged youth – both with County Probation and at Family Service Agency (FSA),” said Patricia Keelean, Chief Executive Officer. “As FSA is a key collaborator for our Santa Maria pilot program Familias Seguras/Secure Families, Steve is familiar with CommUnify’s efforts at violence prevention and individualized family support, and in taking a multi-layered approach in providing wraparound services to address the issue of violence among our youth.”

In addition to his position with CommUnify, Mr. DeLira is an active member of the community serving on the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), National Association For the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Knights of Columbus, and the Network of Care (NoC) addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Mr. DeLira also previously served on the Continuum of Care (CoC) board for Santa Barbara County, addressing homelessness in our communities, the Latinx and Indigenous Migrant COVID-19 Response Task Force, and the Pediatric Resiliency Collaborative (PeRC) and Resilient Santa Barbara County, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and the Network of Care implementation grant committee. Mr. DeLira has received the Chief Probation Officer’s Award, the Latino Legacy award, and has been recognized by the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission (JJDPC) for his many contributions to the community.

“I am so honored to join CommUnify’s talented team and continue to support the South Coast Youth Safety Partnership’s mission to improve and support the protection, well-being, and quality of life for youth, families, and community,” said Mr. DeLira. “The SCYSP is such an important program which makes an indelible impact on the whole community and sets our youth on a more positive path to future success.”

Mr. DeLira is a long-time resident of Santa Barbara County and grew up in the City of Lompoc. He graduated from Lompoc High School, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge.