Ntxheb Chang

Executive Director

As a young person growing up within the intersections of social injustices struggling to find purpose, YLI was where I realized the power of my voice, honed the art of asking critical questions and built my community. In my role at YLI, I am intentional in sharing power with youth, role-modeling vulnerability, and leading with curiosity. My superpower is co-creating possibilities with young people rooted in their lived experiences. In moments of chaos, I find joy in cooking and playing board games with friends, hugging my cats, photosynthesizing in the sun, and finding the best matcha in the Twin Cities.

Hello everyone! I’m Haley (pronounced like Halle Berry) and I’m a Minnesota transplant from Oakland, California who has been a youth worker since I was 15. As someone who grew up as an after school kid and would not be who I am without out of school time programs, it is only natural that I have a deep love and passion for quality youth programming. I mean, how else could I have done circus in elementary school? YLI was actually where I built my foundation for my values around youth work when I was a college intern years ago, so I’m excited to be back with YLI as its program manager to continue to uplift young leaders in our community. My superpower is being a belonging builder that is always striving to create communities of care through teamwork and collaborative connections. For me, joy comes from the little things like sharing a meal or watching TV with my loved ones or playing cozy games on my Switch!