Idaho Youth Advocates

Our Team

Maria McConnell
Executive Director

Maria has years of experience working with community-based non-profit organizations. For the past 10 years, she has been a Coordinator at City Light in Boise, which is the women’s and children’s homeless shelter for Boise Rescue Mission. She sees firsthand the impact that limited mental health resources has on children and their families. From 2010-2015 she served as Executive Director of the McKelvey-Daugherty Family Foundation, which is a non-profit family foundation dedicated to serving those in need in a variety of communities in the West. Prior to moving to Boise in 2005, Maria served various leadership roles with non-profit community organizations in San Jose, California. Maria obtained her Master’s Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of Theology.

Mark McConnell, M.D.
Medical Director & Chairman

Mark is a Pediatric Critical Care Physician currently working at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise, Idaho. As a physician working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit he sees firsthand the toll that limited mental healthcare resources takes on Idaho’s children. Children who have attempted suicide frequently end up in his Intensive Care Unit. Once they are better, there are limited places to send these children and adolescents so that they can overcome their emotional crises and receive the mental healthcare that they need. Mark also serves on the Executive Leadership Team at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital where he works to meet the healthcare needs of Idaho’s children. He also has 12 years of law enforcement experience working with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department. Mark graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine and completed his Pediatric and Adult Intensive Care Fellowships at Stanford University Medical Center and Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.