CRYP Staff
Julie Garreau
Executive Director
Julie Garreau is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and is the executive director of the Cheyenne River Youth Project. Julie has been CRYP’s director since the organization’s 1988 inception, volunteering in the position for 12 years. She began working for the organization full-time in 2000. She has seen the project through its exhilarating development from a tiny, one-room youth center in a former Main Street bar to a comprehensive youth and family services organization that includes the Billy Mills Youth Center — “The Main —for children ages 4-12 and the Ċokata Wiċoni Teen Center, which serves youth ages 13-18. Julie is a dedicated youth advocate, and she hopes that CRYP will become a model for other communities to follow as they develop effective, sustainable youth programming.
A graduate of South Dakota’s Huron University, Julie was the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s education services specialist for 15 years, and during that time she served for five years on the CRST Police Commission – three of those years as chairperson. She also has served as a field coordinator for Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, a national not-for-profit organization that is an important CRYP partner.
In her nearly two decades with CRYP, Julie has received the South Dakota Volunteer of the Year Award (1992); the Presidential Points of Light Award (1992), presented by President George H.W. Bush; the North American Indian Women's Association Fellowship “Among All Peoples” Award (1999); and the Garden Supply Company’s First Place “Garden Crusader” Award (2005). In 2002, the South Dakota Coalition for Children named CRYP a “Champion for Children,” and Julie was named to an honor roll that recognized its 16 members’ outstanding dedication to South Dakota's children. Her name also appears on the Honor Wall at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.
Heather Steinberger
Public Relations Manager
Heather Steinberger is the public relations manager for the Cheyenne River Youth Project. Heather writes press releases and produces the organization’s e-newsletter; handles media relations; contributes to the Web site and Facebook group/cause pages; and assists with fundraising, outreach and other development activities. She volunteered at the Main in the summer and fall of 2006 and became a staff member in 2007. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, Heather has more than 15 years’ experience in communications. She is a former associate editor for two national magazines, and she worked as a public-relations specialist for two nationally recognized advertising agencies. She has also served as the public affairs manager for a Wisconsin-based not-for-profit art center and currently volunteers on the marketing committees for her local maritime museum and humane society. Heather operates her own full-time freelance writing business, which she founded in 2004, and her articles regularly appear in a variety of regional and national publications. Heather makes frequent trips to Eagle Butte from her home in Door County, Wisconsin.
Benjamin Cranham
Special Projects Manager
Ben Cranham is the special projects manager for the Cheyenne River Youth Project. Ben has taken responsibility for coordinating the annual Christmas Toy Drive and various other projects. He returns to South Dakota whenever he is able. Ben first came to CRYP as a long-term volunteer in September 2007, During his six-month stay, he curated the Cokata Wiconi History Wall, a project based in CRYP’s teen center that he continues to develop. A keen runner, Ben completed the 2008 Edinburgh Marathon as a special fundraiser for the youth project. Ben lives and works in London, England, where he is the sales director for Tangible Benefit Ltd.
Alexandra Meador
Special Projects Manager
Currently working as a CRYP special projects manager from her home in Virginia, Alexandra Meador was formerly the organization’s youth programs director. Her full-time tenure began in June 2007 and concluded in March 2010, when she made the decision to pursue her dream of attending law school. Alex graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing and a Spanish minor. She graduated at the top of her class, earning the highest GPA in the College of Arts and Letters. During her years at JMU, Alex worked as an editorial assistant with the Journal of Mine Action, served as a student assistant in the university editor office and published an article about CRYP in Madison Magazine. (Visit www.jmu.edu/madisononline/madison/wm_library/W06_P32-P49.pdf.) Alex worked as a full-time Main volunteer in 2006, and she returned in December 2006 to volunteer for the annual CRYP Christmas Toy Drive. Her other past experience working with youth includes a stint as a camp counselor at Victory YMCA in Yorktown.
