LEADERSHIP
steve zanco
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/founder
Steve founded Skatepark Respect from an idea formed while talking with Coby Hart as they cleaned a local park in 2017. He then sought out key directors and partners to help bring the idea to reality. In his role as Executive Director, he provides leadership and strategic vision for the organization. Steve leads education initiatives, fundraising, Skatepark Respect Ambassador Programs, community outreach, and the growth focus of the organization.
A strong business leader and coach with success in many industries, Steve has an entrepreneurial spirit and develops teams and companies to greatness through creative, people-focused leadership. He was born and raised in Oceanside, CA and grew up skateboarding the streets with no skateparks around. He is a self-described “mediocre-at-best” skateboarder but is 100% skateboarder in his soul and wants to give back and make the skateboarding community better for everyone.
lance harper
vp & secretary
Lance is a founding member of Skatepark Respect and helped the organization take shape as Vice President and Secretary. He brings a strong work ethic and make-it-happen perspective to each role, helping the organization grow with creative ideas and strong relationships with all he encounters.
He is a SoCal native and Oceanside resident who spends his time with family and skates every chance he gets. He brings leadership experience to the team and has served on other boards. Lance leads our donor relations and marketing initiatives.
paul montero
treasurer
As a child of the 70’s in Southern California, Paul grew up in the shadow of the skateboarding boom and has been rolling since the days of clay wheels. In the late 70’s when the original skateparks began to appear, he was lucky enough to visit a few, but didn’t really get into the scene before they started to shut down and his interests turned to other sports. Besides rolling on a 10” cruiser board for transportation during college, skateboarding became a thing of the past for nearly 30 years. When Paul’s sons were old enough and began to show interest in skating, he decided to purchase an Alva board (the one he wanted as a kid) and show the kids what’s up! Well, 30 years of rust is hard to knock off, but the stoke was the same as he remembered as a kid! With a flexible work-from-home job, solo trips to the skatepark became a daily occurrence and with the number of local parks in the North County San Diego area, there was a variety of terrain to experience.
Paul’s involvement in skatepark maintenance began with the frustration of seeing cigarette butts littered at the local Prince Park in Oceanside. He decided to spray paint some buckets with a snarky ratt and “Don’t Be a Butt!” theme, and lo and behold it worked! From there he got involved with the creation of Skatepark Respect, helping to write the bylaws and establish a true Non-Profit from the ground up. The vision was to spread a simple message that could be carried to local parks to help create a positive impression about skaters who care about their parks and the larger community as a whole. Paul brings experience running his own small business for 10+ years, prior to his current role working in the Legal Department of a major financial institution. Additionally, like many skaters he has a creative side and contributes photography and video edits from SPR events to help promote the cause. As the finance chair, Paul helps see that all of the funds raised from Skatepark Respect donations and grants are funneled back to the main mission within the growing community it serves.
KARISA MAY
DIRECTOR
Karisa May is a longtime Oceanside resident with native roots in Huntington Beach. She’s a quad-skater with Hidden City Roller Derby (North County’s original female flat-track roller derby team) and discovered park skating at Prince Park, Oceanside in 2020.
Karisa embraced the “trash then thrash” ethic after consistently seeing SPR leaders taking care of Prince as part of their Saturday morning sessions. She’s currently pushing her third broom/dustpan combo and has rescued countless frogs and crickets and one mouse while cleaning.
Since joining the SPR board in 2023 Karisa has communicated with global ambassadors, collaborated with a shoe recycling initiative to supplement funding, and has been involved with community clean-ups and marketing events to support the cause.
BONNIE MAY
DIRECTOR
Born and raised in Oceanside, California, Bonnie (she/her) discovered roller skating in 2014 and is an active member of Hidden City Roller Derby. She transitioned towards park skating in 2020, and instantly connected with the mission of Skatepark Respect. After spending a few years participating in local clean-ups, she joined the Board of Directors in 2023 to lend expertise in fundraising and grassroots organization.
With an academic and professional background in environmental conservation and sustainability, Bonnie brings a lifetime of passion for clean streets, watersheds, and community parks to the Skatepark Respect team.
TIM JOHNSON
DIRECTOR
Tim is a passionate skateboarder hailing from the scenic coastal town of Laguna Beach. From a young age, Tim fell in love with the liberating thrill of skateboarding, and it has since become an integral part of his life.
Tim continues to share his passion for skateboarding with the world, inspiring others to embrace the freedom of the sport and appreciate the beauty skateboarding has provided.
From a young age, Tim felt a calling to help others and provide care and support to those in need. This innate sense of empathy led them to pursue a career in home health care, where they could make a difference in the lives of individuals who require assistance in the comfort of their own homes. Tim brings organizational leadership and program experience to the board.
JONAS ABRAHAMS
director
Jonas Abrahams has been skateboarding for 20+ years and we recently welcomed Jonas as a formal board member. Jonas has been volunteering with our organization since our early beginnings. He shares his passion for skateboarding with his contagious smile, constant positivity, and makes every effort to show kindness to all and bring people together.
You can’t help but have a great day when skateboarding with Jonas. He brings a sense of positivity and fun to everything he does and helps us realize the importance of planting the seed of kindness and respect. He considers himself the biggest kid out there and his attitude is infectious. He is a mentor to many kids and helps them find the joy in life in anything they choose to do or become.
Jonas enjoys his career working at the local skateshop and is committed to educating the youth about skatepark etiquette and the importance of clean skateparks. His vocation keeps him connected to the community, while contributing to the positive growth of the skateboard industry as a whole. Jonas spends most of his free time skateboarding at the local skateparks across Southern California and teaching his skateboard students of all-ages.
We are excited for Jonas to help lead our outreach and community education efforts.
“Be like Peter Pan and never grow up, always be a kid at heart and be the reason someone smiles! Kindness Wins” ~ Jonas Abrahams