The Team
Michael "TonTon" Antonopoulos
Program Director
Michael Antonopoulos is a community builder, facilitator, and social entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience designing and leading trauma-informed programs that foster resilience, leadership, and healing. As the Program Director of Emerging Futures Youth Network (EFYN), Michael brings a unique blend of creativity, structure, and lived experience to his work with incarcerated and at-risk youth across Oregon.
Before co-founding EFYN, Michael served as Program Manager for Golden Rule ReEntry’s Prison to Prosperity Pipeline, mentoring formerly incarcerated adults through skill-building workshops and holistic reentry support. He is also the founder of TonTon’s Artisan Affections, a beloved gluten-free food brand that grew from farmers markets into statewide distribution and a thriving café. TonTon’s became a vibrant hub for inclusive community events—fostering empowerment through entrepreneurship, celebrating healthy foods, and creating space for cultural connection.
Michael is trained in trauma-informed practices, compassionate communication, and leadership development. His professional background spans youth mentorship, nonprofit leadership, fitness and wellness, and restorative programming—always centered around dignity, equity, and self-expression.
A passionate advocate for justice-impacted youth, Michael is committed to helping young people reconnect with purpose, identity, and their own creative power. Through EFYN, he is helping build spaces where transformation is possible—one mural, one conversation, and one day at a time.
ArnoBoer
Creative director
Arno Boer is a fine artist, designer, musician, event organizer, performer, and longtime resident of Talent, Oregon.
With over 20 years of experience working with youth facing a wide range of coping challenges, Arno has spent a significant portion of that time mentoring young men one-on-one. He currently works at Barriers 2 Bridges, a juvenile residential program housed within the juvenile prison in Medford, where he has witnessed firsthand the deep need for art and wellness programming. This insight became the inspiration behind what EFYN has created.
Through team-based mural-making projects, Arno engages justice-involved youth in work that fosters a stronger sense of community, confidence, and connection. He is a passionate believer that any young person, when held in a container that offers a healthy balance of love, playfulness, creative expression, and constructive boundaries, can make meaningful strides in resetting themselves from within. That quiet shift, when a young heart no longer sees itself through its scars, but through its own unfolding light.
In addition to his work in the arts and mentorship, Arno is a Mental Health First Responder, mediator, hypnotherapist, and trust circle provider for individuals recently released from incarceration.
Paul Sheldon
Board President & CFO
Paul Sheldon is the Executive Director of The Crest at Willow-Witt, where he leads nonprofit education and outdoor learning programs that connect people to nature and foster environmental stewardship. With decades of experience in fundraising, financial oversight, and governance, Paul ensures fiscal accountability and strategic direction at EFYN. His leadership, commitment to community, and passion for justice and sustainability make him a strong steward of our mission.