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Head Coach
Ulises Batista
Ulises leads practices and games, mentors players, and provides steady day-to-day leadership.
How It Began
A relationship that refused to fade.
In 1998, nineteen-year-old Brian Straley arrived in the Dominican Republic as a missionary. He served in communities across the southern region, including Bayona, Herrera, San Cristóbal, Los Alcarrizos, Las Matas de Farfán, Haina, and Barahona.
His service ended, but the friendships did not. Brian kept returning. Over more than two decades, families became familiar, trust deepened, and Barahona became more than a place he had once served.
Vias RD did not begin with a marketing plan. It grew from people who kept showing up for one another.
Founder & President
Brian Straley
Brigham City, Utah
Across years of return visits, Brian saw capable young people whose choices were narrowed by barriers to education, technology, mentorship, and reliable opportunity. He also saw local coaches, educators, and families already doing the daily work.
Baseball became the first way to organize that trust. It brought young people together and created a place where adults could connect athletics with school, responsibility, and a future beyond the field.
“We don’t just want these kids to play baseball. We want them to graduate. We want them to have choices.”
Leadership in Barahona
The work is locally led.
These leaders know the students, families, schools, and daily realities of Barahona. They turn the mission into consistent, accountable work.
Our Name
From Empower Baseball to Vias RD.
The organization began as Empower Baseball. Baseball was our first vía—the Spanish word for a way, route, or pathway—and it remains an important part of our work.
As local relationships revealed needs beyond one sport, the name Vias RD came to reflect the larger purpose: creating multiple pathways out of poverty for Dominican youth. The name changed; the relationships and legal nonprofit behind the work remained.
One Organization
- Public name
- Vias RD
- Legal name
- The Straley Project
- Formerly known as
- Empower Baseball
- Founded
- 2020
Board & Organizational Leadership
People accountable for the mission.
Vias RD is guided by volunteers and leaders with experience in operations, education, outreach, youth development, and nonprofit service.
Brian Straley
Founder & President
Brandon Byers
Co-Founder & Vice President
Operations and organizational management.
Melanie Ogletree
Executive Director
Outreach, relationships, and partnerships.
Tiffany Pintor
Director of Education
Education support, cultural insight, and community dignity.
Cheryl Pehrson
Board Member
Youth development and nonprofit leadership.
Samantha Pehrson
Board Member
Education equity and youth empowerment.
Debbie Straley
Board Member
Longtime support of the organization and its mission.
Transparency
Verify who we are.
Trust should not depend on polished language. These details let donors, partners, and families confirm the organization behind this website.
Tax statusU.S. 501(c)(3)
EIN85-0947825
U.S. baseBrigham City, Utah
Program communityBarahona, Dominican Republic
On the IRS search page, enter EIN 85-0947825 or legal name The Straley Project.
Questions About Vias RD?
Talk with a real person.
Ask about our history, leadership, nonprofit status, work in Barahona, or how your support is used. We welcome the questions.