Mission
Rio Vista Youth Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Rio Vista, California.
We believe that growing up in a small town should never limit a young person's potential as a student-athlete. Our foundation removes financial and logistical barriers so that every kid in the Rio Vista area has access to quality equipment, competitive opportunities, and the coaching they deserve.
We are not affiliated with any single team or school. We serve all of them.
Board of Directors
RYAN MAHONEY
PRESIDENT
Ryan grew up in a football household. Throughout his childhood, his dad coached high school football, and Ryan was a standout at Rio Vista High School on the O-Line and at linebacker, capping off his senior year with an NCIF DIII state championship win in 2001. After high school, Ryan played offensive guard for Lewis & Clark College Pioneers.
Today, Ryan is a 5th-generation sheep and cattle rancher and the Owner/President of Emigh Livestock in Rio Vista, CA. His deep roots in this community — and his belief that every Rio Vista kid deserves a fair shot — are what drive the foundation forward.
JON KIDWELL
VICE PRESIDENT
As a father of four young athletes and husband to an endlessly active wife — Jon is undoubtedly the slowest in his family. But while agility may not be his strength, his passion for youth development and community engagement certainly is.
A proud Rio Vista High School alum (Class of 2002) and Cal Poly graduate with a BS in Agribusiness Finance, Jon helps shape the foundation's strategic planning, program development, and community outreach. When he's not making an impact on the next generation of athletes, he's leading as VP and CFO at Emigh Livestock.
SEAN MAHONEY
From his early days playing various sports in Rio Vista, Sean's focus shifted to swimming at age 11, leading to national age group records, a 2009 NCAA record, a Pan American Games gold medal and record, and seven World Cup medals. He also competed at Olympic Trials four times.
After elite swimming, Sean has excelled in triathlons, winning his age group at the Sacramento Ironman and twice competing in the Kona Ironman World Championships. He now builds technology as a Test Engineer at Google.
BOARD MEMBER
JOE DIAZ
BOARD MEMBER
"Coach Joe," as the kids call him, is a 3rd-generation Solano County resident who graduated from Rio Vista High School in 2008. Joe is deeply rooted in this community — as part of the Rio Vista Jr. Ram football program, Vice President of the River Delta Baseball program, and a teacher and staff member with RDUSD for over 11 years.
Joe played sports throughout his life growing up in Winters, where he was shaped by coaches who held him accountable, celebrated his wins, and kept him humble. That experience drives everything he does with young athletes today. He has a real passion for helping kids find their role on their team and succeed not just on the field, but in the classroom and in life.
Joe is also the second-leading fundraiser auctioneer in Solano County — and the driving force behind the Lira's Athlete of the Week community feature.
"Fifty percent of coaching is X's and O's. The rest is about building a trusting relationship so young athletes believe in themselves to accomplish their goals."
Get in Touch
Questions about a program? Want to get involved? Reach out — we're a small board of locals and we actually read our messages