Dontae Mathis is the Founder and Owner of Like Dat Youth Connections (LDYC) and Like Dat Apparel, a custom printing company established in 2004. He currently serves as a Recovery Services Coordinator at Oregon’s first recovery high school, where he supervises and supports Case Managers and Mentors serving youth in recovery.
With more than 25 years of experience working with youth and families, Dontae’s work spans foster care, education, advocacy, mentorship, and recovery services. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Human Development and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work.
As a person in recovery, Dontae brings powerful lived experience to his leadership. After experiencing multiple substance-related losses with the mother of his children in 2017, his eldest son Deontae in 2019 and Dontae Jr. in 2024 , he made a deepened commitment to ensuring young people have access to healing, opportunity, and community-based support. His work is grounded in compassion, accountability, and culturally responsive care.
In February 2026 Dontae testified in front of the Chair and Members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, opposing SB 1583. A bill that would significantly restructure Measure 110 funding and oversight away from Oregon’s health system and toward a criminal justice oriented structure, creating instability for treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and deflection programs across the state.
Professional Accomplishments
P.U.S.H
In 2012, Dontae founded Parents United for Successful Homes (P.U.S.H.) after recognizing a deep systemic failure within the juvenile justice system: families were too often excluded from decisions that would permanently impact their children’s futures.
PATHfinder Club
Dontae played a key role in developing “Paving a Trail of Hope,” a curriculum for the Pathfinder Network designed to support high school-aged youth impacted by incarceration, detention, and deportation.
Association of Recovery Schools
Dontae serves as a Co-Facilitator for the Association of Recovery Schools (ARS), supporting recovery high schools across the United States in strengthening their programs and improving outcomes for youth in recovery.
DH Foundation
In 2011, Dontae founded the Designated Hitter Foundation (DHF) with MLB Legend Brian Hunter to expand opportunities for youth in underserved communities. After identifying a lack of accessible, empowering programs, they built DHF to provide more than instruction, they created pathways.
