CAYM - Key Persons
Andrew coordinates mentoring for CAYM in Rwanda. He began his mentoring program with the help of CAYM materials in 2015. Since then, he is working with CAYM's team to advance mentoring in Churches in Rwanda. He is now training and coaching leaders in Rwanda to develop mentoring in their churches and communities.
April has been with CAYM since 2016. Although her passion is acting in Shakespearian dramas, she was also a school teacher and Librarian. Because of this background, April brings considerable skills in managing and organizing to our ministry. She spends much of her time now mentoring Noel and Heidi, her daughters.
Courtney currently serves in the role of Training and Content Director for UNDIVIDED which is a non-profit that is focused on racial solidarity and healing. She was recognized as an influential female leader receiving the Greater Cincinnati YWCA Rising Star Award. She is a TEDx speaker, Social Impact Global Fellow with MovingWorlds, certified Framework for Understanding Poverty trainer and Trauma Competent Care trainer. Courtney received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Elon University, her master's degree in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Cincinnati and she is currently pursuing her doctorate from Northern Kentucky University in Educational Leadership focusing her dissertation research on identifying the most effective resilience and resistance practices that help mitigate the impact of racialized trauma.
Dianne has extensive background in graphic design and managing marketing productions. She previously served as a marketing manager at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and has worked as a freelance graphic artist as well as an artist for book authors. She has three children and two grand children.
Donnovan began working with youth through Youth Horizons in Wichita, Kansas in 1995, first in a group home and then as the manager of their mentoring program. Donnovan attended one of CAYM's first training events. He started helping train other ministries through CAYM in 2007 and joined CAYM's team in 2008.
Doug has worked for Koch Industries for over twenty years in strategic business development and leadership roles. Prior to his role at Koch, he worked as an accountant for Pepsico and a regional banking firm doing financial planning along with roles in merger/acquisitions. He is a graduate of Wichita State University with a B.A. in Accounting and a MBA. Doug and Kristy Karber have been married for over twenty years and have three children. They attend River Community Church in Wichita where they serve in several ministries.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Principal Product Manager in Artificial Intelligence for T - Mobile
Joel became the Executive Director of CAYM in 2023. He was previously the Principal Product Manager in Artificial Intelligence for T-Mobile where he lead sa team of data scientists and engineers to build products that accelerate the adoption of AI. Joel has been connected to CAYM since he attended a training in 2009. He previously served on CAYM's board of directors.
Joel is the Principal Product Manager in Artificial Intelligence for T-Mobile where he lead sa team of data scientists and engineers to build products that accelerate the adoption of AI. Joel is one of the founders Peak7 - a faith-based 501(c)3 providing life-changing outdoor adventures to under-resourced youth. He lives in Washington State with his wife, Amanda, and their three children.
Job Titles:
- International Director
- Founder of the Appalachia Mentoring Project
Ken Merrifield is the founder of the Appalachia Mentoring Project (AMP). Prior to establishing AMP, the Merrifields lived for ten years in Romania working with HIV positive children and planting churches. Currently, Ken serves as the International Director for CAYM. The Merrifields have six children - two of whom are adopted through international adoption and foster care.
Michael is Associated Dean for Research and Professor of Educational Psychology in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He received a doctorate in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University (1997) and a doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin (1999). He conducts research on school-based and cross-age peer mentoring as well as on adolescent connectedness and pair counseling. He co-edited two editions of the Handbook of Youth Mentoring (with David L. DuBois) and authored the Cross-age Mentoring Program (CAMP) program, the implementation for which is described in CAMP Program Manual, Training Guide, Connectedness Curriculum, and Mentor Handbook. Most recently, he has worked with Donnovan Karber and Peter Vanacore, along with Boy with a Ball international leaders, Jamie Johnson and Anna Currie, on a tiered mentoring program for faith-based communities. The curriculum is called CAMP John, drawing inspiration from the Gospel of John, which is used in the coaching by adult of teen mentors in the CAMP Graceland model. Michael lives in his hometown of San Antonio with his wife, Sara and three children.
Paul White is a Christian psychologist, speaker, and leadership trainer. He has written articles for and been interviewed by Bloomberg's Business Week, CNN/Fortune.com, Entrepreneur.com, Fast Company, FoxBusiness.com, Huffington Post LIVE, U.S. News and World Report, and Yahoo! Finance. Dr. White is the coauthor of three books including, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace,which has sold over 500,000 copies (written with Dr. Gary Chapman, author of the #1 NY Times bestseller, The 5 Love Languages). Their Appreciation at Work training resources have been used by numerous corporations, medical facilities, schools, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, over 725 colleges and universities, and in over 60 countries. Additionally, his expertise has been requested by numerous Christian organizations including the Salvation Army, Compassion International, and Focus on the Family, just to name a few. He has been married for over 40 years and is the father of four adult children. Paul and his wife, Kathy, have been involved in small group ministry for many years.
Peter has been in the mentoring field since 1981 working with juvenile offenders and children in the Child Protective Service system in New York. He moved to Massachusetts in 1997 where he helped Straight Ahead Ministries develop a national training program. He has been with CAYM since its founding in 2005.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Chairman of the Board of Salem Communications
Stuart is co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Salem Communications. Through his involvement in that Salem, he is a member of the board of directors of the National Religious Broadcasters Association. Time Magazine has named him one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. Stuart is one of the co-founders of the Christian Association of Youth Mentoring and served as Chairman for the first decade. He has a passion for mentoring boys who are growing up without their dads. The Eppersons lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His wife, Nancy, is on the board of international Christian broadcaster, Trans World Radio. Many successful men and women throughout the country attribute their success to mentoring from Stuart and Nancy. They have four children, daughters Kristy, Karen, and Kathy, and son Stuart, Jr., along with a multitude of grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Senior Director of Business Development at Nokia
Tony is the Senior Director of Business Development at Nokia. He worked directly for the CEO of Space-Time Insight and prior to that was their Vice President of National Field Operations/Sales. Tony has over 30 years sales, sales management, and operational experience in the information technology industry. He is an objective thinker, rationalizing various views with an ability to turn insight into actions. Tony's sense of service extends beyond the CAYM board; he also serves on several Christian organization boards as well as on his neighborhood HOA Board. Tony and his wife, Linda, live in California near their two daughters and three grandchildren.