Ali King

Interim Executive Director  

Ministry Director

Campus Life Coach: Zionsville West Middle School

• B.Ed Hons from Exeter University (England)
• Previously worked as a teacher in a high school in England.

Moved to Indiana 16 years ago and have been doing Campus Life in Zionsville since then.

Over the past few years I have added two more responsibilities to my job description; As the ministry director of Central Indiana YFC overseeing the six core ministries (campus life, campus life middle school, teen parents, juvenile justice, deaf teen quest and city life) and most recently as the National Director of Campus Life middle school.

I love my work with Youth for Christ as I am able to work everyday in the area of my passions. I love to share the hope of a relationship with Jesus and encourage leaders to be successful.

I am married to Jason and have two daughters Laurie and Lizzie.

Charlotte Shorter

Office Manager

I am excited to be a part of the YFC/Campus Life administrative staff! My history with YFC goes back more than 20 years as I started working here right after high school. My job entails a wide variety of duties, but a few include handling all of YFC’s financial needs, keeping staff records, payroll, human resources, and coordinating our monthly mailings.

My husband Tim and I have been married for 21 years and we have a daughter, Sarah, who is a middle school student at Mooresville. I am working toward a degree in Accounting at Indiana Wesleyan University. In my spare time I enjoy watching Sarah play softball and scrapbooking.

Kelly Coker

Volunteer Ministry Coordinator

Campus Life Middle School Director

I am very excited to be a part of the Youth for Christ staff. I strongly believe in the mission of "reaching every young person one at a time." I am committed to developing personal relationships with middle school and high school kids for the purpose of introducing them to Christ. I fully enjoy using the gifts God has given me to minister to young people!

I am a graduate of Zionsville Community Schools (where I did ministry when I first came on staff with YFC!). After high school I attended DePauw University where I majored in Psychology. After graduating from DePauw in 2000, I worked as the Development Director for two different non profit organizations in Indianapolis while pursuing my Masters in Public Adminsitration from Indiana University. In 2006 I accepted a full time ministry position with Youth for Christ.

I am currently working to expand Campus Life ministry in the central Indiana area through the use of volunteer teams. I also volunteer for Center Grove Campus Life, where my husband, Wes Coker is the Campus Life Director. We were married in October of 2009.

Chris Rickelman

Campus Life High School Director

Campus Life Coach: Lawrence North High School

I have been married to my beautiful wife, Kimberly, for 10 years, and together we have 2 wonderful children, Ian (3) and Avery (7 months). My wife and I both are originally from the Indianapolis area. I grew up on the westside of Indianapolis and am a graduate of Ben Davis High School, while Kimberly grew up on the Northeast side and is a graduate of Lawrence North High School.

I received a degree in Christian Education, with a minor in Sociology from Olivet Nazarene University in 1998. In January of 2000, we made a move to North Manchester, Indiana where I began ministry with Fort Wayne Area Youth for Christ. I was the Campus Life Director at Manchester High School for 8 years.

I’ve had the privilege to minister to teenagers under the umbrella of Youth for Christ for more than eight years. I’ve had countless opportunities to share life with students, love them wherever they were at, and point them to Jesus.

During these years with YFC I have learned and grown as a minister and as a man. I have fallen in love with what the ministry of Youth for Christ is about and what it enables me to do. I believe it is firmly rooted in the desire to love Jesus, serve a community, and communicate the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. I’m excited about the opportunity to be a part of that in the Lawrence community.

Susie Jordan

Teen Parents Director

• B.S. Management, Indiana Wesleyan University
• Youth for Christ - Campus Life Volunteer at Zionsville West Middle School since 2005
• Have volunteered for worship team and kid’s worship team at church
• Small group leader at church

I have a passion for ministry that fully culminated when I took an administrative role in a large church from 2001-2004. What a blessing to use my gifts of administration, communication, and management by leading teams of passionate Christ followers! God has led me on an interesting journey thus far and my passion continues to grow. I love getting to know others and their personal journeys. I have a particular passion for those who are new to faith, or have no faith at all. I find great joy in building relationships with others who are in the midst of difficult life circumstances and need encouragement.

As Teen Parents Director, I am so excited to love, encourage, and mentor young parents who are faced with the difficult challenges of being a teen parent. With the love and hope of Jesus Christ, these teens can become parents who are equipped to love, nurture, and provide for their children.

I have been married to Rob for 16 years, and we are blessed with two sons, Matthew and Joshua.

James Burgess

Campus Life Coach: Triton Middle School

• Married for 25 years to wife, Melissa
• Two children: Sarah, 22 and Aaron, 19
• Ministry for 28 years with churches in Alabama, Tennessee and Indiana
• Has been with YFC for 12 years
• Associated with Triton Central Schools for 15 years

It has been my desire and passion to be able to work with kids and YFC gives me the opportunity to do this. At Triton Schools, more than 200 kids have attended at least one club on Monday nights this past year! On average, our attendance at Monday night's club is 36 kids!

Wes Coker

Campus Life Coach: Center Grove High School

I believe that I exist to love God and share that love with others in all that I do. My gifting includes working with high school students, which stems from my care-free personality as well as growing up with a large, loving family, and four younger siblings. My vision for Center Grove is that my presence in the school would help students realize their need for God amidst a climate where dependence on anything is foreign.
I am plugged in to the Center Grove Community in a variety of ways that include:

• Substitute Teaching
• Lunch visits with students
• Volunteering with the CARE Program
• Building a Student Leadership team
• Support for Best Buddies Club
• Mission Trip to Mexico
• Various Events: Lock-ins, Lazer Tag, Camping Trips, etc…
• Campus Life Club every Tues. Night

Bill Eakin

Campus Life Coach: Lawrence North High School

Bill has been in full-time ministry with Youth for Christ for more than 59 years. He has worked with teens all around Indianapolis through high school ministry for more than 34 of those years. He can be seen spending times with teens during lunch at Lawrence North each week.

Prior to that, he diercted the international high school ministry of Youth for Christ for 10 years traveling more than 2 million miles and ministering in more than 36 countries. He has enjoyed unusual success in communicating to young people both in groups and individually.

Bill is in constant demand for speaking at youth conventions, camps, retreats, conferences and pro football chapels. He also provides training and how how for adults working with young people through seminars and workshops.

Dan Hillen

Campus Life Coach: Fishers High School, Hamilton Southeastern High School

• Married with 1 child
• Youth for Christ since 2001 (Tuscaloosa, AL 2001-2007/Fishers, IN 2007-Present)
• Coached soccer at High School in Tuscaloosa for 5 years
• Currently fulfilling CORE Campus Life Director over High School ministry in Central Indiana YFC.

My wife and I recently moved to Fishers, Indiana from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I have worked with Youth for Christ/Campus Life for the past 7 years. I got my Bachelors degree in Youth Ministry from Oklahoma Baptist University and minored in Family Psychology. I am currently pursuing my Masters degree at Asbury Theological Seminary. Before coming on staff with YFC in 2001, I was a youth minister in a local church in Meeker, Oklahoma.

I would say my personal mission statement is, to genuinely show people Jesus. I want to show authenticity through my life and help students see and know the Jesus that I do. I love discipling students and helping them to understand how to live out their faith. After becoming a Christian myself, the discipleship process did not happen, which is why I am so passionate about it. Beyond that, I love showing people Jesus who do not know Him and love walking along side of them through that process. My desire is to help students understand who this Jesus is and how to follow Him with their whole hearts—regardless of where they are at in their walk of faith.

Jana Hillen

Campus Life Coach: Fishers Jr. High School

• BA in English from Cal State University, Bakersfield
• MA in Education
• Single Subject Teaching Credential from University of Laverne
• Previously worked for Kern County YFC (Bakersfield, CA) from 2000-2004
• Previously worked for Tuscaloosa YFC (Tuscaloosa, AL) from 2004-2007 as a middle school and high school CL Director
• Jr. High Director at Rosedale Bible Church, Bakersfield, CA (1999-2000)

Married to Dan Hillen (FHS CL Coach) since June, 2004. We have a son, Micah, born November, 2007. After taking a year off to be with my son, I am so excited to come back on staff with YFC as the Campus Life Coach for Fishers JH! My heart longs to be around students again, to dive into their world, and walk alongside them as they try to make sense of life. My hope is that through loving and authentic relationships, each student that participates in Campus Life will experience Christ in a life-changing way, and that they will be drawn one step closer to Him.

Shonda Meranda

Office Assistant/Special Events Coordinator

I have been with Youth for Christ for three years working part-time in the office and coordinating our two major annual fundraising events – the Fall Banquet and Golf Classic. These events go a long way toward raising the funds that keep our programs and activities going.

I have been married to my husband Bill for 19 years. We have two sons and live in Plainfield. In my spare time I love walking, boating with my family in the summer, watching my boys have fun and scrapbooking.

Grace Patterson

Campus Life Coach: Paul Hadley Middle School (Mooresville)

My husband Nate and I moved to Mooresville in September of 2008 when he accepted a position at Grace Church as their new youth pastor. We are both excited to serve in the same community and look forward to being a part of what God wants to do in Mooresville!

I am a graduate of Taylor University/Ft. Wayne. I will lead the new CL Club at Paul Hadley Middle School in Mooresville. As Campus Life expands to a new school system, more students will have a chance to learn about the life changing message of Christ. I love God and I love students and because of this God has given me the awesome opportunity to serve Paul Hadley students through Campus Life. Previously I worked with Campus Life at BIGJAWS Youth for Christ in 2007 serving Jay County Middle Schools.

Adam Pedersen

Campus Life Coach: Southport Middle School

My vision that through God and his outstanding love, I become a servant among the community of Southport. With my passion for student ministry, I have put my strength into becoming an influence and leader to students and peers. The ways I hope to fulfill this vision is:

• Leading Southport Middle Club
• Counseling at the Middle School
• Substitute Teaching
• Training Southport HS Students as MS Volunteers/Leaders

Jane Perkins

Office Assistant

I feel blessed to be a part of the Youth for Christ administrative staff. I love God, youth and serving others. My position allows me to pursue all of those joys. I support our great ministry staff by coordinating the monthly newsletter, maintaining club records, and anything else that someone might need.

I have been married to Mark for 23 years and we have two sons, Nick and Danny. In my spare time I enjoy reading, walking and hanging out with friends and family.