Dan and Holly Williams – Executive Directors

Dan and Holly Williams are Florida natives who have served in the Teen Challenge ministry ever since graduating the Teen Challenge location in Ft. Myers, Florida. They know firsthand how God can use Teen Challenge to transform lives for eternity. Dan and Holly have served in various leadership capacities with Teen Challenge that range from counseling, training, managing programs, and other capacities. They have been incredibly proud to serve as the Executive Directors of Lakeland Girls Academy since the fall of 2017.

Dan and Holly both have degrees in Bible and Theology from Global University, and Dan is a licensed pastor with the Assemblies of God. Dan also proudly serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Association of Christian Child Caring Agencies, or FACCCA.

Dan and Holly enjoy hiking, the outdoors, great coffee, and spending time with family and friends. They are, however, most passionate about seeing lives changed through the power of Jesus Christ, and seeing God restore lives and families through the Teen Challenge program. Dan and Holly are also proud parents of their daughter Avery, who is a tremendous joy.

Cicilia

Cilicia is from McMinnville, Tennessee and is a proud graduate Teen Challenge Fort Myers
women’s center. After graduating Teen Challenge she felt God wanted her to just stay still and
complete a year long internship with Teen Challenge. During this internship is where the Lord
put a special call on her life to work with teenagers. Her heart is for helping people reach their
potential but most of all sharing the love of Christ. She loves to encourage and build others up.
Cilicia has two little girls Kadence and Kennadee. She has watched God completely restore her
relationship with her children. She not only can tell them about the love of Christ and His
transforming power, but she can show them. Her life verse is “For I know the plans I have for
you says the Lord . They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Amanda

Amanda was born and raised right here in Lakeland, FL and is a recent graduate of the
University of South Florida with her bachelors in Social and Behavioral Health, but felt a call
from God to ministry shortly after. She is an avid coffee drinker and loves spending her free time
at any local coffee shop or serving at her church. If she is not running, or finding something
outdoors to do she is immersed in worship music. She became who she is today because
someone showed the love of God to her as a teenager and it impacted her life greatly, because
of that she wants others to know who Jesus is and who we are because of him. She wants to
help others find freedom and experience healing.

Meghan

Meghan grew up in Pennsylvania most of her life. She is a recent graduate from the University of Valley Forge with a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry Leadership with a focus in youth ministry and minor in pastoral counseling. In high school, she knew the Lord called her into ministry, and started developing passion for the next generation. In college, God gave her a burden specifically for teenage and college-aged girls through being a Resident Assistant, camp counselor & youth leader. Her mission is to see the next generation transformed by the power of the gospel through the Holy Spirit.

Debbie Provost – Counselor

Debbie Provost is from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. She is a graduate of Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, TX majoring in Counseling. She currently resides in Lakeland with her husband Jimmy and their daughter Kaylee. In her spare time, Debbie enjoys planning fun adventures for her daughter and spending time with her family. Her life verse is: “Forget the former things, do not dwell in the past, see I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19

Lauren Straubel – Residential Counselor

Lauren Straubel is a Lakeland native. Following high school she studied for two years at Word of Life Bible Institute where she got an associates degree in biblical studies. During her time at Word of Life she gained a deeper understanding of who she is in Christ and was better equipped to live a life of ministry. After Word of Life she continued her education at Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, FL where she graduated with a bachelors degree in Christian Counseling. She has a passion for bringing the hope of the gospel to young people and is excited to be able to do what she loves every day. “There is nothing better than seeing lives transformed by the power of the Gospel.”

Kalyn Cambers – Teacher

Kalyn was born and raised in Miami, Fl. Graduate from Southeastern university, Kalyn received her bachelors degree in Social Work, and also has experience teaching in Polk County/Miami Dade schools. Her background consist of working with teen girls who have been sex trafficked in Florida. She also attended a three month internship with the “A21 Campaign” in Greece helping survivors of human trafficking. Her mission in life is to see young girls find their identity in Christ and be completely transformed, just as she was. Kalyn is recently married to the love of her life, has a passion for health and fitness, and loves to study God’s Word.

Debbie Vogel – Teacher

Debbie was raised in Orlando and has always had a sense of adventure.  She lived in Florence, Italy while studying with FSU and Paris, France working as a bilingual secretary.  She has 14 years of College and 3 degrees, graduating with honors. She and her husband Gary have been in full time ministry for over 25 years and have traveled and lived around the country.  Debbie has extensive knowledge in organizing, training ministry teams to go into jails. She has been privileged to be a vital part of salvation and discipleship in the lives of hundreds of students through her private tutoring business for the past 15 years.   Many of her students are impacting fields such as medicine, research, engineering and ministry. She works to instill confidence in the Lord and in each student’s God given abilities. She is excited and blessed to have been led to LGA to continue ministering through academics and God’s redemption.

Allison Lanier – Admissions Coordinator

Allison is a lifetime resident of Lakeland, Florida. God has taken her on many adventures around the world (attending a 600 year old university in Scotland, getting lost on the streets of Rome, and zip lining through the Guatemalan rainforest, just to name a few), but she always finds her way back home. When she’s not walking families through the admissions process at LGA, Allison serves on the leadership team at Love Haiti Partnership, helping to provide humanitarian aid and educational opportunities for children in Haiti. She loves breakfast food, fair trade fashion, and laughing loudly. Allison has a heart for people and desires to make everyone she meets feel worthy, no matter what their circumstances.

Erin Lehr – Residential Direct Care

Erin was born and raised in Orlando, FL. She graduated from Southeastern University with a degree in Psychology. She has had a passion for helping teen girls since middle school and now gets to live out one of her dream jobs. She loves getting the opportunity to pour into our girls and seeing them grow into the women God has created them to be.

Jasmine Smith – Residential Direct Care

Jasmine Smith, also known as Jazz, is a proud native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She studied Business Management with a minor in Marketing at the University of Central Oklahoma. She also studied Christian Theology and Divinity through IMI in Pensacola, FL. From a young age, Jasmine has had a genuine passion for all people from all walks of life, especially children, youth, and young adults. At the age of 21, Jasmine became an ordained minister. She has over 15 years of experience working with young people to date and has served in various forms of ministry since the age of 6. Her hobbies include sports, reading, writing, dancing and doing hair. She is also Certified as a Personal Trainer. When she isn’t working out or training you will find her immersed in her music. Committed to her music, Jasmine uses her platform of rap and dance to be a voice for those who have yet to find theirs, encouraging one another to love each other as Christ loves us, unconditionally. Her focus is not only to impact lives, but to help people live transformed lives, uncovering their purpose and identity, and showing them what it means to exemplify love in everything they do.

Lauren DelFrate – Residential Direct Care

Lauren is 30 years old, and grew up in Palm Harbor Florida. Lauren is a Teen Challenge graduate of the Ft. Myers Women’s Center. After graduating Teen Challenge, Lauren was called by God to do a one year internship and stay with the ministry that God used to change her life. Lauren is very passionate about what God did in her life through Teen Challenge and her desire is to help others find freedom through the power of Jesus Christ.