Our Team

With a combined decades of experience, our team brings unique skills to our organization. We love investing in the next generation and cultivating mutually transforming relationships!

Interested in joining our team? Check out our open positions.

Carlton is the “team supreme captain” of Mercy Street. He charts the course, rallies the squad, and keeps the energy high—whether that means leading a board meeting, giving a pep talk to staff, praising with donors or celebrating with students, families and community members. He makes sure the mission moves forward, with joy, purpose, and a whole lot of teamwork. Ask him anything about Mercy Street and no doubt he’ll tell you at some point, “Teamwork makes the Dream Work!”

Carlton Oby

President & CEO

aka Pastor Coner or Pastor Errol. Errol is the ultimate mission superhero—part traffic controller, part puzzle master, part “get-it-done” wizard. He juggles calendars, budgets, capital projects and programs without dropping a beat, making sure everything actually works while the big dreams take flight. It’s been said Errol has had every type of career experience one can encounter. Whenever something new comes up we hear a murmur from the crowd, “Errol’s done that!”

Errol Coner

Executive Vice President & COO

Pam is part executive coach, part team counselor, part staff therapist, and part office DJ (because who else sets the vibe or maybe that’s just her humming around the office). Pam makes it her mission to hire great teammates, cheer them on, solve conflicts, celebrate wins, and keep the culture buzzing with joy and purpose. Basically, she’s the keeper of the “Mercy Street secret sauce” that makes working here awesome.

Pam Gaasbeck

Vice President, People & Culture

Esmeralda is part calendar ninja, part mind reader, and part air traffic controller on the Street. She juggles meetings, emails, and “urgent-but-also-important” tasks while keeping our President & CEO on task and the mission moving. With Carlton as the pilot, Esmeralda is the one in the control tower making sure takeoff and landing go off without a hitch. Esmeralda is more than any ‘ol crafty email writer and communicator, she’s a proud children’s book author and publisher. And… mic drop!

Esmeralda Rodriguez

Executive Assistant to the President & CEO

Estefania is part hype-person, part recruiter, and part cruise director. She rallies volunteers, plugs people into just-right roles, and keeps the energy fun and purposeful. If community engagement were a party, she’d be the host making sure everyone feels welcome and leaves inspired.  Not to mention, she has a signature dance move “The Estefania”.

Estefania Ortiz

Associate Director, Volunteer & Community Engagement

Think of Colby as the mission’s stage manager – with a spotlight on the kids, Colby is pulling ropes, moving props, and making sure the show goes on. He is the behind the scenes force that advocates for our students and families to have unforgettable experiences. Colby is the “get it done” teammate who makes the details look easy. Just don‘t send him to the grocery store for a few light snacks… you might end up with more than you bargained for but you will for sure be able to throw a big party and invite the neighborhood!

Colby Lewis

Program Logistics Coordinator

Karen ensures excellence in our day to day operations, faithfully stewarding details so that the Gospel can shine brighter across all we do. With a servant’s heart and eye for order, Karen reminds us that every single thing in our work can be an act of worship. And, she does it all with finesse a smile that could light up any space she walks into.

Karen Okoroafor

Operations Coordinator

Half storyteller, half treasured relationship builder, Sam finds creative ways to invite others into the Mercy Street mission and vision. He inspires giving by connecting people’s passion with purpose—transforming resources such as time, treasure and talents into real opportunities for our students, families, and partners alike. Sam has never met a stranger, he is literally everybody’s self-proclaimed “Homeboy”. Sam has been a longtime Mercy Street advocate from mentoring to coaching to leader but even more so he is a magnificent faithful servant that makes sure Mercy Street stewards all our resources well. Oh and also Sam is a phenomenally talented photographer. If you see him be sure to have him snap a pic and post it on socials!

Sam Flores

Senior Director of Development

Destiny is the behind-the-scenes booster who helps development run smoothly. If fundraising and grant writing was a puzzle, Destiny is the piece-finder, making sure everything fits together. She is the detail-oriented teammate who keeps the books balanced and the gratitude flowing. She’s been referred to as the “Little General” by some of the team but make no mistake, Destiny is fueled by encouraging generosity and showing donors the difference they make – making sure no detail gets missed.

Destiny Brookins

Assistant Director of Development

Aubrey may be a relative newcomer to our Mercy Street team but he is not new to blending faith, mentoring, sports, and leadership into a fun place where kids can learn, belong, and thrive and we are so here for it! Aubrey wants everyone to know, we’re growing our afterschool program, the energy is high, and the mission is simple: love kids well and help them become who God created them to be. Oh, and Aubrey is not too shy to say he speaks un poco español. “Pero por favor, habla mas despacio conmigo.”

Aubrey McKinzie

Afterschool Site Program Director

Wesley is the one you can always find laughing and interacting with students, cheering them on, or dreaming up the next thing to engage them and bring them to our Mercy Street bible study groups. Wesley has a knack for making sure every student knows they’re valued and capable of so much more than they can imagine. Wesley loves to inspire, ask Wesley to share with you his “boring” testimony and trust… it’s not “boring” at all. You’ll see.

Wesley Hawthorne

Mentoring & Leadership Program Coordinator

Brian is part coach, part referee, part event planner, part equipment manager, part technology guru, and part financial wizard. He juggles partnerships, uniforms, game schedules, skills camps and at least hundreds of baseballs, softballs, basketballs, soccer balls, and volleyballs while making sure kids, coaches, and fans all have a great Christ-Centered experience. Basically, if it happens on or around a field or court, Brian has already thought about it twice (or more like twenty times) and he also probably shared it on a whiteboard. Oh and did we mention that Brian also can rap (ask him to do his safety rap for you- it’s awesome) and also, he’s a CPA – wait, what? You got that right, also a CPA. Brian is a real Mercy Street multi-“sport” champion player!

Brian Roy

Director of Sports Operations

Talesha is the organizational brain of the sports team. She handles calls, rental agreements, registration questions, and volunteer logistics, making sure all the moving parts of sports programming fit together like a glove. While others run the plays, Talesha is like central air conditioning in North Texas in the middle of August, keeping it cool across the playing field at all times. She also makes sure the team is keeping all of the playbooks in order for a “W” at every game.

Talesha Burnley

Sports Operations Administrator

Kierra is a life-changer in action. She along with her team creates spaces where students discover their God-given gifts and are paired with mentors who walk alongside them. She is passionate about her work and the power of a relationship with the Lord. She makes it her mission to ensure every young leader has the support to flourish. Not to mention, she is the “mentor of the mentors” helping volunteers, students, and the Mercy Street team continually transform and grow together in faith, wisdom, and fun.

Kierra Wallace-Gorham

Director of Mentoring & Leadership

Jill is an awesome mix between a matchmaker, camp counselor, and life coach. She prayerfully pairs students with mentors, helps students work with their mentors to create leadership pathways, and keeps the energy alive in every mentoring relationship. Jill is the organizer behind the mutually transforming relationships Mercy Street helps curate– ensuring mentors, students and families have the tools and encouragement they need to succeed. If you haven’t had one yet, make sure to ask Jill how you can get your very own cake toast! Truth be told it may require you becoming a mentor but you want to do that anyway.

Jill Collum

Mentoring & Leadership Program Coordinator

Akilah is equal parts cheerleader, organizer, relationship supporter, and community spokesperson. Having been connected through Mercy Street growing up, she is now investing her talents into connecting students with awesome mentors, planning and implementing activities that teach kids to be leaders early on, and knows how important it is to celebrate every win along the way, side by side with them. With a genuine love for people and community and a knack for turning everyday moments into cherished teachable ones. Ask anyone that has been around Akilah for more than a minute and you’ll know. Akilah shows what leaning into God-given gifts and confidence looks like and Praise Jesus, it’s contagious ya’ll! 10/10 highly recommend.

Akilah Wilson

Mentoring & Leadership Program Coordinator