LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Breaking the cycle of poverty
Led by dedicated staff and an involved board of directors, Shepherd Community Center applies management best practices and biblical values to all of our programs and planning.
Senior Leadership
Jay Height
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
An ordained minister with a journalism and philanthropy background, Jay has served at Shepherd since 1998. His longstanding connections with the community and vision for a revitalized city inspire Shepherd’s staff and neighbors as well as our civic, institutional, and corporate partners.
Andrew Green
ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Andrew began his career working with at-risk youth and children in Detroit and continued that commitment while getting his Masters of Social Work at the University of Michigan. In 2006, he joined Shepherd’s staff, and has since held several strategic and leadership positions. In addition to his work at Shepherd, Andrew serves on his church board and is active in the community.
Tim Streett
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
A scholar with a passion for poverty alleviation, Tim helped to build Shepherd’s unique 10 Assets format for breaking the cycle of poverty. He provides valuable philosophical and strategic direction for Shepherd’s programs.
Phil Edwards
Chief Engagement Officer
With more than 30 years of experience in community development, Phil has a passion for cultivating authentic relationships among people from different ethnic and socio-economic groups. His vision for Shepherd volunteers is mutual transformation—that each person who serves will develop skills and build lasting relationships with our neighbors.
Allen Southerland
Chief Leadership Pipeline
Drawing on more than 30 years in ministry, including denominational leadership and nearly a decade on Shepherd’s Board of Directors, Allen came on staff to more fully develop the Leadership Pipeline. In that role, he oversees fellowship participants and interns as well as some internal staff, and develops partnerships with colleges to give students experiential learning through service at Shepherd.
Bekah Kidd
Chief Program Officer
Starting in the Shepherd Fellowship Program in 2012, Bekah now serves as Chief Program Officer. With a Bachelor’s in Christian Education (2011) and MBA (2020) from Olivet Nazarene University, Bekah oversees our Academy, After-School, Summer, and Family Services programs and ensures these teams have what they need to be effective and focused on the mission of Shepherd without hindrances or distractions. Bekah’s vision for Shepherd programs is to be a cohesive and supportive team that works to ensure the whole family is moving towards reduced dependency by continuously reinventing programs to better fit and support families’ needs. “Our programming revolves around relationships with each other and our neighbors. This means all our programs should deepen relationships with neighbors, and these relationships should also play a part in how our programs operate.”
Donna Alexander
Director of Volunteers
With a vast experience as a missionary (10 years in Zambia, Africa, and six years in Ukraine) and a teacher in both the American Embassy School and Islamic Academy in Africa, Donna brings a diverse set of skills to Shepherd, including leadership training, literacy development, and managing a variety of volunteer opportunities and teams from around the world. In her role as Director of Volunteers, Donna helps recruit and equip individuals and groups to volunteer at Shepherd to significantly impact our community. “My vision for volunteers is to help them learn, build relationships, and bridge the gap of cultural barriers to help further the mission of Shepherd to break the cycle of poverty.”
Edson Solares
Director of HR/I.T.
Edson has served the Shepherd team since 2013 in various roles, but with his Bachelor’s in Computer Science (2013) and MBA (2015), Edson brings a unique and robust skill set to his current role as Director of HR & IT. Edson empowers the staff both emotionally and technologically. Edson sees his role as “taking care of the less fun stuff so current and future staff can concentrate on what they do best!”
Tim Sturgess
Chief Administrative Officer
Tim started with Shepherd in September 2021, following over 30 years in the television broadcast business, including 13 years as Vice President and General Manager of several TV stations in Terre Haute, Indiana. Tim’s vision is to adopt best practices from the corporate structure to fit Shepherd by developing operational efficiencies to be the best stewards of the resources entrusted to us so we can effectively serve our neighbors.
Stephen Phillips
Chief of Staff
Stephen came to Shepherd in 2022 with a wealth of knowledge and experiences: a law degree with honor; a Master of Divinity focused on family, youth, and children; an ordained minister with the Church of the Nazarene; a global missionary; and the Mission and Urban Coordinator for the Church of the Nazarene’s Africa Regional Office, including facilitating mission and urban work throughout the entire African continent. As Shepherd’s Chief of Staff, Stephen cultivates strategic conversations and helps Shepherd staff implement and understand said strategies. Most importantly, Stephen wants to create a discipleship culture at Shepherd where every staff member understands that they belong, are seen, and can live out their purpose both at Shepherd and in the community.
