Board of Trustees
President of the Board – Kelli Lomax, Ministry and Community Advocate & On-the-go Mom
Board Secretary – Jeanne Elizabeth Ramirez, Retired Pharmacist & Stay-at-Home Mom
Board Treasurer – John Morrison, Strategic Financial Advisor/ Certified Public Accountant
Board Member – Catherine Bankston, Stay-At-Home Mom & Entrepreneur
Board Member – Tamikia Bell, Counselor, Therapist, Qualified Mental Health Professional
Board Member – Brian Brandt, CEO Core Insights
Board Member – Carter Delleney, Engineer
Board Member – Cynthia Freeman, Retiree Post-Master
Board Member – Ricky Garner, Pastor of Bethel Hope Bible Church
Board Member – Nate Hill, Experienced Ministry Director
Board Member – Jon Moore, Chief Credit Approval Officer, Vera Bank
Board Member – Kellie Pope, Stay-at-Home Mom & Active Community Volunteer
Board Member – Cynthia Riter, Community Volunteer, Riter Family Foundation
Board Member – Stephanie Maulden Shankle, Pastor at Kingdom Family Church & Grace Community School Teacher
Board Member – Trey Yarbrough, Managing Attorney, Yarbrough – Wilcox PLLC
Kelli Lomax believes living life on mission is not solely meant for the overseas missionaries, but is an incredible opportunity for each of us locally. Her cross-cultural experiences began while working for a missions organization at Liberty University taking students overseas. Upon graduating with a business degree in Marketing, she worked in the Mission Ministry at Grace Fellowship Church, where she also became certified as a Stephen’s Minister, which is a global organization that equips people for ministry. After moving to Florida, she worked for The Church of Eleven22 and later became the Perspectives Coordinator of Jacksonville, FL, a national discipleship course covering aspects of God’s global purpose and heart for all peoples, both locally and abroad. It was there she started a local network of missionaries ministering to Muslims and refugees in her community, as well as being an active member in Be The Bridge, a national faith based organization focused on racial reconciliation within the church. Her passion is seeing community transformation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. She came to Promise as a parent in 2021, the Advisory Council in 2022 and started on the Board in 2023. Her and her husband, Steven, have four kids and attend Grace Community Church.
Jeanne Elizabeth Ramirez is a stay at home mom. She grew up in New Mexico and graduated from the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy in 1991. She was a Pharmacist in the ICU at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas where she met her husband, Rigo. They have been married for 25 years and have 3 children. She has served on the school board at Grace Community School for 5 years and also on various committees there. They attend church at Grace Community Church.
John Morrison grew up in Tyler, Texas, graduating from Robert E. Lee High School. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s of Taxation from Baylor University, where he also met his wife, Ashley. After graduation, John and Ashley pursued opportunities in Texas and Alaska, but family commitments and a desire to return home and open an accounting practice led them back to Tyler. They have two beautiful daughters, and a resident mutt named Earl who keeps an eye on the whole crew. Throughout his career, John has used his financial insight and knowledge of tax law to assist his clients through their toughest challenges with outstanding results. He holds both a Texas Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) certification, is a Real Estate Broker and is an active participant in several professional and charitable organizations.
Catherine Bankston is a stay at home mom and entrepreneur. After graduating from Texas Christian University and spending a few years in Dallas, her and her husband Drew moved to Tyler in 2012. Catherine is active in her community volunteering. She gives a lot of her time to the Texas Rose Festival and All Saints Episcopal school, where her children attend. Catherine and Drew have three children and have been married 15 years. They are active members of Marvin Methodist Church. She looks forward to serving on the Promise Academy board.
Tamikia Lynne Bell is a native of New Jersey, she and her family migrated to the foreign land of East Texas over 15 years ago. Tamikia is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, Certified Anger Resolution Therapist and Qualified Mental Health Professional. LeTourneau University is her Alma Mater. Tamikia is also a published author and a lay preacher. She has been married to her husband Gregory for over thirty years. They have seven adult children and nine grandchildren. Tamikia and her husband have worshiped at Marvin Methodist Church for over a decade. Tamikia can be found teaching Sunday School, preaching in Core Service, and serving as the head of the Prayer Support Team. Tamikia enjoys cooking, long walks, traveling, Pilates, water aerobics, a good book, and all things blueberries. Tamikia wears many hats, but wife, mother and grandmother are the ones she cherishes most. Tamikia credits her faith foundation to the guidance of her paternal grandmother, and tutelage of the elderly women in her childhood church.
Brian Brandt has spent his life supporting the transformation of individuals and organizations. He is the C.E.O. of Core Insights, a Texas-based company providing premier training, strategic guidance, leadership coaching, and keynotes for businesses, nonprofits, and associations. In his three decades of leadership experience, he has served in such roles as a C.E.O., public relations director, national sales director, executive pastor, and college tennis coach. Brian holds a Master of Global Leadership, as well as a Bachelor of Accounting. Brian volunteers for and serves on the board of numerous non-profit agencies. He co-authored Blind Spots: What you don’t know CAN hurt you, with Ashely Kutach. Brian attends Grace Community Church.
Carter Delleney is a seasoned professional engineer with Langan Engineering. Carter brings a wealth of expertise to his projects, honed through a distinguished career that includes a decade as the City Engineer for the City of Tyler. Carter and his wife, Amy, have lived in Tyler since 2004 and have two daughters, Grayson and Peyton. He is a member of Green Acres Baptist Church.
Cynthia Freeman is a retiree of the USPS North Texas District Operations Support, which she was responsible for the East Texas 755-759 Area. She holds a business degree in Accounting from Tyler Commercial College. She moved to Tyler after graduating from school in Jacksonville, TX. Cynthia is very active in the Promise community as evidenced by her work with children, youth, and parents. Cynthia attends Bethel Hope Church.
Ricky Garner Ricky currently serves as Pastor at Bethel Bible Church (Hope Campus) in Tyler. He is a native of Tyler. After graduating from John Tyler High School in 1983, he served 4 years in the U.S. Air Force. In 1987 after receiving an Honorable Discharge from the Air Force he moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It was in D/FW that he accepted God’s call to ministry. He served churches there until 2014 when he returned home to Tyler. He was assistant pastor at New Days Community Church in Tyler for 4 years before making Bethel Church his home. His ministry has led him to preach and serve both nationally and internationally including Kenya, Japan, Greece and Sierra Leone. Ricky is a Texas College Graduate, member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, inc. and is very active in serving the Tyler community as a volunteer in several organizations including Promise Academy, Gospel Village, Grace Community School, The Mentoring Alliance, Young Life Tyler, Cenikor Foundation and The Texas African American Museum. He has been married to his wife, Jane for over 35 years. They have 4 children and 6 grandchildren.
Nate Hill has been the Area Director for Young Life since June of 2017. Nate is a strong community and social services professional that studied Christian Leadership at Southwestern Christian University. Nate is an experienced Ministry Director as he has also worked as The Mentoring Alliance’s Mentor Coordinator and as the Executive Pastor/ Community Outreach Coordinator at New Holy Trinity Church. He is skilled in Fundraising, Leadership, Nonprofit Management, Community Outreach, and Youth Development. Nate attends Bethel Hope Church.
Jon Moore joined VeraBank in 2013 as a Senior Vice President and Central Region Manager and is now the Chief Credit Approval Officer. He earned a B.A. Degree in Sociology from Baylor University, a M.A. Degree in Psychology from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a M.B.A. from the McColl School of Business at Queens University in Charlotte, NC. Jon has served on several community boards such as the Mentoring Alliance, and the East Texas Crisis Center.
Kellie Pope is a stay at home mom and active community volunteer. After graduating from Stephen F. Austin with a finance degree, she had an 18-year career in the trade show industry in Dallas before moving to East Texas. Kellie and her husband, Rogers, have five children and enjoy serving at Promise Academy regularly. They attend Grace Community Church.
Stephanie Mauldin Shankle has served as the Pastor of Kingdom Family Church for the past 23 years. She is also a Bible teacher at Grace Community School and enjoys impacting the lives of her students with the word of God. Stephanie received an Associates and Bachelor’s degree from Texas College, a Master’s Degree from Harding University, and a Doctorate in Biblical Studies from Faith Christian Bible College. She has been married to her husband Reginald for over 20 years. They have two sons who are avid basketball players. Darius is a sophomore Basketball player at East Texas Baptist University and Daniel is a senior who also plays basketball at Grace Community School. They also serve in ministry at the church as well. Stephanie enjoys traveling and interior decorating.
Cynthia Riter has been an active community volunteer in Tyler for many years. She was an educator in Austin and Houston before moving to Tyler 39 years ago. She also currently serves on the board of the Literacy Council of Tyler and is on the Advisory Council for the School of Education and Psychology at the University of Texas at Tyler. She also served as a board member and past president of the Alzheimer’s Alliance of East Texas. Cynthia has been married to her husband, Whit, for 43 years, and they have a son and daughter-in-law, Paxton and Elise, and two grandsons, Dub and Boots. She is a member of Grace Community Church.
Trey Yarbrough is an attorney with Yarbrough – Wilcox, PLLC, and has been in private practice in Tyler for forty years. He has previously been a board member of All Saints Episcopal School and mentors a young man through Mentoring Alliance. He and his wife, Paula, a Tyler native, have been married for thirty-nine years, and have two adult children and two grandsons. Trey is a member of Christ Episcopal Church.