Meet the YES Team
Wadeed Fakhoury
Director of YES
Wadeed Fakhoury was born and raised in Springfield, VA, where he graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Sub-Deacon at Saint George Antiochian Church in Washington D.C. and the Assistant Director of Saint Nicholas Camping Program in Los Angeles, CA. He has been involved in Youth Equipped to Serve (YES) since 2014, where he started as a participant, then as YES Leader and YES Ministry Team Member, a part-time employee, Program Manager, and now the Director of YES. Wadeed is dedicated to helping this ministry prosper, and feels that YES is so important because it empowers everyone to make a difference in whatever way they see fit. It also shows that service is love, and we can all love anyone and everyone in small, yet meaningful ways.
Sarah Blevins
Community Engagement Coordinator, Ministry Team Leader, and YES Leader
Sarah Blevins is the Community Engagement Coordinator for FOCUS North America. An Oklahoma native, she began her journey to FOCUS through Youth Equipped to Serve (YES) as a College Day participant at University of Oklahoma. She graduated from OU in 2020 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and served as the president of her OCF chapter. Prior to her time at FOCUS, Sarah worked in a variety of industries, including management consulting and energy. For YES, she has been an Intern, and currently serves as a Leader and leads the Ministry Team. Through her work as the Community Engagement Coordinator, she shares her passion for service and empowers both individuals and communities to serve their neighbor. She works closely with Interns and Mentors through the YES Internship and bridges the work of YES and FOCUS by helping develop communities to become new FOCUS Centers. In her free time, Sarah loves to walk the monuments in her new home of Washington, DC, and travel with her husband, Jake!
Elizabeth Ayoub
Local Initiatives Coordinator and Advisory Board Chair
Elizabeth is currently a stay-at-home/homeschooling mother to her eight-year-old daughter in Grand Rapids, MI. She also directs the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program at her parish and coordinates a homeschool group in her community. In the past, she has been the Teen SOYO advisor for her parish and diocese. She also worked as a child life specialist at her local children’s hospital for 10 years. Elizabeth went on her first YES trip as a Teen Advisor, and her outlook on serving others has forever changed. Because of YES, she has found greater awareness of the needs of every person around her, and how Christ uses each of us to fill those needs. She is so grateful to have the opportunity to help support YES through her role on the advisory board.
Katrina Bitar
Director of Operations for FOCUS NA
Katrina Bitar directed the YES Program of FOCUS North America for 15 years, from May 2009-July 2024. She currently serves as the Interim Director of Operations for FOCUS North America. She has been involved in youth ministry for over 25 years. She received a Masters of Arts in Theology from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 2009. Prior to Seminary, Katrina served as the Camp Director at Camp St. Nicholas in Frazier Park, CA from 2003-2021 and the Parish Youth Director in Phoenix, AZ from 2001-2007. She also served OCF as the West Coast College Conference Advisor. Through her work at FOCUS North America, Katrina embraced the opportunity to share her heart for those in need and young people. As Interim Director of Operations, she has a new opportunity to support the FOCUS Staff as they lead communities in service to their neighbors. Although Katrina is often traveling, she loves her home in Oklahoma City where she enjoys a healthy lifestyle that includes lots of cooking and exercise. She is grateful to help create formative opportunities that equip youth and adults of all ages to serve each person as the image of Christ.
Eva Bruer
Program Assistant, Ministry Team Member and YES Leader
Eva’s first YES experience was on a Trip in her own community in St. Paul, MN. She immediately loved the way YES serves others without conditions. She believes everyone is entitled to unconditional love and compassion, and this made it easy to keep saying “yes!” to YES and becoming a part of other opportunities YES has to offer. Eva was a YES Intern in Summer 2022 and became part of the YES staff this summer as Program Assistant. Eva is from Medina, Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2023 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. She currently works as an EMT at a clinic as well as coaches soccer!
Tia Saah
Communications Coordinator, Ministry Team Member and YES Leader
Tia began her journey with YES in 2015 as a trip participant, and her passion for the ministry has only deepened over the years. The YES Leadership Conference in 2023 inspired her to become a leader, and she has since led her first day trip in Phoenix. For Tia, YES is more than just an organization—it’s a way of life. She treasures every moment of service, striving to reflect the unconditional love, compassion, and selflessness YES has shown her throughout the years. A standout memory from her first YES trip was meeting a young man with a sign that read “Seeking Human Kindness.” His humble refusal of their initial lunch offer, followed by his story being shared over yummy pizza, changed her perspective on service and reinforced the importance of loving others as Jesus loved.
Tia is from the Northern Virginia area and just recently graduated from George Mason University with a BS in Business Marketing and minor in graphic design. She currently works at GMU’s IT Services as a Marketing Associate and is thrilled to bridge both her passions of YES and marketing in this new role.
The Ministry Team
Meet our Ministry Team Members!
Michelle Hourani
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
Michelle has been involved with YES since 2010, when her Youth Director encouraged her to go on a trip. She fell in love with the ministry of YES immediately and became trained as a YES Leader in 2012. Michelle graduated with a BA in Fine Arts with concentrations in Painting and Graphic Design. She worked for YES full-time and part-time for four and a half years as the Trip Planning Manager, then the Event Planning Manager, and finally the Program Coordinator. Michelle is excited to get married at the end of August 2023 and pursue a Masters’s in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She hopes to use her gifts to show the world the stories that lie within the homeless community. YES has shaped how Michelle looks at the world and instilled in her to meet Jesus Christ in every person she encounters. The joy she experiences with YES convinces her that she will be a part of this program for a long time.
Kinda Callas
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
Kinda graduated from college in 2022 with a major in economics and a minor in global systems. She is about to start her first job in Washington DC. Her first YES Trip was in 2016 in Washington DC, where she left with a new perspective on life and realized how we could serve our neighbors every day with small and big acts. Kinda met the most incredible people on this trip while immersed in her city and heard many impactful stories from her neighbors in DC. After attending a few YES trips in DC, Kinda participated in the Servant Leadership Conference in Detroit and then was trained to be a leader. She led a trip in Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, and then served on YES staff for a year. Kinda has worked with Best Buddies and Special Olympics for eight years in her free time. After her first YES trip, Kinda was very calm and full of excitement to adapt all she had learned that weekend to everyday life! She learned how to leave her comfort zone and interact with people. Kinda believes that all the orientation activities and interactions with beautiful souls opened her eyes to be more positive and intentional. YES gave her a joyful spark that she carries with her. YES changed her way of life, and she is forever thankful for YES and all the people she has met along the way.
Rose Ansara
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
Rose was born in Beirut, Lebanon, but grew up in Grand Rapids, MI. She attended her first YES trip at her home parish in 2014 and hasn’t lived her life the same since. She has been blessed to serve as a participant and leader in the YES community. She believes that YES has been a pivotal part of her getting to know Christ and His people. Rose has served in youth ministry as a counselor at five different camps across the U.S., as well as teaching Sunday School for four years. Rose recently graduated from George Mason University as a Human Development and Family Sciences major with a minor in American Sign Language. Rose has worked with three different nonprofits in the DC area, including her current occupation as an ASL fluent case manager for those with intellectual disabilities that are Deaf & Hard of Hearing. YES is important to Rose because it has been an intimate, warm community cultivated to learn, serve, and love. YES fully articulates through the powerful words of St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”
Anna Spencer
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
Anna is from Wichita, Kansas, and experienced her first YES trip in 2014. Since then, she has served as an intern, YES leader, member of YES staff, series discussion leader, and now ministry team member. She has other youth and ministry experience through serving on camp staff in Oklahoma, California, South Carolina, and Arizona and as a student leader planning formational service opportunities for Orthodox Christian Fellowship. She graduated from Kansas State University in 2021 with her degree in nutrition and from Physician Assistant school in 2024. She is very passionate about seeing Christ in every person and accompanying them where they are in their struggles. YES has empowered her to trust herself more and to be more intentional in her interactions with others. Much of how she sees the world has been influenced by this community centered on unconditional love.
Nada Aouad
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
Nada is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and recently graduated with her Master’s in Management. She works at a civil engineering firm in GR and is also an adjunct professor for Davenport University. Nada first started YES as a participant in high school — almost 10 years ago! After her first trip, Nada fell in love with the mission of YES. Throughout college, she helped plan trips and became a Trip Leader. One of Nada’s favorite parts about trip planning was creating the prayer tour for each city — these opened her eyes on how to truly embody Christ and the Gospel within her everyday life. Building a community through fellowship and service is just one of the amazing parts about YES. One of Nada’s biggest takeaways from her experiences with YES is the power of resilience and unity. YES has taught me how to serve as the true image of Christ and continues to transform my faith in many ways.
Paul Rodriguez-Anter
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
I am originally from Orange County, CA but recently living in Los Angeles for work after I graduated from USC in 2022. I have been involved in YES since my first trip in 2011 when I was a teen participant. Ever since then I fell in love with the program and requested to be trained as a leader in 2018 to take the next step in my servant leadership experience. As the online series have continued to flourish I’ve continued to find more reasons to stay involved in the YES program. I think that my biggest “why” comes down to the fact that participating in YES is my favorite way of putting my faith into practice and action. It is actively living the word of God and attempting to see Christ in each person you interact with. It is a great reminder of what really loving someone unconditionally looks like. The YES way of life has been adopted into my everyday life outside of trips and I am eternally grateful for the experiences I’ve had thus far and those soon to come.
Alethia Placencia
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
I have been involved with YES since 2019. Being involved with YES has allowed me to see others and my self in a new way. YES has made a huge impact on my life and I continue to serve with YES because of the community and the faith development that takes place here. Because of YES I am able to be with any person from any walk of life and see Christ working in our interaction. I am from Pomona, CA and completed my Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2024!
Ellie Fall
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
Ellie became involved with YES in 2020 through online Trips and Series and felt an immediate connection to the YES community. She was overjoyed by the unconditional love, compassion, and other-centric nature of YES, and continues to be deeply grateful for the space YES provides herself and participants to cultivate these things. Ellie was trained as a YES leader in 2021, as well as served as a YES Intern in Spring 2022. She has had the blessing of serving as the YES Program Assistant and as well as the Communications Coordinator. Ellie grew up in Western Wisconsin and has been living in St. Paul, MN since completing her BA in Theology from St. Catherine University in 2023.
Jack Corbin
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
I recently graduated with my Master’s of Divinity from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and now work as the Pastoral Assistant at St. Luke Antiochian Orthodox Church in Garden Grove, CA, and as the Program Director for Camp St. Nicholas Camp in Frazier Park, CA. I participated in many YES trips as a teenager. Every time I was on a YES trip, I realized my potential to serve and always left with the thirst to be more involved in my local community. I learned through my participation in YES the great paradox that serving others returns a greater service to the heart. That is why I continued to work with YES as a Trip Leader and Intern throughout my college years. I was blessed to be able to lead several YES trips in various cities and witness teenagers grow into their potential as servants in God’s vineyard. YES offers a framework for serving God in all facets of life, and I will always carry the lessons from YES no matter the context in which I find myself.
The Advisory Board
Meet our Advisory Board Members!
Elissa Bjeletich Davis
Advisory Board Member
Elissa Bjeletich is an author and podcaster who loves Orthodox youth and family ministry work. She’s involved in various curriculum projects, teaches Sunday school, and volunteers at summer camps. She’s been a part of YES trips in her Austin, Texas parish for seven years, and has been a member of the YES Advisory board since its inception. To Elissa, “YES is absolutely the best youth ministry in the Orthodox church, because the program immerses kids in the Kingdom of God, empowering them to bring the joy of the Kingdom and their love of Christ into every human relationship. It’s a course in practical Christian love, and it transforms everyone it touches.”
Laila Tokatli
YES Leader and Advisory Board Member
Laila has been involved with YES since 2011 and has attended countless trips across the country both as a participant and a leader. YES has become a huge part of her life and has ultimately helped her find her passion, which is serving and loving every person she encounters. She is able to do this both personally and professionally in her role as a Physical Therapist at a local Rehab Hospital near her hometown of Worcester, MA. She is extremely blessed and humbled to continue to serve YES and her own home community through her work for years to come.
Pano Constantine
YES Leader and Advisory Board Member
Pano has been involved with YES for over 13 years in various capacities as a trip participant, leader, ministry team member, and now advisory board member. He was first exposed to it through his church’s GOYA and thought it would be a “fun service trip.” Within the first two trips, he knew it was a program he needed to remain involved with. The transformational mindset through which YES educates people to view others as has had a huge impact on his experiences both personally and professionally. Becoming involved with YES helped Pano expand his breadth of experience to other forms of servant leadership, including being a summer camp counselor, Special Olympics coach, and various forms of volunteering for his alma mater and local parish. Pano works as a health and benefits consultant assisting companies in strategically designing their benefits plans and implementing programs to attract better and retain their talent. He lives outside NYC with his fiance, Chantalle, and their beagle Lily.
Nicholas Juzdan
Advisory Board Member
Tim Farha
Advisory Board Member
Tim is from Wichita, KS and is an advocate and supporter of the YES mission! Tim can usually be found wrangling one or both of his beautiful and full-of-energy children when he is not working on his property management company. Tim has served on the NAC SOYO executive board, loves going to Camp St. Raphael during the summer, and is honored to be able to chant at his home church of St. George Cathedral in Wichita. Tim is a supporter of YES because it is a very active organization that creates avenues for Orthodox Christians to serve God through serving others. This is all done through an organization that is organized and structured, which has allowed it to grow over the past, and makes it sustainable for the future.
Rena Ajalat
Advisory Board Member
Rena Ajalat is a parent to three children (Lucas, Hannah, and Emma) with her super fun husband, Larry. She is a High-School Teacher doing Reading/Writing Intervention and a Sunday School Teacher at St. Simeon Antiochian Mission, Santa Clarita, CA. Rena learned about YES when her son asked to attend a trip to Skid Row, Los Angeles. He came back with stories that both alarmed and moved her. After seeing the impact it made, Rena wanted to be involved in sharing YES with everyone in her family and community. YES plants the seeds of awareness, compassion, and service in the hearts of youth and matures them into life-long leaders. Rena is honored to be a part of the team!
George Bezzerides
Advisory Board Member
George’s professional experience includes providing internal audit and consulting services to national and international companies in numerous industries, with the last 11 years dedicated exclusively to healthcare. Before his current role, George was also responsible for the day-to-day operations and bottom-line performance of a national snack food company. He worked at a big four firm providing assurance and advisory services to national and international companies in numerous industries. His volunteer experience includes six years serving his local parish (Treasurer and Parish Council President) and fifteen years serving the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute in Berkeley, CA (Treasurer and Board Chair). While he has only recently been involved directly with YES, his wife Irene is one of YES’s earliest trip participants and most vocal advocates. George lives with his wife and three children in El Dorado Hills, CA.
Other Advisory Board Members:
- Sarah Cetra
- Fr. Michael Arbanas
- Jacob Corbin
