Meet the YES Team
Katrina Bitar
Director of YES and Local Initiatives
Katrina has been the YES Program Director since May of 2009, following her graduation from St. Vladimir’s Seminary. She has been involved in youth ministry for almost 20 years. She served as a full-time parish youth director for 6 years, St. Nicholas Camping Program Director from 2003-2021, OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship) College Conference Advisor for 5 years, and has been involved with the YES Program since 2004. Katrina feels incredibly blessed to be part of a program that changed her own perspective on homelessness, poverty, and youth ministry. She is grateful to be able to create opportunities for YES participants and those in need to be known and filled through encounters with each other.
Wadeed Fakhoury
YES Program Manager, YES Leader, and Ministry Team Member
Wadeed Fakhoury, born and raised near Washington D.C., just graduated from George Mason University. He attended his first YES Trip in 2016 at the age of 16, where he fell in love with their mission to love and serve everyone. This led to him attending more trips in his city and beyond. Being a part of YES for 6 years motivated him to become a camp counselor and the youth advisor at his parish. YES taught Wadeed that service is more than a weekend trip; service is love and you can love anyone and everyone in small, yet meaningful ways. By equipping and entrusting us all to be our organic selves, YES spreads acts of kindness that can create ripple effects of joy and love in the world. He realizes this ministry is so important and wants to help it prosper because YES empowers anyone to make a difference in any way they see fit.
Michelle Hourani
YES Program Coordinator, 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. For multiple years, Michelle has loved spending her time with young people working at the Antiochian Village, Camp St. Thekla, and as a Sunday School Teacher. She worked as the YES Event Planning Manager for over 3 years and is excited to transition into Program Coordinator as she pursues a career in Museum Studies. She hopes to use her gifts to show the world the stories that lie within the homeless community. YES has shaped the way Michelle looks at the world and has 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.
Alethia Placencia
Program Assistant, YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
YES found Alethia while serving at Camp St. Nicholas in Frazier Park, CA when she was 19 years old. Since going on this first trip as a participant, Alethia has continued to learn and grow in the community on YES. She is currently getting her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy and works as the Program Assistant for YES. Alethia enjoys using her time outside of the classroom to serve this community and assist with our local initiatives. She has learned this year from her work with YES that taking ownership in life means doing things with intentionality and care. Every moment is an opportunity to serve another, run to the light of Christ, and be true to oneself.
Tino Kayafas
YES Staff and YES Leader
Tino is a student at West Virginia University studying Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Jazz Drum Set Performance and will graduate in December 2023. He hopes to release his first album this fall, including all original compositions and arrangements. Tino has his own gyro catering and delivery business, Philotimo Enterprises, where customers have the opportunity to sponsor a gyro for the homeless. For each one they sponsor, another one is donated on my behalf. About 500 gyros have been donated to local soup kitchens and homeless shelters in two years. In the summers of 2020 and 2021, Tino served at FOCUS North America, working on the Back to School Backpack Program. It wasn’t until the Spring of 2022 that he went on his first YES trip, and he immediately connected with YES’ mission to serve everyone. He attended the SLE in the summer of 2023 and soon became a YES Trip Leader. After serving on two YES trips, he started working part-time at YES. Tino served as a camp counselor at Camp Nazareth last summer. He served on the OCF Student Leadership board for two years, the first as MidAtlantic Student Leader and the second as the College Conference East Student Leader. Tino fell in love with YES’ mission because YES challenges us to break down the walls of separation between ourselves and others. YES’ mission is aligned with Christ’s, and through YES, many of us discover a new, yet original, meaning of “Christian” – to be a servant.
Meet our Regional Coordinators!
Nick Safady
West Regional Coordinator
Nick’s involvement in YES began in 2016 during the trip in Los Angeles. He has been involved with YES ever since. Nick recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s in Business Management and Marketing. He just moved back to Los Angeles from Dallas, Texas for work. Within the YES community he has had many eye opening experiences and met great people along the way. He’s been a YES leader since 2018 and Nick is hoping to bring the experience he got from YES to others. He is very excited to have accepted the position of West Regional Coordinator and is looking forward to getting to work!
Ruby Pendergraft
Mid-America Regional Coordinator
Ruby’s involvement in YES began at a YES Family Day in 2016. That experience and the numerous trips to follow shifted her perspectives on homelessness and poverty. She fell in love with their mission, and it nurtured within her a heart of service. YES has been foundational in her passion for and understanding of youth ministry. She feels especially blessed to share with others the program that has transformed her own life and brings the light and love of Christ to so many. Ruby was trained as a YES leader in 2019, and she is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Letters at the University of Oklahoma.
Mara Lewis
Northwest Regional Coordinator
Searching for connection and community, Mara stumbled upon a Call to Action zoom in the Summer of 2020. In the YES community, she found intentional youth dedicated to serving Christ and being called to be sent out into their communities. YES was a safe space to bring your whole self and find purpose and inspiration to continue the journey toward Christ. Jumping into the spirit and vision of YES, Mara became a YES leader in January 2021. This position allowed her to grow in leadership skills, learn to listen actively, and create intentional space. Mara is thrilled to have accepted the position of Northwest Regional Coordinator. Mara looks forward to the intentional connections she will make and the inspiration YES will bring to youth and communities everywhere. Mara grew up in Washington State, a small town next to a Greek Women’s monastery. She currently teaches Kindergarten and is very invested in her church and community.
The Ministry Team
Meet our Ministry Team Members!
Sarah Mabardy
Ministry Team Leader and YES Leader
Sarah became involved in YES her freshman year of college through friends at the University of Oklahoma by attending a YES College Day in Norman, OK in 2016. She felt instantly connected to the mission, vision, and values of YES and since then has attended trips and a leadership conference, as well as become a YES leader, sower, series small group leader, and ministry team member. She recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma in May 2020 with a business degree and a minor in nonprofit organizational studies. She currently lives in her hometown, Tulsa, OK, and attends St. Antony Orthodox Church. She is an associate at a Dallas-based management consulting firm, and hopes to move to Texas soon! She has enjoyed many experiences in youth ministry such as Teen SOYO leadership and has loved serving on staff as a counselor at Camp St. Raphael (YABOY!). During college, she was blessed to be a volunteer at the CCFI Boys and Girls Club as well as serve as a non-voting member of an OKC nonprofit and school, Positive Tomorrows. YES is important to her because it transformed her heart: it matured her ideas of who God is, who people are, and who she is. It taught her the true meaning of service, how to love and dignify her neighbor, and to see the face of Christ in everyone. It continues to affect her thoughts, her interactions, and her hopes for our communities and our world.
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 May 2021 with her degree in nutrition and will be starting Physician Assistant school in May 2022. 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.
Virginia Farley
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
Virginia, from Colorado, currently lives in Guatemala and has been involved with YES since she was 13 years old. As a teenager, YES provided an incredible experience that allowed her faith to grow and showed her how to have a servants’ heart. Since then, she has led trips, worked for YES as a part-time trip planner, and is currently on the YES ministry team. YES has been a way to actively connect with other humans and live life on a deeper level. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and she loves to get to know and understand people. She loves the opportunity to explore new cities, create community, and laugh along the way.
Robert Neda
YES Leader and Ministry Team Member
Rob has been involved with YES since 2012. He has played an integral part in planning and executing numerous trips. He also has youth ministry and nonprofit experience in countless areas. Rob has had the opportunity to serve in various countries such as Nicaragua, Honduras, Nepal, South Africa, Tanzania, the Philippines, Peru, and more. Rob is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Health Educator. He is currently finishing his Ph.D. in Community Health and his Masters in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Witnessing fellowship and service spark compassion and desire for social justice in the youth is transformative. YES trips are a refreshing reminder of our call to serve one another.
The Advisory Board
Meet our Advisory Board Members!
Elissa Bjeletich Davis
Advisory Board Chair
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.”
Elizabeth Ayoub
Advisory Board Member
Elizabeth is currently a stay-at-home/homeschooling mother to her seven-year-old daughter in Grand Rapids, MI. She also directs the Church school 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.
Larissa Hatch
YES Leader and Advisory Board Member
Originally from the rural Pocono Mountains of PA, Larissa now resides in Washington, D.C. After her four-year tenure with FOCUS, she moved to the nation’s capital to continue her career in the nonprofit sector. She currently works for the American Red Cross at their national headquarters, where she leads youth development programming and mobilizes others to serve their own communities and globally when the need arises. Larissa graduated with a BA in Nonprofit Management and Peace & Conflict Studies in 2011 and earned her MPA with a concentration in Nonprofit Management and Organizational Leadership in 2019. She has led trips both domestically and abroad for over a decade and her work at the Red Cross aims to raise up the next generation of changemakers. YES has become an integral part of Larissa’s daily life and vocation, teaching her to always meet every person with kindness, compassion, and understanding. Larissa expresses, “nothing is more inspiring than experiencing the Lord and His endless, unconditional love in YES experiences and far beyond. It is one of my life’s greatest joys to be a part of the YES family and share this YES way of life with others.”
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.
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.
Andrew Geleris
Advisory Board Member
Andy’s personal life is currently characterized by a blossoming marriage and growing relationships with the evolving life journeys of his four children and their families. He works full-time in a busy neurological practice. Andy’s primary vocation is to encourage the desperately needed restoration of a scriptural and patristic phoneme within the American Orthodox Church regarding the topic of money. His gratitude and involvement with YES is due to the spiritually formative influence YES has had on the lives of his four children and their friends. YES has been extremely important to Andy’s life. It has helped him seek to diligently apply the vitally important gospel principles that YES teaches in every encounter he has with his wife, children, patients, coworkers, colleagues, friends, and the otherwise unexpected personal encounters of daily life. In particular, Andy tries very hard to find ways to encourage each person in every meeting to more deeply recognize the image of God within themselves.
Nicholas Juzdan
Advisory Board Member
Nicholas Juzdan is currently pursuing his masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Montclair State University to create some meaningful change in his community. Professionally, Nick works in marketing, is a media producer, mental health advocate and has worked for many organizations, including the Ashley Stewart, Montclair Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Miss Universe, Power 2 Inspire Foundation, West Indian Day Carnival Association, and several others. Nick was introduced to YES as a teenager attending trips in Philadelphia and other cities. Nick volunteers for the Crisis Text Line, creates programs for non profits, and hosts a podcast called “You Are Seen: The Untold Stories.” Yes is an organization that has always been close to Nick’s heart because it has forever changed his perspective on marginalized communities and shined a light on what each of us can do to make a difference in our communities.
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!
Other Advisory Board Members:
- Sarah Cetra
- Fr. Michael Arbanas
- Brandon Baca
- Jacob Corbin
- George Bezzerides
