Our Leaders
Showing the Way
Good leadership is vital in guiding the vision, direction and culture of an organization. At Lifeline, we’re proud to have a leadership team that is passionate about their commitment to Christ, the teams that they serve, and their desire to help families and children in need.
Mark Terrell
Chief Executive Officer
Mark Terrell graduated from Taylor University in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Systems. Mark started his career with Northwestern Mutual as a retirement and estate planning specialist. In 1994, he left his chosen career to serve as the CEO of Lifeline Youth & Family Services and has since founded two other nonprofits. He serves as the CEO of Lifeline Youth & Family Services, Crosswinds, and Lasting Change. When Mark started, Lifeline had 17 employees, a budget of $600,000 and served around 200 people a year. Now, it is one of Indiana’s largest and fastest growing nonprofits with nearly 700 employees, a budget of $54 million, and is on track to serve 40,000 people. Mark has testified before Congress on two occasions, received the distinguished Alumnus for Personal Achievement award, The Vitality Award for prevention, is the 2018 Ambassador Enterprises SEED Challenge winner, and is a governor appointee to serve on the Allen Superior Court Judicial Nominating Commission. Mark’s favorite roles are those of husband of 34 years, father to three sons and one daughter, and grandfather to four grandchildren.
Tim O. Smith
Chief Operating Officer
Tim joined the Lifeline and Crosswinds team in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer. He is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan with a degree in Business Administration, and most recently served as President and CEO for Abundant Executive Living, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He retired from Verizon in 2015 after 16 years with the company. His last position at Verizon was Region president, where he led a team of over 3,000 employees across Pennsylvania and Delaware. As Verizon’s Region President, Tim enjoyed a great deal of interaction with the community. He also partnered with the Philadelphia Chamber President to create the first small business week in Philadelphia in May, 2013. Tim currently serves as a Board Member for Fort Wayne’s Youth For Christ and Joshua’s Hand, Inc., Renaissance YMCA, and Allen County-Fort Wayne Development Trust, Inc. After retirement, Tim and his wife, Karen, moved back to the Fort Wayne area. The Lord told Tim to return and use his skills and experience to bless companies here. His role here at Lifeline and Crosswinds is a perfect fit.
Mark Bowell
Chief Growth Officer
Mark joined the Lifeline and Crosswinds team in 2020 as Chief Growth Officer. He is a Taylor University graduate (1985). Mark is also the owner of DMB Marketing and Management, Inc., and has worked with over 40 corporations and not-for-profit partners. Previously, he has served in several corporate and civic positions including Vice President of Business Development and Sales at Maxim Crane Works, Chief Operation Officer and National Marketing Director of TTI America, Inc., President of the Indianapolis Parks Foundation, Administrator of Marketing at Indy parks and Recreation, and Locations Manager for the Indiana Film Commission. Mark is an active member of his community serving on the boards of the Gateway Community Alliance, The Institute for Learning Dynamics, the Indianapolis 500 Gordon Pipers, Advisory Council to the People Helping People Network and now, Board of Directors for the American Heart Association – Indianapolis. He is also President of the Blake Strong Bowell Fund established in 2017 to honor his late son Blake’s courageous 4-year battle with brain cancer. Mark is a married father of four, currently performs with Indianapolis- based bands; Barbender and Free But Not Cheap, enjoys golf, skiing and road biking, and attends ITOWN Church with his family.
Curtis Smith
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Curtis joined the Lifeline and Crosswinds team in January 2021 as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. Prior to that, he was with Parkview Health for 5 years as the Corporate Director of Community Engagement. From 1995 to 2016, Curtis was the Chief Meteorologist at 21 Alive, in Fort Wayne, where he won numerous awards as the region’s favorite forecaster and TV personality. He serves on the Elder Board of Blackhawk Ministries and sits on the Board of Directors for Heart of the City. Curtis is extremely engaged with the community and collaborates with many non-profit organizations every year to emcee events and host video productions. He completed undergraduate degrees at both Southern Illinois University and Mississippi St. University and has a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Huntington University. Curtis and his wife Jessie have been married since 1994 and have three adult sons and one daughter-in-law.
Tim Smith
Chief Innovation Officer
Tim Smith joined the organization in 2020 as Chief Innovation Officer. After graduating from IPFW (Purdue Fort Wayne), Tim and his wife, Angela, moved to Indianapolis where he attended the IU School of Law. Upon graduation and admission to the Indiana Bar, Tim and Ang returned to Fort Wayne where Tim joined MedPro Group. After 25 years and many different leadership positions, Tim retired from MedPro Group in 2019. His last position was as SVP of Operations & Technology where he led close to 350 employees and contractors who, together, were responsible for assuring all company stakeholders had a “best-in-class” experience. Tim has been active in local politics and has served on numerous boards. His passions include spending time with his family (five adult children and more than nine grandchildren…all under age 3), woodworking and hunting. He and his family have been active members at Grace Gathering Church for their entire lives.
Nancy Steigmeyer
Chief Human Resources Officer
Nancy joined Lifeline and Crosswinds in 2018. She brings a diverse business background with a combination of organizational development, talent management, academics, and community leadership. She spent much of her career in academic curriculum development, instruction at several universities, and as Senior Director of Graduate Programming at Trine University. She has developed and trained many participants in various leadership and human resource-related fields. With more than 16 years in staffing, recruiting, and human resource management, Nancy has managed regional offices for employment/staffing firms and consulted with hundreds of companies and organizations to provide solutions for their HR needs throughout Northeast Indiana. Her undergraduate degree is from Central Michigan University, and she holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Indiana Tech. With a passion for community engagement, Nancy serves on the board for the Women’s Bureau and Northeast Indiana Human Resource Association. Nancy’s passion is family, faith, health, and helping others. She resides in Fort Wayne with her husband of 15 years, Steve.
KEVIN HEDRICK
EXECUTIVE Vice President
Kevin has been a staff member of Lifeline Youth & Family Services since September 2003 and has held various positions with Lifeline and Crosswinds since. He holds a degree in Education from Ball State University. In his spare time, if you can’t find Kevin spending time with his wife and three children or coaching his sons’ youth sports teams, you can probably find him golfing, fishing or playing basketball.
Liz Day
Vice President - Home Based Services Operations
Liz joined Lifeline’s home-based services team in June 2005. Liz has held many different positions in Home-Based Services during her time at Lifeline. She enjoys Lifeline’s diversity of programming and the opportunities the organization brings to its employees, clients, and communities. Liz attended Trine University where she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology, in addition to being an active member of the softball team. Being part of a strong team is very important to Liz, and she is proud to be part of the Lifeline and Crosswinds family. After hours, you will find Liz spending time with her husband, Kevin, and her sons, Hudson and Owen, or watching funny movies.
ABE HEPLER
Vice President - RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
Abraham Hepler is a graduate of Grace College and Theological Seminary with over 20 years experience working and leading in the business and the non-profit sectors. He began his career in Residential Services as a Program Coordinator at Lifeline Youth and Family Services, then spent 7 years as a pastor at Warsaw Community Church in various leadership roles. In 2010 Abraham planted Mission Point Community Church in Warsaw, IN, and after 5 years as the Executive Director and Pastor of Operations at Mission Point he transitioned full time into the business world first as the Vice President of Shepherd Firearms, and then as the President of Guardian Defense Inc.. In 2020, Abraham joined the staff of Lasting Change Inc. as the Faith and Culture Development Director, and in March of 2021 transitioned into the role of Vice President of Residential Services. He is passionate about connecting people to faith, driving organizational culture, and to see lives impacted by positive change. His wife Chandra is a full time Volleyball coach, with multiple awards including an AAU National Championship Title. Abraham and Chandra have three kids, A.J., Ellie, and Eden, and spend their weekends watching and coaching as their kids play travel volleyball and baseball.
Gordon Haines
DIRECTOR OF CULTURE & FAITH
Gordon Haines joined the Lifeline and Crosswinds team in 2016 and serves as the Executive Vice President of Lifeline. Gordon graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1983 with a mechanical engineering degree. After his active duty service, he joined Procter & Gamble where he ran a variety of manufacturing operations; he has a broad background in local and international business and manufacturing operations. Gordon feels blessed to be a part of the Lifeline team helping individuals succeed, families thrive, and communities prosper. His wife Kathy is a clinical pharmacist at the VA in Fort Wayne. Gordon enjoys spending time with his family, as well as being involved with his church and community.
District Managers
Adrienne Batteast
DM - North (Regions 1-5)
Laura Bentley
Family Centered Treatment (all Regions)
Jeremiah Brown
DM - Central (Regions 6-7, 10-12), Family Centered Treatment (All Regions)
Jake Fawley
Director of HBS Programming
Shannon Hicks
HBS Treatment Manager
Max Hochstetler
DM - South (Regions 8-9, 13-17)
Deb Johnson
Executive State Director
Jennifer Landis
Family Preservation Services - South (Regions 8-18)
Michael Patrick
Homebuilders (All Regions), Family Preservation Services - North (Regions 1-7)
Regional Managers
Nancy KoeDyker
Regions 1 & 2
LaShaunda Parker
Region 3A
Chandra Patton
Region 3B
Shannon Kochensparger
Region 5
Carla Castro
Region 7
Tina Kimball
Regions 8 & 9
Marlin Stewart
Region 10
Kayla Thompson
Regions 11 & 12
Kami Ross
Region 13
Niquita Albright
Regions 14, 15, 18
Shayna Jones
Regions 16 & 17
Board of Directors
Jeff Cybulski
Chairman
Chris Sherbahn
Treasurer & Secretary
Jim Miller
James Westerfield
James Houlihan
Kent Rice
Thomas Rhoades
Robin Strasser
Mark Terrell
CEO of Lifeline
If you are looking for a program for your family or teen not involved with the legal system, please visit the website of our sister organization, Crosswinds. Crosswinds provides family counseling and a teen residential counseling program to everyday families struggling with serious issues.