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941.123.4567
MEET OUR TEAM
Board of Directors
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Don Setterlof
Board Chair
Don served for 34 years in public school teaching and administration, with 25 of those years as principal and 9 years as a teacher. Following his retirement in 2005, Don entered the not-for-profit world, serving for 15 years as Executive Director and Area Director for Indiana Dollars for Scholars and Scholarship America. He has served as a volunteer, board member and team trainer with Kairos Prison Ministry, and has been a member of the Indianapolis Great Banquet community since 1999. Don is honored to have served as a board member, past volunteer coordinator and current Board Chairperson for Avenue941. He firmly believes that God has great plans for the future of Avenue941 as we serve together to proclaim the love and hope of Jesus Christ to the students and families of Manatee County.
Paul White
Vice Chair
Paul White graduated from Lehigh University in 1970 with a BSEE. During the next 40+ years, he spent most of his time developing leading edge high power microwave solutions for next generation military systems. He spent 30 years as a serial entrepreneur, eventually selling his last business to General Dynamics in 2008. He also taught during this time, including 10 years teaching the electronics technology curriculum at The Community College of Baltimore, an inner city institution, and 3 years teaching at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab as a staff consultant and graduate instructor. During the last 15 years, Paul has served as a Trustee at The Bridge Church, and as a board member of several non-profit and corporate boards, including Avenue 941. He is excited for the ministry opportunities that will unfold as Avenue 941 continues to provide an after-school faith based mentoring environment in collaboration with the Manatee County Board of Education. Paul is married to Vicki, father of 4, and grandfather of 9.
Kathy Brugger
Secretary
Thomas Hlohinec
Treasurer
Thomas has a passion for helping others. Friends and family started coming to him as someone they trusted to help with their finances and investments. Seeing a void of trusted financial advice, Thomas founded Rise Financial Partners. Previous to Rise Financial Partners, he spent seven years at a global investment firm where he educated financial advisors and institutional investors how to build better investment portfolios.
Thomas frequently provides insights to other financial advisors and has been quoted by industry publications such as InvestmentNews, LendingTree, MarketWatch, Morningstar, and Time. Thomas is very active within his church community. He was responsible for the development and leadership of his prior church’s security team, and currently serves as the Chairman of the ManaSota Christian Community Foundation’s Advisory Board.
Thomas graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Central Florida. He has passed FINRA's Series 7, 63, and 66 exams.
Johana Desir
Chair of Church Partnership Committee
Don served for 34 years in public school teaching and administration, with 25 of those years as principal and 9 years as a teacher. Following his retirement in 2005, Don entered the not-for-profit world, serving for 15 years as Executive Director and Area Director for Indiana Dollars for Scholars and Scholarship America. He has served as a volunteer, board member and team trainer with Kairos Prison Ministry, and has been a member of the Indianapolis Great Banquet community since 1999. Don is honored to have served as a board member, past volunteer coordinator and current Board Chairperson for Avenue941. He firmly believes that God has great plans for the future of Avenue941 as we serve together to proclaim the love and hope of Jesus Christ to the students and families of Manatee County.
Don served for 34 years in public school teaching and administration, with 25 of those years as principal and 9 years as a teacher. Following his retirement in 2005, Don entered the not-for-profit world, serving for 15 years as Executive Director and Area Director for Indiana Dollars for Scholars and Scholarship America. He has served as a volunteer, board member and team trainer with Kairos Prison Ministry, and has been a member of the Indianapolis Great Banquet community since 1999. Don is honored to have served as a board member, past volunteer coordinator and current Board Chairperson for Avenue941. He firmly believes that God has great plans for the future of Avenue941 as we serve together to proclaim the love and hope of Jesus Christ to the students and families of Manatee County.
Hi all, my name is Johana Desir, I am a mom and wife, married to my H.S Sweetheart for 25 years, we have one amazing rainbow baby girl, well she is 22 years old, so not so baby anymore. I have my bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Concordia University Chicago. In the market place I am a Revenue Cycle Management Consultant working with small to mid-size healthcare companies. I am enrolled at Carson-Newman University in Knoxville, TN for my MBA in Org management, hoping to one day get my doctor in Org leadership. I lead my own revenue cycle consulting firm and before that, I led the Revenue Cycle teams of several multi million dollar healthcare providers in CA, TN, GA & FL. My Husband and I are passionate missionaries to our Home Country of Haiti and leading the Haitian-American community here in Bradenton, FL through our church RendezVous Christ. I have a slight shoe addiction. I am a big ‘ole extrovert and if you’ve ever done the DISC profile personality test, I am high “I” 99% and high “C” 90%, my primary love language is gifts!
Our Staff
Brenda Critchfield
Founder, Director
Brenda was a middle school teacher at Electa Lee Middle in Bradenton from Dec 2015- June 2021. She taught in NC for 8 years before that and has ten years of experience in teaching 8th grade Language Arts. She has her MAT from UNCC. She believes that her role as a teacher was to speak truth and inspire the next generation to break off the chains of conformity and walk in the freedom that Christ has called them into. She founded Avenue941 with the hope that every student in Manatee County would have access to a caring adult to support them academically, emotionally and spiritually. In 2023, she won the Human Rights Award from the local chapter of Church Women United for her work to bring justice and equity to all students in Manatee County.
Jody Ramer
Volunteer Coordinator
Jody was born and raised in Northern New York, and only recently relocated to Ellenton from Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Messiah University where she graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Family Studies. Upon graduation, she worked with developmentally disabled adults in both the home setting and day treatment facility. For the last twenty years, she has homeschooled her three children and has volunteered with her local church in community outreach opportunities. She has a heart for kids to experience the love of Jesus and gain confidence in themselves to succeed in school and walk in their life purpose.
Shavonda Griffin
Exodus Center Site Facilitator
My name is Shavonda Griffin and I am the site facilitator at Exodus Resource Center.
I love to learn, teach, grow and lift our youth to their greatest potential. I have worked with youth throughout the Manatee and Sarasota area for over 25 years, The youth are our future, we have to start training them now to get them better prepared to become our future leaders.
Belinda Ductan
RendezVous Site Facilitator
My Name is Belinda Ductan, I'm Rendez-Vous site coordinator. My heart has always set to help out with kids since I was a young adult. I had been serving kids, young adults, and women in the church for years when I was informed about Avenue941, I was so glad that I said yes to this opportunity to empower not only those students in our community, but the opportunity that I have to know these kids in a personal way....their different personalities and character throughout this great ministry. It has been a great experience for me and also a wonderful journey since I have learned a lot from and through them, knowing that I can make a difference in these students lives.
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Lori Farmer
Site Team Leader
Lori Farmer a Colorado native that recently relocated to Bradenton. I graduated from the University of Denver where I received a double major in International Studies and Russian Language. I spent my early twenties traveling as a missionary, predominately in Southern Africa, Ukraine and Russia. It was overseas that I grew to love working with kids. I love adventure, experiencing other cultures and I am passionate about seeing youth encounter the love of God and reach their God-given potential.
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Colleen Sullivan
Community Partnerships Liason
180 House Site Facilitator
Delena Jeffers
First Baptist Site Facilitator
"I'm Delena Jeffers. I recently retired from 32 years of teaching in the public school system. Soon after entering retirement, I was introduced to Avenue941! It's a perfect place for me as Bradenton First Baptist Church's site facilitator. I have the opportunity to help students improve their academics, increase their confidence, and hear about the love and life of Jesus through devotions and prayer each tutoring day. Our beginning scripture for memorization is: "The LORD is with me; He is mighty to save. He takes great delight in me. He quiets me with His love. He rejoices over me with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
Katie Wilcox
Unite Us Family Services Liaison
Katie Wilcox and Brenda Critchfield met at the 21Project school in summer of 2019 where Avenue was born and Katie is the one who came up with the name Avenue! Katie grew up in Massachusetts where she was a Family Life Intern and youth group leader at her home church. Her degree is Child and Family Services from Messiah University in PA. After graduating, she moved to Delaware to work at a medical day care and helped children with various diagnoses reach their highest level of development through play. She has volunteered with various grief support groups and is moving to South Carolina to work with children with autism and/or related disabilities. She cares about the mental and emotional well being of children and families and wants every child to know they are loved by God and have a unique purpose.
Midline Lozin
Bayshore Gardens Site Facilitator
My name is Midline, Meme for short. I'm 26 years old. Began working with Avenue941 in search of purpose. Then finding, that both passion of working with kids and preaching the love of God was all in this one organization. Seeing the lives and confidence of these children made new by the love of God is truly a wonder; that's my why for staying!
Lani Cox
Gulf Coast & Oneco Hope Site Facilitator
Lani Rose Cox. I am from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have 5 brothers, 4 sisters, and 5 nieces and nephews whom I love. My parents are saints and homeschooled us all! I have their same love for Jesus, adventure, and truth. I’m a creative to the core. I love to sing, play piano, compose, write, dance, and speak. Through these gifts and this platform it is my aim and joy to build others up in truth and inspire them to live in the fullness of grace and freedom that Christ has given us.
