Meredith’s career in non-profit began as an intern at American Cancer Society-Austin while attending school at Texas State University. Her mom passed away of breast cancer at the age of 11, so she knew she wanted to do her part in joining the fight. She ended up graduating and working at American Cancer Society-Houston from 2007-2010. During her time there she managed six different special events that included galas, golf tournaments and fashion shows. She was given the American Cancer Society’s “Rising Star” award at the national level for her work in fundraising. In 2010, she was offered a position at the corporate office of Goodwill Industries of Houston handling the marketing and media relations as well as serving as the official spokesperson for the enterprise. Her heart is for the broken, lost, and fatherless. She feels a close connection to the LifeHouse residents through experiencing many of her own life struggles at an early age and seeing the healing that comes from trusting the Great Redeemer, Jesus. Meredith has been involved with LifeHouse since 2010 through the “Celebration Dinner” and now uses her gifts to serve the ministry full time as the Chief Executive Officer.

Valerie Harkins has been an advocate for Life and the most vulnerable populations for 13 years. After overcoming her personal experience with homelessness, orphanhood, and crisis pregnancy, Valerie became a licensed social worker, specializing in interpersonal relationship violence and Attachment Theory. Today, she serves as the Chief Operating Officer at LifeHouse of Houston, a residential housing ministry for women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.

Katie was born in Houston, but spent much of her childhood in Austin, TX. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in Women’s Studies, with a minor in history. Her studies empowered a perspective that desires for women to know their worth and embrace their stature as daughters of the King. Her non-profit experience began in college as an intern for Scotty’s House, a child advocacy center in Bryan, TX. It was here that she knew the Lord placed a distinct call to advocate for the needs of women and those who were suffering. She is for the neglected and abused, and for the healing that can only come from the Grace offered through Christ. Prior to joining the LifeHouse family, Katie worked in Treasury Operations. She hopes to use her financial foundations to serve the marginalized communities the Lord wrote on her heart early in life. She sees LifeHouse’s mission as the answer to living out Matthew 25, and looks forward to utilizing her gifts through the ministry to know the Lord and make Him known. She currently attends Bayou City Fellowship and serves in their children’s ministry.

Esther joined the LifeHouse team in the spring of 2019 as the full-time Residential Program Manager. From running a family business to managing shelter operations at Bay Area Turning Point, her skills made her the perfect fit for this new ministry position. Even before coming to the ministry, Esther’s desire was to walk with God in her personal life as well as her professional life. Her passion is to love the woman who comes from trauma and abuse. In turn, she is excited to serve the unborn child and make an impact for generations to come. In this role, she desires to give each woman and child a home where they feel secure and safe. Esther is a mother to five and a grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren. She lives in Deer Park and is an active member of Grace Church.

Erica is originally from Baton Rouge, LA and has lived in Houston for the past 6 years. During her time in Baton Rouge she attended Bethany World Prayer Center where she came to know Christ in 2003. She then went on to attend MTI: School of Ministry where she graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Humanities/Ministry Studies. While in school Erica was involved in Youth Ministry as a Youth Leader for 7 years, she also served on the Worship Team for 3 years. Being involved in Youth Ministry changed and challenged Erica in so many ways, and opened her eyes to the many issues that young women everywhere face on a daily basis. Once she moved to Houston it was quite the challenge to find a church that would resemble where she worshipped at home, but after one visit to Hope City, she knew that’s exactly where she needed to be. Erica began operating in her Administrative gift early on at Hope City as the Admin for the Greeter team. This involved scheduling 85-100 greeters for all weekend services every week! She has always been very passionate about worship and after about a year of being the Greeter Team Admin, Erica moved on to join the Hope City Worship team where she leads worship during the weekend services. She believes that her heart for Youth & Young Adult ministry coupled with her Administrative gifting will be the perfect blend for her position at LifeHouse.

Christine and Alex met and fell in love during their studies at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, TX. They had a big, beautiful wedding in September 2015, and have had a life of ministry together since day one. Alex majored in Biblical Studies with a minor in Pastoral Ministry. He has a passion for the people of Houston, and is currently the Spanish pastor for Faith Memorial Baptist Church located in the Denver Harbor area. Christine majored in Biblical Counseling, and has a strong love for women and children (including the unborn) in need. Christine and Alex are committed to missional living and absolutely love being house parents for LifeHouse. In their free time, they enjoy staying active, visiting friends and family, and playing with their sweet pup Simon.

Zainab Ntaamah was introduced to LifeHouse in 2017 through a partnership with the Council on Recovery’s Cradle Project. While volunteering as a Parenting Educator, she decided to make the switch to minister to the ladies full time in 2018. Zainab’s career history spans from marketing, to early childhood education, to being a budget analyst at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. While working there she began volunteering at a Crisis Pregnancy Center and found her heart’s passion. Knowing that there was much more that God wanted to do in her life she left NASA to work in child welfare and as an adoption coordinator. Her experiences there motivated her to return to graduate school where she obtained a Masters in Social Work at the University of Houston. Zainab’s heartfelt passion align with LifeHouse’s mission and vision as she has ministered to pregnant women and women with children for many years. Her time at the Crisis Pregnancy Center propelled her to begin educating and supporting women through their pregnancies in her personal life for years before transitioning it into a career that she loves. Zainab and her husband Bode, along with their teenaged son, Abeck, belong to Dominion International Center in Houston, TX.

Becka Petticrew was born and raised in Cypress, Texas. After receiving her degree at Houston Baptist University, she attended the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston where she received a Master’s in Public Health. She began her experience in non-profit as a program associate for a nutrition education non-profit organization. Through this job and several global mission trips, she discovered a passion for teaching children, women, and working alongside volunteers. During this time, God grew a desire to reflect His heart by serving the displaced, the wandering, and those far from a safe and loving home. She was first connected to LifeHouse in 2017 where she taught a health education class. She was drawn to the mission of LifeHouse because of her desire for every soul to find a home where they belong and to ultimately find a hope in an eternal home with Christ forever. Now as a part of the LifeHouse family, she is excited to inspire volunteers to use their unique giftings to impact the life of the women and for generations to come. Becka cares deeply about broken hearts finding healing and the Church being made more beautiful by reflecting Christ. Becka volunteers in the children ministry at her church Real Hope Community Church where her husband and best friend Caleb serves as worship pastor.

Lauren and John met at the University of Houston while pursuing their undergraduate degrees in Business Administration. While they were dating, they were deeply moved by the plight of the vulnerable in Houston, and Lauren began serving at a pregnancy help center near the UH campus. Lauren and John were married in June 2017 and felt called to use their marriage to further the Kingdom of God, especially in Houston. The Fields are passionate about families finding healing through the Gospel and consider it a great privilege to serve at LifeHouse as house parents. John is currently pursuing his law degree at the University of Houston Law Center and will graduate in May 2020. In their free time, they love spending time with friends and family, playing fetch with their dog Clemmie, and cheering on the University of Houston Cougars. Lauren and John are partners at Grace Bible Church in the Heights.