Tanya Noble McAllister is currently Vice President, Office and Operations Manager of the Houston Representative Office of Natixis, International Corporate and Investment Banking. She studied at the University of Southern Mississippi.

For the past five years, Tanya has served at-risk youth and marginalized women in Harris and Galveston County areas, providing life skill classes and human trafficking awareness. Her initial training began with Redeemed Ministries which opened doors to volunteering with the WINGS Ministry.  Two years were served in the Harris County Jail, serving marginalized women and then over a year at Santa Maria Jacquelyn Street Rehab Center for Women.  These weekly programs equipped the women served with life skills as well as providing them ways to recognize the signs of human trafficking in order to avoid potential trafficking and exploitation. The WINGS team continues to play an instrumental role in mentoring Be The Light.

After first researching the horrors of human trafficking, Tanya knew she had to do something, staying silent would never be an option. She has fearlessly grown in her knowledge of human trafficking and worked to build relationships with organizations across the greater Houston area. Together, we are stronger, and she believes that supporting these various non-profits is crucial in being effective in bringing the world one step closer to preventing and ultimately ending human trafficking.

Lorrie Singer oversees global recruitment efforts and executive staff management at PAS Global, an international cybersecurity software company, and she received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Texas A&M University.

Lorrie served as a mentor in the City of Houston Mayor’s Anti-Gang Mentorship program for close to four years. This ignited her passion for ensuring at-risk youth know their self-worth and focus on dreaming rather than just surviving. The ability to know that they can break the cycle of those around them is one step in preventing them from becoming targets for human traffickers.

Lorrie began volunteering with Be The Light over two years ago when she saw the overwhelming need for shedding light on the horrors of human trafficking that is happening in our communities. Working alongside Tanya, she was able to help launch the Seeds of Summer, a Be The Light program, which is an initiative to help bring life skill classes to juveniles that are currently serving in a detention center. Her long-term desire is to partner with organizations to help eradicate modern day slavery by educating people on prevention, the signs of human trafficking, and community resources.

Chanda McKinney is a talented hairstylist who has served woman from all walks of life throughout her 20-year career in both Houston and New York City. Chanda is the founder of Caring Counts, an incredible organization that pairs an adult with a high-risk youth who attends elementary in Bacliff, Texas. She believes in the importance of the pair maintaining a long-term mentoring relationship in order for there to be a positive impact on the child’s life and show that child stability. Chanda works side by side with CIS to help these high-risk children succeed and she has personally mentored a child for the past 10 years with Generation One.

Being a survivor of sexual abuse herself, Chanda has a passion for caring and mentoring for both at-risk youth and adults who need to know how precious their life is and know their self-worth. Chanda was also a licensed Foster-Adopt for children who had been through difficult situations and has advanced in TBRI training through volunteer at Anchor Point Pregnancy Crisis Center to help families thrive. Chanda’s extensive knowledge with mentoring, community connections, and passion for caring is an invaluable addition to the Be The Light board. She hopes to encourage everyone to help break the generational cycles by caring for at-risk youth and preventing them falling into the devastating trap of human trafficking.

Barrell Richardson has been providing faith based mentoring and various outreach programs for incarcerated and at-risk youth for over the past 18 years for the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department.

He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and a Master's of Science degree in Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

He has 10 years experience as a teacher at one of the largest alternative schools in the Houston area.

He was formerly the Assistant Director for Youth Exchange Inc. where he served for seven years.

He founded Teen Inc. in 2013.

He became the Juvenile Justice Ministry Director for Youth for Christ in January 2016. They offer programs such as:

• Church services and Bible studies
• Mentoring
• Creative Arts
• Dance
• Faith-based peer-lead support groups
• Sports
• Theatre Arts
• Tutoring
• Concerts
• Etc.