Meet the Team
We are blessed to have an awesome dedicated team of staff passionate about serving our city.
- For general inquiries, please call our office at 210.697.7052
- For specific questions, please see the staff directory below
Meet our Team
Gilbert Hernandez, Executive Director
The son of an inner-city pastor, Gilbert has been part of ministry just about all his life but it wasn’t until the age of 14 that Gilbert gave his life to Christ and in the same year felt a call to ministry. After graduation from International Bible College in 1992 Gilbert served as youth pastor for 8 years on the Westside of San Antonio. Then in 2000 Gilbert joined the San Antonio Youth for Christ staff as the student led ministry director and in 2003 was promoted to San Antonio Youth for Christ ministry director. Gilbert has been our Executive Director since 2005. He is responsible for guiding the vision of SAYFC, development/stewardship, community relations and the Board of Directors. When not leading San Antonio YFC, he loves to golf, scuba dive and developing young leaders. He keeps busy chasing his two dogs and caring for the love of his life, Hilda, his wife. You can reach Gilbert at: gilberth@sayfc.com.
Leah Resendez, Office Manager
While attending Latin American Bible Institute, Leah became involved with SAYFC as an intern. It was during that time, that she fell in love with the ministry and the students it reaches. Upon completing Bible school, Leah returned to her home in McAllen, Texas with her heart still with SAYFC. Three years later, she married her soul mate, Roland, and moved to San Antonio. She has been working with San Antonio Youth for Christ ever since. When Leah is not in the office, she volunteers with City Life and its ministry in the inner city. In her spare time, Leah can be found spoiling her 5 month old baby nephew. You can reach Leah at: leahr@sayfc.com.
Josue "Pepe" Fuentes, Westside City Life Director
Josue “Pepe” Fuentes is originally from Baytown, Texas, however, he has spent most of his adult life in San Antonio, Texas. It was here he received his biblical training and was first introduced to San Antonio Youth for Christ. SAYFC made a positive impression in his life in 2004 while he attended Latin American Bible Institute. This led him to become an intern for the remainder of his schooling. After graduating in 2006, he became employed as City Life High School Director, and still remains there. Pepe has a passion to see inner city students’ lives transformed through a holistic approach and has dedicated his life to serving the West side of San Antonio where he has intentionally chosen to reside. You can reach Pepe at: pepef@sayfc.com.
Angela Lugo, City Life Director
Angela married her best friend Abel and together they have been involved in youth ministry for over 12 years. Angela has been in full-time youth ministry since 2007. She serves with San Antonio Youth for Christ, City Life and Teen Parents.
Angela and Abel are also involved in their local church as volunteer youth leaders. They have two beautiful children: Illea and Josiah. Angela enjoys building teams and coaching. Her mission is to diligently love, serve, and seek relationships with God and her family in order to reach out to the lost and provide spiritual and personal growth. You can reach Angela at: angelal@sayfc.com.
Jennifer Gonzales, City Life Middle School Director
Jennifer is a native of San Antonio. Together, with her husband, Adam, they have been serving the Lord in San Antonio. Jennifer and Adam have four children: Brittney, Jay, Tiffany and Naomi. Jennifer is serving at San Antonio Youth for Christ, City Life working with youth in the Westside of San Antonio targeting the Edgewood School District. Jennifer has a huge passion and calling to reach the youth and lead them to the cross. Both Jennifer and her husband have always had a passion and a calling in working with this community and a desire to seek the lost and direct them to becoming followers of Jesus Christ.You can reach Jennifer at: jenniferg@sayfc.com.
Rick Diaz, Southside City Life Director
Rick and Ida have been married for 31 years and together they have 2 children. Amanda and Gabriel. Both are married and have given them 6 grandkids. Rick is a graduate of the Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary in San Antonio. While in seminary, he served for five years as Youth and Music Minister at Temple Jerusalem Baptist Church in Victoria, Texas, where he was also ordained. Upon graduation from Seminary, he served as Minister of Youth and Their Families at Harlandale Baptist Church, an inner city church with a ministry to youth. He was also the Program Relations Manager with the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative out of Grand Rapids Michigan from 2006-2011. Rick is so thankful that God has called him to SAYFC as part of the team. You can reach Rick at: rickd@sayfc.com.
Claudia Kauffman, Teen Parent Director
Claudia was born and raised in San Antonio TX. She was married to her wonderful husband, Layton, on February 25, 2011. Together they have been serving in the ministry for three years. Claudia became involved with Youth For Christ through her husband who is the middle school director for Campus Life. She volunteered with him at Neff Middle School for two years. Claudia was offered the Teen Parent position at Youth at Youth For Christ in November of 2011. Claudia has always felt called to empower young ladies who are struggling in life, and Teen Parents is the perfect opportunity for her to start fulfilling the call that God has given her. You can reach Claudia at: claudiak@sayfc.com.
Marquis C. Fleming, Juvenile Justice Ministries/ Nehemiah Project Director
Marquis is from New Jersey. He and Kristi have been married for five years. Marquis works with teens in the juvenile justice system where his mission is to help youth rebuild their lives. His ultimate vision is to have a group home and help youth that have committed their lives to Christ and are struggling to get on the right track.
At the moment, Marquis volunteers regularly at the Juvenile Detention Center in Bexar County and ministers to them through Christian music and messages on Friday nights. Marquis wishes to complete follow up in order to assist them in finding churches and mentors in their own neighborhoods before they get released from the detention center or just after. You can reach Marquis at: mfleming@sayfc.com.
Paul Wise, Economis Coordinator
Paul, an alumnus of San Antonio YFC’s Campus Life, is from San Antonio, Texas and has lived there most of his life. A graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree in Anthropology, he spends his free time reading and researching people groups, cultures, philosophy, and theology. He also enjoys running, hiking, watersports, camping, and cooking, which he does as often as he can.Three years ago, Paul married his wife, Kelsey, whom he met through YFC Campus Life when they were sophomores in high school. Together, they believe that God has given them the mission to live in downtown San Antonio and open their home to people to share the love of Christ. In time they plan to make their home a place of reconciliation and peace for the lost and broken and everyone in between. You can reach Paul at paulw@sayfc.com.
Isai Melgoza, City Life Mentor Coordinator
Isai Melgoza is a first generation immigrant from Monterrey, MX whose family transplanted to the inner city of San Antonio, TX when he was 3 years old. Isai attained a Bachelors of Science in Psychology (minor in Christian Studies), a Master of Arts in Counseling from Wayland Baptist University and is in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. He has served as a youth pastor for over 7 years and is a current board member in his local congregation. Professionally, he has worked extensively in various capacities with inner city youth of San Antonio. His experience in human services has been in leadership development, case management, program leadership and in the mental health field as a counselor. Today he works as a professor at a local community college and university in the counseling/student development and psychology departments, respectively. His first ministry is with his two daughters and Misty, his “help meet” of almost 13 years. You can reach Isai at: isaim@sayfc.com.
Laura Chagoy,City Life Admin. Assistant
Laura is a native of San Antonio and was raised on the Westside of town. Coming from an inner city community and experiences she has faced has made her very relatable to our City Life students and counts it an honor to be associated with an organization that reaches out to amazing kids and shows them through obedience and perpetual love from the Lord, that all things are possible. In November 2011 she completed a two-year theology course from Kings Bible Institute and soon after became involved with SAYFC. She and her husband Edward are active in their church. She serves as volunteer secretary and youth leader and he, as treasurer. They have two children Cameron and Luke who are the loves of their lives. You can reach Laura at: laurac@sayfc.com.
Bobby Contreras, Alamo Heights Campus Life Director
Bobby was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. It was there that he began to have a heart and passion for sharing God’s word with young people. His desire to have students become lifelong followers of Christ has propelled him to be fervent in spreading the Good News in his community. Bobby has been blessed in the Alamo Heights community by having a supportive partnership with parents to reach the students in the Alamo Heights area. He has been on the S.A. Youth for Christ team since 2007. Bobby enjoys hanging out with students, toilet papering their cars and beating them at ping-pong. He and his wife Hannah have one precious daughter, Ella Grace. You can reach Bobby at: bobbyc@sayfc.com.
LeRoy Jacobson, Northside ISD High School Campus Life Director
LeRoy began working with Campus Life in 1970 in Nebraska. In 1989, he and his family moved to San Antonio to continue working with Campus Life at Marshall High School. As Northside ISD has grown, other students from O’Connor, Brandeis and Clark have been involved also. LeRoy enjoys building relationships with students, whatever background they come from. Introducing them to Jesus gives LeRoy great satisfaction!
LeRoy married Jackie in 1976. They are very proud of their four children and two daughters-in-law, Chelsie, Brent-wife Molly, Nels-wife Teegan and Hallie. LeRoy and Jackie are members of Northwest Community church. You can reach LeRoy at: leroyj@sayfc.com.
Layton Kauffman, Northside ISD Campus Life Middle School Director
Layton was born and raised in Northern Wisconsin. He attended a private Christian school at his home church, Northern Lights Christian Center. Extremely blessed with a Christian education and up bringing, ministry was always his calling. In 2005, he decided to attend Bible college in San Antonio, Texas. He volunteered withSAYFC in the fall of 2006. In 2008, he became the intern-director at Pat Neff Middle School. Upon completion of the four-year program at International Bible Center in 2009, he came on staff part-time. He married his wife Claudia on February 25, 2011 and joined San Antonio Youth For Christ full-time in July 2011 as the Campus Life Middle School Director over the Northside School district. You can reach Layton at: laytonk@sayfc.com.
Chuck Skarin, Brandeis HS Campus Life Director
Chuck Skarin (pronounced ‘screen’) and his wife have been married for a little over a year now. Chuck is deeply in love with Christ and his beautiful bride, Stacie. Chuck has been involved in youth ministry for 8 years. 5 of those years have been full time with YFC. Chuck loves to reach students where they are and develop a life long relationship with them. He tries to help them in four areas of their lives: spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. He believes these areas make a whole person and are all very important. One of his main passions is developing leaders. Leadership is influence and all people have influence. He tries to help others influence people’s lives in a positive way.
Chuck’s life mission statement is: “Pursue God with all my heart. Be the best Christian leader, husband, and father I can be. Make disciples: equip, develop, and release them to reach their full leadership potential to further the kingdom of God.” You can reach Chuck at: chucks@sayfc.com.
