Before becoming an owner-operator, Jose served as Operations Director for Central Texas Food Bank, Brother’s Food Service, and Buckhead Meat & Seafood, a Sysco Foods division in Houston. He oversaw end‑to‑end supply chain management, warehouse operations, and inventory accuracy, and played a key role in implementing Six Sigma methodologies to improve logistics by reducing defects, variation, and errors.

Prior to his civilian leadership roles, Jose served 20 years in the U.S. Navy, earning the rank of Petty Officer First Class as a Logistics Specialist. He led logistics departments at multiple commands, including Supply Logistics Command New Orleans, Fleet Reserve Center Lemoore, and Patrol Squadron 69 in Whidbey Island. His service earned him numerous honors, including a Navy Commendation Medal, seven Navy–Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and five Good Conduct Medals. Jose also holds an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Columbia College of Missouri.

Mick Ambrose is our Pre-Apprentice Plumbing trade instructor and a master plumber. He is also the owner of Ambroco LLC , a commercial construction plumbing company. Mick is married to his beautiful wife, Tabitha, and together they have three kids and two dogs. He moved to Leander with his family in 1985 and currently lives in Georgetown. Before becoming a follower of Christ, he was a drug addict. That is a part of his testimony. He spends his free time fishing and watching football & NASCAR. He also loves to smoke meats. He and his wife enjoy going to live shows and festivals.

Omar Zamora is a master plumber and an instructor for our Trades NCCER Core Construction and NCCER Plumbing 1 program. He is married to Michelle Zamora and they have three amazing children: Samantha (18), Dylan (13), and Rhett (7). His career began in 1999 and he has been in the plumbing trade for over 24 years.

Omar previously worked for large corporate plumbing companies such as M-Tech, ARS, Fox, and Teams, where he serviced accounts for Google, Facebook, Apple, and the Texas Capital Building.

He is passionate about teaching, training new plumbing apprentices, being a mentor, and helping others achieve their goals. More than anything, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Steven Lyons is one of our Pre-Apprentice Electrical trade instructors and a master electrician. He started doing electrical work in 1972 and worked for the State of Texas as an electrician until 2003, at which time he started Lyons Electric Inc. Lyons Electric Inc. specializes in doing smaller jobs. He also teaches continuing education classes every year for My Trade Training. His passion is to see young people come to love the electrical trade as much as he does.

Christi Jones is our lead volunteer for the ESL program and has taught English as a Second Language for more than 20 years. She is a retired high school science teacher and worked as a petroleum technician for more than 10 years.

Christi has two daughters and two granddaughters. She loves to travel and has visited 21 states and seven countries. Her hobbies include gardening, sewing and hand crafts.

Jay is in his second year of teaching ESL. He is also on the board at River City Hope Street and is passionate about service.. He holds an undergraduate degree in Finance and a graduate degree in Public Policy. In addition, Jay is an Ordained Minister.

This is Jennifer's first year as an ESL and Citizenship teacher at River City Hope Street.  She has a degree in English from Sam Houston State University and taught at various homeschooling programs in the Austin area for 11 years.  She loves history, singing, cooking, reading, and of course, English!

This is Greg’s first year as an ESL Instructor at River City Hope Street. He holds degrees in Plan II Honors and Corporate Communications from the University of Texas Austin. He enjoys watching football, learning new healthy recipies, civic engagement, and exploring the great outdoors.

Karen has an undergraduate degree in English and a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction and taught middle school and high school English.  She and her family moved to Texas in 2011, and she is so happy to be a part of the Lone Star State.  She has two very different part-time jobs:  high school substitute teacher and pet sitter.  Karen loves worshipping at Bethany United Methodist Church, where she is an active member of the LIFE class.

Karen's hobbies are people and traveling. She loves talking to people and getting to know their life stories. She and her husband Steve have traveled in their tiny Aliner camper to 41 states so far. They have an adult son, daughter, and son-in-law. Her most favorite time is when all five of them are together laughing!

Ed Yartym is a first year ESL instructor for River City Hope Street. He spent 35 years in education, teaching English and coaching football for many of them. He was a high school principal for half of his career in Dallas County. He retired in 2015 and moved to Austin a few years later.

He is married with two kids and five grandchildren. He enjoys watching sports, listening to music and cooking/grilling for family & friends.

Carol Yartym is co-teaching ESL with her husband Ed. Previously, she served as a middle and high school counselor for 42 years in the Dallas area until she retired in 2020 and moved to Leander.  She enjoys spending time with her two children and five grandchildren.

B. S. - Texas Wesleyan University @ Fort Worth, Texas

General Elementary Teaching Certificate

High School English Teaching Certificate

All Level Health and Physical Education Teaching Certificate

Retired - 25 years in the Texas Public School System

Native Texan

Married to Gary Seale

Two daughters and two grandchildren

Active member of member of Hill Country Bible Church

Enjoy outside activities and reading

BBA - University of Texas@ Arlington

MBA - Texas State University

Doctorate in Strategic Management - Liberty University

Distinguished Toastmaster - Toastmasters International

Elementary Spanish vocabulary

30 Plus years of training and speaking experience

Married: 51 years

Austin resident since 1985

Active member of Hill Country Bible Church

A member of the Gideons

Member of T-Werx Toastmaster

Principal at The Trucon Consulting Group, LLC

Z Carpenter is the Founder and Principal Strategist of Hey Hey Z Girl, a brand consultancy helping founders, creative teams, and mission-driven organizations clarify their identity and strengthen their digital presence. With more than 20 years of experience in brand strategy and digital marketing, Z has guided startups and established companies across health tech, lifestyle, SaaS, and purpose-driven sectors. Known for blending creative intuition with strategic clarity, she helps organizations build meaningful brands, cohesive messaging, and purposeful digital experiences.

Born in South Korea and raised in Louisiana, Z’s life reflects a rich blend of Korean heritage and Southern community values. She is a certified foster and adoption advocate, an active volunteer at Cedar Park Korean Baptist Church, and a longtime supporter of child-focused nonprofit work. A former collegiate soccer player, she remains connected to the sport as a U.S. Soccer-certified referee and coach, and is co-founder of Soccer Seeds, a nonprofit using soccer as a tool for connection and outreach in underserved communities. Z continues to champion bold ideas with real-world execution, helping clients align strategy, storytelling, and mission.

Kendra McElhanon serves as the Lead Teacher for the Level Four Conversation Class. She is passionate about creating a welcoming environment where English learners can grow in confidence, build meaningful relationships, and feel at home in their community.

Kendra holds a Master of Arts in Intercultural Communication and previously held certification in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Bilingual Education. She enjoys designing engaging, participatory lessons that help students develop practical communication skills.

As a follower of Christ, Kendra believes that every person is created in God’s image and deserves to be welcomed with dignity, kindness, and love. She hopes the classroom reflects that belief by being a place where people from every nation feel valued and experience belonging.

Kendra and her husband homeschooled their four grown children, including one child adopted from Ukraine. In her free time, she enjoys reading and photography, especially capturing portraits that highlight each person’s individuality and story.

“Gregg Vossler (ESL Instructor) is a retired international teacher and administrator with forty years of educational experience in the USA, China, the UAE, Albania, and Bosnia. He lives in Lago Vista with his wife, Nancy, and is a teaching elder at his local church. He has a strong heart for other cultures and is looking forward to connecting with his international students.”

“Nancy Vossler (ESL Instructor) is a retired elementary music teacher who has taught both in the United States and internationally. While in China she taught a multi-grade elementary class in an international school and ESL to neighborhood Chinese women and their children. In the UAE Nancy led a team that taught English to a Baluchi family and music to children in the international church in her city. She is currently active in the children’s ministry of her local church.”

Abby Whorton is one of our assistant ESL instructors and generally supports our Level 2/3 instructor, Christi Jones.

Originally from Chicago, Illinois, I moved to Austin with family at a young age and pursuing a degree in Cybersecurity. With 18 years of Spanish study and plans to begin learning Ukrainian, a lifelong passion for languages shapes the approach to teaching. Serving as an ESL instructor provides an opportunity to carry that passion forward by helping students learn English, while ministry work remains focused on sharing God’s love through education and service.