We Are Currently Hiring for 2019 Girls Residential Staff
Our girls residential team consists of godly women who are passionately committed to serving troubled or struggling teen girls in crisis. The Shepherd’s Hill Academy girls residential team provides safe around-the-clock care for your daughter’s daily needs, including her academic, emotional, physical and spiritual development.
Every Shepherd’s Hill Academy team member must meet all the employment requirements, including a thorough background and criminal history check as set forth by the state of Georgia. All residential staff members are required to be trained in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), First Aid, and Emergency Safety Intervention (ESI).
In addition, each member undergoes an intense 30-day training period. Assuring the greatest degree of care and attention in the industry, Shepherd’s Hill Academy uncompromisingly upholds a maximum 5:1 student to staff ratio. This means your teen daughter is not out of sight of a girls residential team member at any point during her stay in the Therapeutic Outdoor Program.
Ginelle Kohl
Girls Wilderness Program Manager
Ginelle currently holds a bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology with a minor in Outdoor Leadership and Education from Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, GA. Ginelle has worked with youth since 2007.
Ginelle loves working with teens because their youthful energy and life offer so much to today’s culture. Ginelle wants to teach teens how to harness that energy and put it towards worthwhile things. She desires to serve youth and equip them to go out and pour into and serve in the lives of others.
In addition, Ginelle loves photography, videography, zip-lining, road trips, coffee, and camping.
Alix Twyman
Next Step Program Manager
Alix received an associate’s degree in Psychology from Gainesville State College in Watkinsville, GA. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA.
Alix taught gymnastics to kids for a year, and previously served the students at Shepherd’s Hill Academy for nearly five years. She first started working with teens because she saw people from her high school who constantly sought after things like drugs, sex, alcohol, others approval, etc., to fill a void that never seemed to be filled. It is her desire to share Christ’s unconditional love with them because she knows it is the only thing that can fill the void they feel.
After having worked with youth for so long, she is drawn to them because of their depth and vulnerability. Their ability to form relationships with people who care about them and then open up about their insecurities which they mask in makeup, media, sexual activity, etc. She loves getting to the heart of the matter with the students at SHA. She fully believes in what we do at Shepherds Hill that she could not stay away from this ministry because of our deep concern for this population and what they face daily. Alix will say “We want to do everything we can to take care of them and show them that they are loved, worthy, and capable of having a bright future.”
Alix lives in Athens, GA with her husband, Mario, and their cat, MJ. She loves to read, go for hikes, and hang out with her family.
Amber Silien
Amber received a bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, GA. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling at Capella University. She is AED Certified, and has attended training in Positive Control Systems (De-escalation Techniques) and Darkness to Light (Child Sexual Abuse Prevention).
Amber has worked with youth in counseling and consulting roles, as well as with another residential program since 2014. She believes early adolescence is a time for young teens to begin to discover who they are and who they want to be in a culture where we have so many negative influences and people telling them who they should be. She likes to work with teens so she can help them discover who they are in Jesus Christ.
Amber enjoys serving teens and loves seeing their lives transformed as they find peace in finding their purpose in this world. She puts forth encouragement to the students she serves to help them see themselves and others through the eyes of God. She is driven by the beauty of authenticity shining through our youth and rising up against our culture’s superficial standards. She chooses to focus on the positive aspects of this generation and believes this is a time in history when God is sending His strongest leaders. She is eager to help mold the leaders of today’s teens and help them discover ways to have a positive and lasting impact on the world.
Amber’s hobbies include art, crafts, music, writing, party planning, playing dominoes and spades, cooking, and learning about and taking care of animals (specifically reptiles).
Ashley Putnam
Ashley is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, and she is considering changing her major to Social Work, at Brewton Parker College in Mount Vernon, GA.
Since 2003, Ashley has served youth in various positions within her church, school, youth camps, and at Vacation Bible Schools (VBS). Her previous position as a director at the Walter Hoving Home allowed her to help women who struggled with life-controlling issues. She is passionate about Christ and helping people. God gave her compassion for hurting people.
Ashley is grateful that someone invested in her when she was a teen. She recalls they saw her for what she could be, and what God could do through her. They never gave up on her and always loved her unconditionally. Now, she wants to give this generation what was given to her. That is to just love them and be an example for them.
Ashley enjoys anything outdoors, hiking and kayaking. She loves playing sports, and working out is a big priority for her. She is a volunteer at Emmanuel College and loves volunteering for great causes. She also loves to read!
Emily Smith
Emily has a bachelor’s degree from Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, GA. She majored in Counseling Psychology. She has two minors, one in Teacher Education and the other one is in Bible and Theology.
She has worked with youth since 2013 where she was the Music Director for her church’s VBS and Christmas play. She is also a Youth Worker with the youth group. She started a Young Women’s Ministry at her church and is the leader of a Young Women’s Bible study. For her college internship, Emily worked assisting youth at Reins of Life doing Equine Therapy and Hippotherapy.
Emily has a passion for helping people. She loves to live life with people by walking through the good and bad times with them. She believes God has given her the gifts to have compassion and empathy towards others. She knows that the teen years are tough because she has lived through them herself. She believes it is a time of finding one’s purpose and identity. It is her desire to walk alongside youth to help them through their journey into adulthood.
Emily grew up in a very close family with her parents and three siblings. She is the oldest of her two brothers and one sister. She loves listening to, singing and playing music. She plays the flute and has performed in different concert bands, small ensembles, jazz bands, and an orchestra for over 10 years, including in college. Emily also enjoys learning different styles of dance such as contra dance, swing dance, and ballroom dancing. When she isn’t playing the flute or dancing, she loves a good movie, Chinese food and spending time with her family and friends.
Gennesis Popovici
Spanish Teacher
Gennesis received an associate degree in Science from Gainesville State College in Oakwood, GA. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Middle Georgia State University in Macon, GA.
Gennesis served as a children’s Sunday school teacher for two years, and at SHA since 2013. She understands that adolescence is such a critical time in a child’s life. She believes so much is expected of our youth, yet not enough is expected in the areas that matter.
Gennesis wants to make a difference in the lives of teens. Her hope is to challenge and to show Christ’s love through coming alongside our students to show them the fulfillment that can come through Him, as well as through having a community of Christ followers.
Gennesis has been married since 2016. She spends most of her time doing school work and working with kids. She loves her family and likes to spend time with them whenever she can. She also enjoys singing with her husband while he plays the guitar.
Hannah Jenkins
Hannah received a bachelor’s degree from Toccoa Falls College in Interpersonal Communications, with a triple minor in Counseling, Bible and Theology, and Biology. She is also trained as an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician.
She has experience serving the youth in Zambia with her parents as they worked with the kids on the street there for seven years. She also served at an orphanage and bush hospital. Since moving back to the United States, she has worked with youth as a Camp Counselor at a summer camp.
Hannah is the second oldest of eleven children, of which one was adopted into the family. She spent her teenage years growing up in Africa and sees a different mindset in the culture of the American youth from how she was raised. She believes the youth in the United States need the love of Christ in their lives just as much as teens in the rest of the world, and it is her desire to show them another way of life. Her experience working with physical trauma patients has allowed her to understand how to handle deeper emotional trials. She considers it a privilege to step into the lives of our youth and share their journey as they grow and seek God’s truth.
Hannah loves to learn new things. She enjoys playing the guitar and singing, as well as hiking, cooking, exploring, going on long road trips, and spending time with family.
Jeimy Madrid
Jeimy is a high school graduate of Johnson High School in Georgia, and is currently enrolled in her third year of theological studies at the Theological Institute.
Jeimy and her husband have been mentoring young men in the Royal Ranger Ministry since 2014. They were elected youth group leaders where they minister to 12-18-year-olds through the Scriptures. She loves to have the opportunity to make a difference in the life of today’s youth. She believes it is essential to help draw them closer to God.
Jeimy has been married since 2009, and she is the mother of two boys. In her spare time, she enjoys music, reading, spending time with her family and attending church.
Jordan Green
Jordan currently attends Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, GA, where she is working towards her bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology.
Jordan has a wealth of experience working with youth, both wide-range and long-term. She has served during Vacation Bible School (VBS) for seven years, at her church for two years, and at camp for one year.
She knows the teen years are such an impressionable and pivotal part of life – where many habits and opinions are formed about religion that can carry through one’s lifetime. Jordan understands all the new challenges and cultural influences that affect this generation. Therefore, it is her desire to teach them with genuine love and faith as she guides their passion, loyalty, and insight in a positive light.
When Jordan isn’t occupied with her studies, work, or church events, she enjoys pickup volleyball games, playing guitar, and catching up with friends.
Jordan Scott
Jordan studied the core curriculum of Early Childhood Education at North Georgia Technical College, in Toccoa, GA. She currently attends Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, GA to pursue a bachelor’s degree in this field.
She has worked with youth since 2012 in various church youth group settings. Jordan has reached out to her community by working with youth at the Lavonia Cultural Center Youth Summer Theatre in Lavonia, GA. She looks forward to serving the Lord and letting Him use her in helping the girls enrolled at SHA. She is excited to spread His love and compassion while also growing in her personal walk with Him.
Jordan cherishes the opportunity to help and watch young adults grow in themselves and learn to thrive in today’s world. She understands that teens have so many important years ahead of them, and is beyond happy to help them reach their full potential. She exclaims, “The possibilities of what they can achieve for themselves are limitless.”
Jordan enjoys hunting, fishing, and being outdoors. She loves to travel and see new places. She also loves reading and anything artistic that opens up the opportunity for creativity.
Kara Greaves
Kara is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Family and Children’s Ministries from Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, GA.
Her genuine faithfulness to serve the youth of our nation reflects in her dedication to actively volunteer at her church. Whereas, her devotion allowed her to lead youth in Vacation Bible School (VBS), and at various youth camps for eight years. She also served at Residence Life for two years.
Kara wants to show the love of Jesus to the teens at SHA, and to help them discover the sense of purpose God has for their life. Her hopes are to encourage and empower our students to be the best they can be, and to live as Christ designed them.
Kara enjoys a wide range of hobbies. She likes playing sports, and doing artsy things such as writing and painting. She also enjoys playing card and board games.
Lilly Butler
Lilly is currently pursuing a bachelors degree at Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, GA in Nursing to become a Registered Nurse. Her minor is in Counseling. She is also a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Since 2012, she has lead a VBS conference for young girls on the topic of purity and what that resembles. She worked as a cabin leader at Camp Pinnacle Christian Camp for girls in Clayton, GA for one year. Lilly’s position as a cabin leader helped her grow stronger in her own faith and enhanced her leadership ability. It also created in her the desire to work closely with teens and to help them grow and pursue their goals for the future.
Lilly has six siblings and her parents are divorced and both remarried. She can relate on an emotional level to today’s teens and sees a lot of herself in them from when she was growing up. It has been on her heart as a passion since her freshman year of college to attend to young adults. Lilly loves troubled teens because God loved her first, and having the time and patience to love on a hurting teen and somehow nurture them back to their identity means the entire world to her. She knows He set it upon her heart and mind to love on teens who might feel less than another human being or who have never felt loved at all.
Her nurturing and environmentalist spirit leads her to groom the beach in the summer to allow safe nesting sites for mothering sea turtles to lay their eggs and make it back to sea safely. She loves to make terrariums and take care of plants. She enjoys hiking and anything outdoors. She also likes arts and crafts and follows instruction from the American Painter, Bob Ross.
Olivia Johannes
Olivia currently attends Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, GA, where she is working towards her bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
She worked with youth while she was in the Civil Air Patrol from 2011-2014. Olivia understands the years of middle school and high school are very challenging for teenagers. Learning how to navigate these struggles using the teachings of Christ is something that she believes is very important. She enjoys watching teens learn and helping them create goals that challenge them to accomplish things that they might not have thought possible.
Olivia spends a large portion of her time studying. In any free time, she enjoys baking with her mom and sister. She also likes to help her dad work on cars and any random building projects.
Olivia Paul
Olivia received a bachelor’s degree, with a double major in Counseling Psychology and Outdoor Leadership and Education, from Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, GA. She plans to begin a master’s program for wilderness therapy in the fall of 2019. She has former training as an Emergency Medical Technician from SOLO Wilderness Medical School.
Olivia has been a camp counselor for several years working with youth in rural Kentucky. She started her wilderness therapy interests at Adventure Respite in 2015. Cumulatively, she has been teaching, trip leading and working with youth since 2013.
She wants to serve teens because she knows they will be the ones guiding our world in years soon to come. It’s her desire to instill morals and strengths with hopes she will guide them in the ways of the Lord and set them up for healthy and successful lives. Olivia says, “Children are the most important part of this life. I want to make a positive impact.”
Olivia is from rural Appalachia, where her family still resides in TN, KY, and VA. Living away from her family has resulted in her adopting many animals. She enjoys backpacking, teaching wilderness survival skills, reading and anything at the ocean.
Sarah Henderson
Sarah is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Science at the University of Georgia with plans to graduate in May 2020. She is on the Dean’s list and is a Hope Scholarship recipient.
Sarah has worked with youth since 2015. She served in a variety of roles with the organization Young Life, including a Global Cities Intern in Singapore, where she invested in the lives of middle and high school students from a variety of countries. She also served as a Wilderness Guide and Camp Facilitator at a Young Life camp in North Carolina, where she led groups of high school students in a wilderness experience promoting personal and spiritual growth. Another opportunity Sarah had to serve youth was as a Life Skills Mentor through the Alaquest Collaborative for Education, where she communicated positive life skills to middle school students on a weekly basis.
Sarah believes God has given her the passions, gifts, and experiences to invest in the lives of teen girls. She has always had a huge heart for youth trying to find their place in the world and navigate through all the difficulties life presents. She also believes God has given her the ability to see the value in every individual no matter who they are, where they have been or what they have done, and it’s her desire for them to see the value within themselves. Sarah is extremely passionate about helping individuals grow into who God created them to be and providing them with the guidance and direction they need along the way. She longs to make meaningful relationships with just about everyone the Lord puts in her path, and she feels she can do that at Shepherd’s Hill Academy.
In her free time, Sarah loves to be outdoors reading a good book, hiking, or spending quality time with friends. She also has a passion for learning about and experiencing other cultures.
