Staff Anniversaries - January 2024
It would be impossible to overstate how valuable our staff is in pursuing our mission to serve Knoxville’s urban youth. Whether staff members are directly involved with youth through discipleship, coaching, tutoring, etc. or are a part of the support staff that equips them, each member has God-given talents and passion that make our organization fruitful. It is our desire to celebrate them and, in the process, let you get to know them a little better. So, stop by our blog each month to see the latest anniversaries and get to know the folks who are the hands and feet of our work in knoxville’s city neighborhoods!
Cory Carmichael
Cory Carmichael - 17 years
For Cory, it’s truly been a blessing to be at Emerald for 17 years. During that time, he’s not only had the opportunity to actively engage in God’s work and serve others but also see kids in our programs grow up and become parents. Now he sees some of their kids engaged with Emerald Youth. Relationships have developed from friends enjoying the fun of slip-n-slides, dodgeball games, camps, and field trips together into family, helping one another grow closer to Christ.
Rebekah Fadeley
Rebekah Fadeley - 1 year
When Rebekah found Emerald Youth Foundation online, she was confident it would be a good fit for her. Emerald not only had a mission that aligned with her hopes for ministry, but also a position that she as a long-time swim instructor and lifeguard could fill. She started four years ago as a part-time swim instructor and transitioned over the next few years to coach, then coordinator, and finally a full-time position last year as Aquatics Ministry Director. Rebekah’s sweetest moment happened last summer when a young boy whom she had worked with for years finally overcame his fear of jumping in the water and took the plunge. All his friends cheered him on as he quoted Philippians 4:14 to himself, overcoming his fear and trusting Jesus to help him.
Cody Fisher
Cody Fisher - 3 years
Cody knew he wanted to work for Emerald Youth Foundation during at an interview with a different company. Cody had two job interviews: one with Emerald and one with another company. Initially, he wasn’t sure which direction he wanted to go, but as he listened to the interviewer at the second company talk about the rewards of working there, he realized that it wasn’t what he wanted. He looked out the window and could see Sansom Sports Complex in the distance. He decided then and there that working at Emerald was what he really wanted, and if it was a God-given desire, then he could trust God to bring it about. Fortunately, He did. Working at Emerald has grown Cody’s faith and given him opportunities to advocate for the students and families that he works with, helping them to grow in their faith, learning, and relationships.
Tracy Hill
Tracy Hill - 6 years
Tracy believes it is truly a privilege to work in full-time ministry. Serving God with her talents is something she had long desired and working at Emerald Youth Foundation made that possible. Tracy’s most memorable times are not the ones you would expect, but the “simple and ordinary” ones. “I think the most impactful moments I’ve experienced at Emerald was watching a staff member translate for a mom who was enrolling her child in our programs and seeing Emerald Academy’s School Director bend down and hug a child. Those instances were like watching the Holy Spirit tangibly work through staff to love His people. It was very surreal and sacred.”
Cedric Jackson
Cedric Jackson - 22 years
Cedric believes he is here at Emerald because God wanted him to see a side of the inner city that he had not experienced. He says, “God has birthed in me a love for our community that I will always cherish; He has shown me His love in and through others within this community.” He still keeps in touch with many of the students he has mentored, and since he has been here for 22 years, that’s a lot of young men and women! He enjoys seeing them grow up, graduate from college, and begin their own families.
Shawn Mehegan
Shawn Mehegan - 1 year
Shawn clearly sees God’s hand in bringing him to Emerald. First, God had put a love for students in his heart and then equipped him to lead the soccer ministry here at Emerald with 23 years of experience as a teacher, coach, administrator and youth pastor. It is his desire to use soccer as a vehicle to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. His favorite memories at Emerald are ones that combine his passion for the gospel and his love for youth. The first was the Emerald Force Soccer Club Summer Camp where he and his coaches built relationships with the players, led chapel times, and communicated with the parents about how God can use soccer to minister to their children. The second was being a part of a historic state championship in Tennessee club soccer when two Emerald Force Soccer Club teams met in the final match. “It was an exciting weekend of soccer for our players and families, and I was able to create some wonderful relationships and memories with the kids.”
Pat Ragland - 2 years
God brought Ms. Pat to Emerald Youth so she could share with the kids and staff what He has done for her. God intervened in her life over 30 years ago and set her free from drug addiction. Since then she has been sharing her joy with everyone around her - the offices at Haslam-Sansom Ministry Complex - Lonsdale are not as much fun when Ms. Pat’s not there! She loves her relationships with the students, making them laugh and pretending to get after them when they get handprints on her windows, but mostly she loves investing in the community that has been her home for over 71 years.
Patricia Ragland
Thomas Skibinski
Thomas Skibinski - 4 years
Thomas loves the Lonsdale neighborhood and actually worked at Heiskell Avenue location for another company before the property was donated and the Emerald Youth offices relocated to the facility. He enjoys his job helping both Emerald Youth Foundation and Emerald Academy with the myriad of technical issues that come up each day. When picking a favorite memory though it is a lunchtime memory that comes to mind. Once when working on a project in one of the first grade classrooms, one of the scholars at Emerald Academy invited Thomas to lunch with them. Most days he is too busy to do that, but that day he was not so he spent his lunchbreak with a table full of first graders discussing important first grader things. That started a trend and now when time and opportunity permits, Thomas will spend a lunch break getting to know some of the scholars at Emerald Academy.
David Wells - 13 years
David has managed some big projects since he started here 13 years ago, such as building Sansom Sports Complex and Haslam-Sansom Ministry Complex - Lonsdale, along with renovating Emerald Academy and the North Area Ministry Complex. He understands that it was the Lord’s perfect timing to bring him to Emerald when he did. He felt that his 14+ year job serving as general manager for a group of local radio stations in Knoxville was coming to an end at the same time as Emerald Youth Foundation realized that it was time to grow. “My experiences both in business and ministry afforded the opportunity to establish scalable foundations in fundraising and business operations when I joined the ministry here at Emerald.”
David Wells