Maynard Sweigard – Executive Director
From early adolescence until he entered a Teen Challenge program, Maynard Sweigard was himself a troubled boy. In 1974, he graduated Teen Challenge, a new man. He decided to enroll in the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute, which was started by David Wilkerson, the founder of Teen Challenge. After graduation he was ordained and went on to pastor two churches. He also served as a Jail Chaplain. With a heart for helping troubled boys, like he was as a teen, Maynard founded a residential program for boys in Florida, building it from ground up to a thriving program. In 2017, he was called to Texas to put the same kind of energy and vision into New Hope Boys Home. Maynard and his wife Barbara, married 43 years ago, have two grown sons, Nathan and Aaron, who also work in full-time ministry.
Jeff Pirtle – Therapist and Administrator
Jeff was born and raised in Borger, Texas, a small town in the Texas panhandle. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Texas Tech University in 1985 and his Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Tech in 1990. He holds licenses as a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Licensed Child Care Administrator. For the past 30 years, he has worked in numerous inpatient and outpatient settings and has gained a great deal of experience in many different aspects of therapeutic care. Jeff has specialized in working with adolescent males and their families for the majority of his professional career. He was the Administrator and Clinical Director of a residential program for at risk adolescent boys for over 20 years and has maintained a successful private practice since 1993. Jeff has been married to his wife, Tiffany since 1990 and they have two adult children.
Ashley Trahan – Admissions Coordinator
Ashley Trahan is the admissions coordinator at New Hope Boys Home. She is a graduate of Teen Challenge. After years of drugs, crime, and homelessness she surrendered and found freedom in Jesus. She graduated Teen Challenge and completed an internship then went on to become a staff with the program. She met her husband, who also works with Teen Challenge, and we now have a beautiful son together. Ashley and her husband have the privilege to show these young men the love of God and watch as their lives are transformed.
John Eason – Student Development Director
John Eason is a part of the Student Development Program at New Hope Academy. He has been the pastor of Celebration Community Church in Bastrop TX. for the past 30 yrs. For 10 years. John has been involved in residential therapeutic recovery ministries.
Irby Trahan – Maintenance Coordinator
Irby Trahan graduated from the Teen Challenge program. He completed an internship with the program and went on to become a staff member. Irby has worked in various positions within the ministry and now is the maintenance coordinator at New Hope. He enjoys being able to teach the boys skills and trades that will help these young men be successful.
Jake White – Evening Program Director
My heart is for young men to come to Christ. I was a troubled teen and didn’t have any men or women of God around me to help me overcome the problems in my life. Growing up with a rough background, the Lord uses my testimony to show that it doesn’t matter what has happened in your life, that Christ can heal and change anyone’s heart. When Christ changed my life, I knew I wanted to work with troubled teens. Today I am doing that, and I feel truly blessed to be working for the Lord and helping his children come to know him.
Alfred Carter
Alfred Carter was born and raised in Bastrop, Texas where he attended and graduated school. He then moved to Waco where he attended TSTI. During his working career, he worked for IBM for 10 years, and retired as the facility manager for Bastrop ISD after 28 years, then worked 3 extra years as a contractor. He has been married to the same woman 33 years, and has 6 children.
Gordon Cyr
Gordon Cyr is a native Houstonian, that was raised by a single mom for a good portion of his life, lived in a car with his mom, was in foster care for a short amount of time, and had an absent father. He grew up on the harder side of life using drugs and alcohol through his teens, was a high school dropout, and was in two rehabs by his Sophomore year in high school. He went back and finished high school, and by the time he graduated had at least 26 school transfers throughout his school career.
He accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and savior on 05/23/93, and has been a youth pastor off and on for 9 years. He has since completed a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from LeTourneau University in December of 2013. He has worked in Christian schools for 6 years as a head football coach, basketball coach, teacher, school principal, and was a substitute teacher in Smithville ISD for 2 school years. He also has a background in corrections, including 2 years working with juvenile boys at Giddings State School.
He has mentored many young people throughout the years, and is a father of two GREAT young men. Both of them are GREAT students, one is # 18 in his class, the other just finished his first year of college, and they are positive and productive members of society.
