EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Ron Brown - Executive Director
In addition to the year-long structured Christian discipleship ministry for those addicted to drugs and alcohol, Teen Challenge Southern California provides comprehensive outreach and prevention programs for inner-city youth at risk of gang affiliation and drug abuse.
In addition to his duties as Executive Director, Ron is passionate about leadership development and encourages pastors and Christian leaders through conferences and seminars locally, nationally, and internationally.
Michael Mericle - Chief Operating Officer
As Chief Operating Officer, Michael Mericle oversees the administration of Teen Challenge Southern California and its ten ministry locations, including centers headquartered in Kern County, Ventura/Tri-County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Inland Empire, San Diego County and Central Valley.
Jason Lee - Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer, Jason oversees the accounting and financial functions of the headquarters office along with the various regional centers and their ministry components. He has been serving in an administrative capacity at the Organization after his graduation from the Teen Challenge discipleship program in 2005.
An avid golfer, fisherman, cook and cyclist, he likes to leverage his hobbies and interests to network and help support different charitable causes. He has served on the boards of different non-profits including a chefs and cooks association and an organization that assists missionary families and their children.
Jason continues to share his story of how lasting hope and true joy in his faith in Jesus Christ transformed him and freed him from a life of drug addiction and despair.
Elizabeth Goodban - Superintendent of Operations, Ventura/Tri-County
Elizabeth Goodban was raised in a Christian home, but as a young adult she decided to go her own way and follow the party crowd. When she graduated from high school, she felt free to do whatever she wanted, but that freedom quickly led to poor decisions. At nineteen, after a whirlwind relationship, Elizabeth found herself pregnant. Becoming a young mom did not slow the destructive path she was on. Soon she was in and out of jail and struggling with addiction.
Her father and stepmother stepped in to help care for her two children, but for Elizabeth it was devastating. “Another identity was stripped from me. Now I wasn’t a mom. I was just a drug addict.” Eventually she reached a breaking point. “I looked around in a room full of people I didn’t know, and I just knew I didn’t want to be there any longer.”
In 2012 Elizabeth entered the Teen Challenge program. There she experienced what she now describes simply: “Teen Challenge means a new beginning. It means life.” Elizabeth graduated from the Teen Challenge residential program in 2013 and continued pursuing God’s call through the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute, graduating in 2015.
Following her time at the Ministry Institute, Elizabeth joined the staff at Ventura/Tri-County Teen Challenge and faithfully served in a variety of roles. In 2020 she became the Manager of Operations, helping supervise and oversee the daily operations of the campus while continuing to love and care for the women in the program.
Elizabeth is now married to a Teen Challenge graduate, and together they have experienced the restoration of their family. Today they are raising a family of five and are grateful for the redeeming work God has done in their lives.
In February 2026, Elizabeth was appointed Superintendent of Operations. She continues to serve with a deep passion to see addicted and broken lives set free and healed through the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
Mike Conway - Director, San Diego County
Growing up in Encinitas he would have never imagined he would become an out of control IV meth addict. However after getting his first taste of the drug at age 14 his life quickly started to fly out of control.
Not knowing what else to do in their desperation his parents started to pray and quickly discovered that Jesus was the answer. After praying for their hardheaded son, Michael’s life came to a point of decisive darkness. Michael had tried many rehabs, detox programs and institutions and finally found himself hopeless and realizing that the only way he would ever change was if God did a miracle in his life.
June 1993 Michael entered the Teen Challenge program and discovered that God was able to do the miracle he so desperately needed.
After completing Teen Challenge he went on to the Teen Challenge Ministry Training School where met his beautiful wife Sara.
Michael graduated from Vanguard University and served as Pastor of Christ Church in Westminster for 10 years.
Today, Michael serves as the Director of Alumni Relations for Teen Challenge Southern California and is able to share his life and story to help many others find Hope.
Shane Parr - Director, Orange County
Shane was originally introduced to Teen Challenge at the age of 15-1/2 during Red Ribbon Week at his high school. Teen Challenge was there along with a guest speaker and they offered to shuttle students for the next few weeks to Orange County First Assembly of God. At this time in his life he had already begun using marijuana, LSD, ecstasy and meth. He was spiraling out of control. Committing crimes, going in and out of juvenile hall. By the grace of God, a seed was planted during those few weeks. Much of his family had a solid relationship with Christ but Shane didn’t. After he turned 16 he bought his first legal car from Teen Challenge, which by the way was a donation to Teen Challenge of Orange County. If you ask him he will tell you he had several cars before then but they weren’t necessarily his!
While a seed was planted and Shane stopped his criminal behavior, the partying didn’t stop. A true relationship with the Lord hadn’t yet developed. At the age of 20 he started working as security in a bar and started to drink. As a child of alcoholics he swore to never drink and this decision would shape the next 15 years of his life. Thankfully he was reintroduced to Christ and baptized at 21, helping him to break away from all his addictions except marijuana and alcohol.
But his relationship with the Lord still wasn’t cemented. What could be considered a social drinking habit (code for denial) developed into full blown alcoholism after practically back-to-back injuries left him immobilized for just less than a year. He was not able to break free on his own and ultimately lost his home to foreclosure.
At 35-1/2 he found himself staying at Mom’s house and needing help. She reminded him of Teen Challenge and the good work they do. A short time later, his brother was grocery shopping and ran into a Teen Challenge student who shared his testimony and the transformation he had experienced. Still lost in his alcoholism, Shane needed one last sign and it came from a “Will you help us” pamphlet he pulled from his pocket as he was discarding empty vodka bottles the day after an Angel’s baseball game. He remembers seeing a Teen Challenge student with a red sweatshirt, who was kind enough to reach out.
At 35-1/2—nearly 20 years to the day he first was introduced to the ministry of Teen Challenge—Shane entered into Orange County Teen Challenge, broken and desperate for healing. Shane completed the one-year program and did his Internship at the Castle (the Inland Empire campus). Late December of 2011 he returned to Orange County and was committed to getting hired. If he wasn’t able to be than he would do reentry because he wasn’t going back. Tim Suk took a chance on Shane and hired him in January of 2012.
Along the way Shane married his beautiful wife, Maria, also a Teen Challenge graduate.
At Orange County Teen Challenge, Shane’s primary focus has been to show Christ’s love with a servant’s heart. After serving in several positions, he now serves as Superintendent of Operations. He oversees center operations, the men’s home, and the robust youth prevention programs. He works with volunteers and supporters to help further the ministry of Orange County Teen Challenge.
Carlos Osnaya - Superintendent of Operations, Inland Empire
John Burns - Director, Central Valley
Next, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Bible from Central Bible College in Missouri. He continued his education and earned a Master of Science in Counseling from University of Phoenix, Bakersfield, CA Campus. John is an Ordained Minister and a certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.
John joined the staff of Kern County Teen Challenge in 2000. He remained at Kern County until 2014, when he became the Superintendent of Operations at the fledgling outreach center in Fresno. In 2015, the center expanded beyond Fresno to become Central Valley Teen Challenge and shortly thereafter, John was appointed Director, Central Valley Teen Challenge.
Micah Hale - Director, Ministry Institute
Michael Salinas - Director, Kern County Teen Challenge
A native of Kern County, Michael grew up in Wasco. Upon high school graduation, he went on to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. But the lure of alcohol and drugs caused him to lose focus and his life spiraled out of control. Walking away from his Christian upbringing, he drifted through life with no sense of purpose or direction. Then the day came when he was ready for change. He found and entered San Diego Teen Challenge in 2007—and began a renewed life with Christ free of drugs and alcohol.
After an internship at Inland Empire Teen Challenge, he worked in sales and the medical industry for years. Then God called him back to Kern County and Michael began working for Kern County Teen Challenge in August 2014. Over the next several years, he served in and managed various departments at the center and in May 2020, was promoted to Director.
Today, Michael’s heart is to serve the lost and hurting men and women in Kern County and beyond who need to experience the freeing redemption he found in Christ Jesus. He and his wife Kailey are the proud parents of a little boy and love living the redeemed life God has given them.