Staff

Biography

Wayne Gray serves as Chief Executive Officer of Adult & Teen Challenge of Oklahoma, bringing more than 40 years of ministry experience within the Adult & Teen Challenge movement both in Oklahoma and nationally. Throughout his career, Wayne has faithfully served in a wide range of roles including intake coordinator, vocational director, pastoral counselor and mentor, executive director, state director, COO, and CEO, giving him a deep understanding of every level of the organization.

Wayne’s calling into ministry began when Teen Challenge workers shared the gospel with him and invited him to church and their inner-city outreach center. This encounter ignited a lifelong passion for helping individuals find freedom from addiction and life-controlling problems through Christ-centered recovery. He also served as a pastor for three years, further strengthening his heart for discipleship and spiritual leadership.

One of Wayne’s greatest joys is witnessing students enter the program broken and hopeless, then leave transformed—often returning as staff to offer hope to others. His vision includes expanding Adult & Teen Challenge into Kansas and growing the Freedom Challenge prison ministry throughout Oklahoma.

Wayne’s greatest hope is that every student completes the program and experiences lasting freedom and transformation through Jesus Christ.

Biography

Derek Johnson has served as the Chief Financial Officer for Adult & Teen Challenge of Oklahoma for over 12 years and has over 27 years of combined experience in various ATC centers nationwide. Referred to the program by a youth pastor, Derek is a proud graduate of Adult & Teen Challenge. Throughout his time in the ministry, he has held multiple roles, including working in the kitchen, fundraising, education, program director, executive director and now as CFO. Derek is deeply passionate about financial accountability and stewardship, and he is committed to empowering leaders to manage ministry finances in a way that honors God. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and is OSHA certified. Derek is also a proud father of two adopted children and is an active member of Life.Church.

Biography

Todd Adams is the executive director for Central Oklahoma Adult & Teen Challenge in Stillwater, Oklahoma. His wife, Angie, is the executive administrator and general manager of their two thrift stores. They have been married for 10 years and have two beautiful daughters. Todd and Angie are both graduates of Adult & Teen Challenge Florida. Todd has been with Teen Challenge for over 20 years, holding just about every position, and Angie has been with the organization for 11 years, mainly in administration and thrift management. They both felt called to the ministry of Teen Challenge after graduating, as they wanted to serve and lead others to a relationship with Jesus Christ. In their spare time, Todd loves anything sports-related and golfing whenever he gets the chance, while Angie loves to read and cook for the 40 men in their program. They hope their students will encounter Jesus in a life-changing way, be set free from drugs and alcohol, become productive members of society, and one day open a women’s program in or near the Stillwater area. Both truly love what they do, and their motto is to be a light in their community and to everyone they come in contact with.

Biography

I have had the privilege of serving with Adult & Teen Challenge for over 28 years—four years in Arkansas and, since 2002, in Oklahoma. My journey with ATC began after being impacted through visits to the Dallas and Midland, Texas centers. I felt a deep calling, one that grew stronger as I got older, eventually leading me to serve full-time.

Over the years, I’ve taken on many roles including teacher, counselor, intake coordinator, court liaison, assistant director, and program director. I’ve helped build GED programs, trained staff, and led audit preparations. I also have experience in outreach, recovery ministry, hospital work, and pastoring.

As a former student at the Florida ATC, I experienced God’s transformative power firsthand. I helped in the office and with the GED program, and it deepened my calling.

I love meeting people, learning new skills, and finding strength through challenges. My hope for every student is that they grow in God, prepare for real life, and know they are loved. My vision is to expand outreach, especially in prisons, and to equip others to carry the torch. I believe in overcoming hardships—and I don’t give up.

Biography

In 1996, he entered the Sonrise program as a young man struggling with addiction. After completing the program, Loren answered God’s call on his life by enrolling in the New Orleans School of Urban Missions. Upon graduating, he received his ordination through the Assemblies of God. Loren spent several years serving in pastoral ministry before returning to Sonrise Adult & Teen Challenge as Program Manager. Recently, his journey came full circle when he was entrusted with the opportunity to lead the very program that once helped transform his life. Loren is passionate about seeing God take the “worst of the worst” and transform them into world changers through discipleship. “I am called to make disciples out of those the world has given up on. My main focus at Sonrise is creating a quality classroom and spiritual environment where students’ lives can be transformed. My hope is that every man who enters our program will be confronted with the good news of Jesus Christ and surrender to His loving hands.” Loren has been married for 27 years and is the proud father of six beautiful children.

Biography

Kathy has served at Freedom House for over 16 years in a variety of roles, including Church Service Coordinator, Direct Care Supervisor, Program Manager, and, since 2020, Executive Director. Although she was never a student in the program, she grew up in a dysfunctional family—an experience that instilled in her a deep sense of compassion and empathy for others. Prior to joining Freedom House, Kathy completed Bible school and received both her Ministerial License and Ordination. She co-pastored a church for 12 years, served as a chaplain in a county jail, and has a background in special education. She also worked extensively with the Department of Human Services and the University of Oklahoma, training current and prospective foster and adoptive parents.

Over a span of ten years, Kathy has fostered 39 children. She is the adoptive mother of eight and the proud grandmother of 11. Her favorite part of working with Adult & Teen Challenge is witnessing women develop a personal relationship with Jesus and experience freedom from addiction and other life-controlling issues. “I love seeing them become successful women and healthy mothers. It’s amazing to watch them reunite with their children and raise them to know Christ. One of the unique aspects of our center is that we accept pregnant women. They can bring their babies home from the hospital and live with them on-site. We also collaborate with families and DHS to support moms working toward reunification. While we don’t initially bring children in with their mothers, we believe it’s important for the women to first focus on their own healing.” In addition to her passion for ministering to women, moms, and children, God has also given Kathy a heart for restoration students—those who have completed a program but continue to struggle. Her hope for every woman entering Freedom House is that she would develop a deep, intimate relationship with the Lord, receive the deliverance she needs, and never return to the lifestyle that once held her captive.

Biography

My journey with ATC began in 2001 when I walked through the doors strung out on heroin and crack cocaine after trying five other secular programs that didn’t work. But everything changed when I was introduced to Jesus Christ. Just three months into the program, I knew God was calling me to stay and help other men find the same freedom I had found. Since then, I’ve served in nearly every role—teacher, counselor, program manager, intake coordinator, business manager, assistant director, and now Executive Director. I’m passionate about working with men and their families, helping them break free from addiction and codependency, and guiding them into new lives rooted in Christ. My vision is to grow the men’s center to a 40-bed facility, open a Super Thrift, and eventually launch both men’s and women’s programs in Wichita and Kansas City. I believe deeply in the power of transformation and vocational training, and I want every person who comes through our doors to experience total freedom in Christ, restoration with their families, and a new life as a bold witness for the gospel. Outside of ministry, I’m a husband and dad who loves his family dearly, I’m someone who truly loves Jesus and longs to see lives changed.

Biography

“Just as each one of you has received a special gift… employ it in serving one another as good stewards of God’s multifaceted grace.” – 1 Peter 4:10

Scott Craig serves as the Executive Director of Brush Creek Teen Challenge, bringing both professional leadership and a powerful personal testimony to his role. A graduate of Oklahoma Teen Challenge in 2013, Scott’s life was radically transformed after more than 20 years in addiction. Entering the program at age 38, he experienced supernatural freedom through the power of Christ, firmly solidifying God’s calling on his life.

Following graduation, Scott transitioned into ministry leadership, serving as Intake Coordinator at Oklahoma Teen Challenge and later as Direct Care staff at Brush Creek Youth Ranch. He also gained extensive leadership experience in the private sector as a Supervisor over the F-35 Military Department at Orizon Aerostructures. In 2023, Scott served as Men’s Ministry Coordinator at Living Word Assembly of God in Chanute, Kansas, and in 2024 he and his wife, Anna, became pastors of Coyville Christian Church.In 2025, Scott returned to Brush Creek Teen Challenge as Program Director before transitioning into the role of Executive Director. His God-given vision is that every student encounters a Holy Spirit-filled environment and leaves transformed—never the same as when they arrived.

Scott and Anna serve together in ministry, committed to modeling God’s grace, love, and compassion. Scott is passionate about spiritual warfare, discipleship, and raising up young men who understand their identity and authority in Christ, becoming powerful lights in a dark world.

Biography

As of February 2020, I have been blessed to serve as the Executive Director of Green Country Adult & Teen Challenge. For many years, I was hopelessly bound by an addiction to heroin, which led me to places I swore I would never go. In 2009, after losing everything that mattered to me, I found myself facing several years in prison. But God, in His mercy, strategically placed someone in my life who had graduated from a program called Teen Challenge. They said, “Stephanie, the only way you will ever find the peace you’re so desperately searching for is if you go to this program and surrender your life to Jesus Christ.”

I entered Adult & Teen Challenge in July 2009, and from the moment I walked through the door, God met me and began radically transforming my life. Six months into the program, He gave me a vision one night—a vision of running an adult women’s center. That night, I knew I was being called into full-time ministry to help other women who were walking through the same darkness I had once experienced.

My favorite part of this ministry is watching the Lord take broken women and turn them into trophies of grace. I cherish the one-on-one moments where I get to see lives changed by a single encounter with God. My heart’s desire is for Green Country Adult & Teen Challenge to grow and become a true safe haven for women in need.

Because we are a smaller center, we have the opportunity to spend more personal time with each woman who comes through our doors. My prayer is that every woman who walks in would immediately feel the love of Jesus Christ and experience total freedom from the bondage that once held them captive—just like I did when I came to Adult & Teen Challenge.

Biography

I’ve served with Adult & Teen Challenge for 14 years, taking on nearly every role from teacher and fundraiser to program director and executive director. My calling to this ministry began during a church presentation on Teen Challenge, where I felt a clear conviction that Oklahoma needed a women’s center. I trained in Dallas and Houston, and during a pause in progress due to the state director’s illness, I launched a re-entry home for women coming out of prison. Outside of ATC, I’ve worked as a chaplain with the Assemblies of God and founded Living in Freedom Today, a 501(c)(3) recovery program now known as Freedom Challenge Mabel Bassett, serving women inside Oklahoma’s largest prison. I’m a determined person, more comfortable behind the scenes than in social settings, but passionate about ministry and seeing lives transformed.

Biography

Peter Friedlander is a seasoned media entrepreneur and visual storyteller with over twenty-five years of experience producing professional content for non-profits, missions, and businesses both locally and internationally. His skillset spans photography, print design, animation, writing, film, and web design. Since 2015, he has served as the State Media Director for Adult & Teen Challenge of Oklahoma, overseeing everything from film and commercial production to broadcast, print, and digital media. His creative leadership supports the organization’s mission of bringing hope and transformation through Christ-centered recovery.

Raised in central Texas, Peter’s early creative pursuits were shaped by a search for meaning that eventually led him to a personal encounter with God while journaling during mission trips to Africa and India. That moment transformed his life and purpose, shifting his work from self-expression to a mission-driven passion to tell redemptive stories that reflect grace and truth. Now, alongside his wife—whom he married in 2021—Peter continues to use his gifts to inspire, uplift, and communicate the heart of the Gospel through media.