Meet The Team

With roughly a decade of experience serving Southern Indiana as a mail carrier for the USPS, Michael felt a calling to do something greater. Leaving the security of his job to step full-time into a role of change and impact with a youth mentorship organization in Louisville, Michael knows what it takes to bring transformation to the youth of our area. In 2022, Michael founded Growing Bridges in order to realize his unique vision for mentorship in Southern Indiana, with the goal of ending generational strife and setting up youth for greater success in life. A licensed Kentucky Peer Support Specialist, Michael has the experience and credentials necessary to lead Growing Bridges in its pursuit of creating positive change for today’s youth and their families. Michael currently serves in the Glass Core Technologies department at Samtec.

Curtis is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Kentucky, and currently works for Humana as a Risk Auditor. Curtis has worked with youth in various capacities for over a decade, whether as a camp counselor, small group leader, or as an aide in after school care programs – he is excited by the opportunity to combine his business and financial expertise with his long standing passion for working with youth. Since its founding, Curtis has felt a calling to lead the administrative & business matters of the Growing Bridges so that our Mentors can focus on serving our Mentees with as few distractions as possible, as well grow the organization so we can reach families in need across the nation.

Chris works full time as both a Mentor and as Chief HR Officer at Growing Bridges. Chris has worked with youth in multiple settings, and feels called to Growing Bridges’ mission due to the very nature of serving the youth and their families along with the community at large. Chris is driven by a desire to see justice brought to his local community, and feels the best solution to tomorrow’s injustices is by doing preventative work with the youth of today.

Tre currently works as a Strategic Project Manager for Waystar. Because of the mentors Tre has had throughout his life, he has always had a passion for serving youth – he currently lives out this passion as the Head Coach of his daughter’s Tee Ball Team at the New Albany Little League, and has done so the last three seasons. Upon hearing about Michael’s vision for Growing Bridges, it became clear that Tre’s passion for mentoring youth aligned with our mission, and seized the opportunity to be part of impacting the lives of youth and their families across his community and beyond. Tre helps lead our strategic approach on all matters, and serves as one of our mentors.

Shameka currently works as a licensed clinical social worker providing children and family therapy within the west end community as well as across the city of Louisville. Her life experiences and ability to connect to those who tend to be misunderstood or struggling allows for Shameka to bring hope and provide a perspective that is unique and necessary. Shameka is passionate and is constantly seeking ways to engage, connect, build resiliency, and challenge systems, institutions, communities and individuals to best serve each other. She strives for a better Louisville and through her continued love for this work she provides equine therapy, private practice therapy and does what she can to dive in head first and join with the community.

Mike currently works as a Plating Operator at Samtec. Growing up, Mike faced the struggles of living in the West End of Louisville and living in a single parent household as the oldest of his siblings. These struggles have equipped him to empathize with the needs of the community and to uniquely address those needs through his powerful and intentional leadership style. Mike played football at the University of Louisville, where he is currently re-enrolled to earn a degree in Computer Science. Mike serves Growing Bridges as its Head Mentor, uplifting and edifying our mentors so they are best equipped to serve our Mentees. Mike also assists the Growing Bridges executive team with general program development, and serves JCPS through Coach Mike’s Corner, his sole venture designed to serve local youth.

Lee built a long, successful career at Ernst & Young as a consulting partner, using his broad business acumen to improve organizations all over the world. Lee now enjoys retirement as a grandfather and an active member of his church, as well as sitting on the board of several local nonprofit organizations to better his community through his powerful leadership and guidance.

Daniel has a masters in social work from Spalding University and has over 16 years of experience working with youth. Daniel currently serves as a juvenile probation officer for Floyd County and a part time professor at Sullivan University. Daniel’s upbringing, socioeconomic and environmental background shapes his purpose and is the catalyst for the passion that drives him. Daniel is also an entrepreneur who manages Trinity Executive Cleaning and loves providing high paying jobs to individuals who otherwise may not have such opportunities. Daniel believes in the mission of Growing Bridges and is eager to broaden Growing Bridges’ reach through his extensive professional network.

Antonio Veals brings a unique blend of experiences to Growing Bridges. He is a graduate of Trinity High School and has been a dedicated professional firefighter for 17 years. Alongside his firefighting career, he pursued higher education and earned an accounting degree at Indiana University Southeast. Antonio is currently working towards becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), leveraging his financial acumen to contribute to the strategic growth and sustainability of Growing Bridges.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, his commitment to community engagement is evident through his volunteer coaching experiences at the youth, middle school, and high school levels. He understands the value of mentorship and its transformative impact on young lives. Furthermore, his involvement as a member of the diversity and engagement committee for Trinity High School showcases his dedication to fostering inclusive environments.

With his extensive professional and volunteer experiences, Antonio Veals brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong sense of purpose to his role as a board member at Growing Bridges. His strategic insights, combined with his passion for supporting families, contribute to the organization’s mission of creating positive, lasting change in the lives of those they serve