Meet the Team
Staff
Board Members
Staff & Board Members
Dollars Raised in 2022
Core Staff
Yolanda Montgomery
Executive Director
ymontgomery@zoe-delaware.org
Yolanda is a Registered Nurse, having worked in labor and delivery and N.I.C.U. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from Regent University in 2004, then graduated from Liberty University with a Master’s in Human Services & Counseling. Yolanda attended the University of Maryland, earning a Certificate in Working with Survivors of Violence, Trauma and Torture. Yolanda completed her Doctorate in Counseling and Trauma through Liberty University.
Yolanda served as a member of Delaware’s Human Trafficking Coordinating Council and Co-Chair of the Victim Services Committee from 2015-2017. She currently serves as the Governor’s appointee as the Victim Service Advocate on the Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council as well as serving as a member of the Interstate Compact for Juveniles. Yolanda has served as Executive Director of Zoë Ministries, Inc. since 2012, when the organization received 501©3 status. For the past several years, she has spent her time engaged in public awareness, professional training and programming for those impacted by trafficking in Delaware. Zoe Ministries is obtaining licensure to open Delaware’s first and only therapeutic residential for female sex trafficking survivors ages 12 through 17.
Hannah Cesner
Director of Capacity Building
hcesner@zoe-delaware.org
Hannah Cesner is the Director of Capacity Building at Zoë Ministries, Inc. She is originally from Delaware and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in nonprofit management. Before joining Zoë Ministries, Hannah worked for two years with the Division of Family Services in the Sexual Abuse/Human Trafficking Investigation Unit.
In July 2023, Hannah went on a mission trip to Bogota, Colombia, where she felt a calling from the Lord to serve in anti-human trafficking ministry. In October 2023, she resigned from her position at DFS and joined the Zoë team soon after.
Hannah considers working at Zoë Ministries her ultimate calling for this season of her life. She aims to spread the message that God can transform even the darkest situations into beautiful ones and that everyone has a story of redemption.
Emily Rocconi
erocconi@zoe-delaware.org
Emily earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Baylor University in 2019. She began her career in the custom home building industry as an accounting assistant and eventually moved into the finance industry where she spent the bulk of her pre-ministry career.
After giving her life to Jesus as a freshman in college, Emily began to feel God calling her to a life in ministry. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Lewes, DE and left the corporate world in February of 2022 to join Zoë Ministries.
She believes that God has gifted her with a mind for numbers and a heart for people. In her role at Zoë Ministries, she believes she can bring these two giftings together in a beautiful way that will create a great and lasting impact. She feels blessed to be a wife and a member of the local church community. She has a very curious mind and loves adventure and trying new things.
Above all else, she loves God and seeks to serve Him whole-heartedly with her life, partnering with Him as He continues to bring restoration and healing to those affected by sex trafficking.
Tammy Holland
Tammy Holland currently serves as Clinical Counselor for Zoë Ministries Inc. She has been involved in anti-sex trafficking efforts since 2013. Her experiences include working with Wellspring Living in Georgia and Rahab Ministries in Ohio.
God moved her and her family to Delaware in 2018 where she joined efforts with Zoë Ministries. God has since moved them back to Georgia and she continues to see clients via Zoom.
Tammy holds two Master’s degrees, one in College Student Personnel and the other in Professional Counseling. She has been trained and is certified in EAGALA. This is a psychotherapy model where horses play an integral role in the sessions. She also has a certification in trauma.
She has a deep desire to bring healing and hope to survivors of sex trafficking and to help prevent the vulnerable from being exploited. She believes that healing happens in healthy relationships and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Melissa Cruz
mcruz@zoe-delaware.org
Melissa Cruz currently serves as the Administrative Assistant for Zoë Ministries, Inc. She is a native to New York City and has lived in the state of Delaware since 2014. In her time here, she has actively served in her church in New Castle County and has matured in her walk with Jesus. She is in passionate pursuit of what God has called her to in this season of life, specifically anti-human trafficking work. In 2020, she enrolled to obtain a degree in Behavioral Science from Wilmington University.
In September 2022, after almost 9 years in corporate America, Melissa decided to resign and be led by faith to the call on her life. She became a part of the Zoë staff a month later.
Melissa knows that God has brought her to Zoë to fulfill what He has put in her heart. Her desire is to learn and grow in her passion while being Christ-like to those she serves.She also repurposed her social media platform to correct the miseducation of trafficking with weekly posts dedicated to this cause.
Board of Directors
Faren Brown
Board Chair
Faren graduated from Liberty University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Life Coaching. She is a licensed realtor for the State of Delaware and an active member of Sussex County Association of Realtors. Faren and her family are entrepreneurs, owning businesses ranging from lawn care to design and property renovations. Serving predominately Kent and Sussex Counties, her passion reaches beyond the businesses to the people she serves. Faren believes every person is called to freedom and whether it is sitting down in a coaching capacity or working on a renovation, her heart is to move others closer to that freedom. Faren has a limitless desire for growth and continued learning–always changing and always aspiring to be better than yesterday.
Faren was born and raised in Delaware where she lives with her Air-Force veteran husband and their three children. Together they enjoy the outdoors and lots of laughter.
Reverend Harold John Betts
Board Member
Pastor John Betts is a native Sussex Countian from an agribusiness family background. After studying business administration at Delaware Technical College, John became the Principal of a local church A.C.E. school for five years. John was ordained by Liberty Fellowship, of Pensacola, Florida in 1988. He has served as Worhsip leader, Associate Pastor and Senior Pastor in a church in Georgetown, Delaware. He has served as Senior Pastor for 30 years.
Pastor John and his wife of 46 years, Alice raised six children, all married, and currently have 15 grandchildren.
Pastor Betts has served as:
President of Georgetown ministries Association for 12 years.
Facilitator for the One Accord pastors monthly luncheon for 24 years.
Current President of the Sussex Pregnancy Care Center board.
Sussex County prayer coordinator.
Facilitator for Ancient Paths seminars, Craig Hill/Family Foundations International
Iyanna Long
Board Member
Iyanna Long, a West Philadelphia native, relocated to Delaware during her youth. In 2020, she graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in Management Information Systems. Amid the challenges of the Covid Pandemic in her senior year, Iyanna experienced a profound spiritual awakening that led her to recognize a deep need for Jesus Christ. She is an active member of her congregation and leads a weekly women’s bible study with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) in Dover, DE.
While serving as a Client Advocate at A Door of Hope Pregnancy Center, Iyanna, by God’s grace, she encountered Zoe Ministries and learned about the harsh reality of child sex trafficking in Delaware. Inspired by Zoe’s mission, she promptly became a volunteer and expanded her commitment to organizations such as Compassion International, dedicated to protecting youth globally from exploitation while spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Professionally, Iyanna is a Business Development Manager at Microsoft, where she played a crucial role in launching the Xbox Mastercard Credit Card and led strategic initiatives like the M365 Partner Benefits Program. Combining her profession and passion, she actively raises awareness about sex trafficking and has participated in multiple Hackathons sponsored by Microsoft, leading to advancements in tools and services for survivors. Iyanna looks forward to continuing her efforts, cultivating lasting partnerships within the tech industry to further Zoe Ministries’ mission and reach.
In her leisure time, Iyanna finds joy in spending quality moments with family, friends, and her feline companion, Leo. She also enjoys exploring the East Coast alongside her husband.
Lisa Yacomelli
Board Member
Lisa Yacomelli spent many years at The Hun School of Princeton, teaching high school students Victorian literature and directing its Dance Company. During her early professional years, after graduating from New York University School of Law, she worked for Manhattan’s Family Court and then for the law firm Morgan Lewis and Bockius. Subsequently, she used her business law background to become an entrepreneur, incorporating and directing a dance studio. Teaching certificates from London’s Royal Academy of Dance, a Juris Doctor degree from New York University, and a Master’s degree in literature from The College of New Jersey support Lisa’s expertise. Presently, Lisa tutors English and movement privately. She loves long beach walks with her husband and three golden retrievers, kayaking through Delaware’s beautiful inland bays, and visiting their sons and grandchildren. Lisa hopes the Paraclete (the Holy Spirit, or the “one who comes alongside”) will use her to stand alongside Zoe’s teens so that she can help them in their journeys to joyful lives.
Elizabeth Boerner
Board Member
Elizabeth Boerner and her husband Joseph reside in Georgetown, Delaware. Together, they have four adult children and three grandchildren. Throughout her life, she has pursued various professions such as a stylist, salon owner, re-sale shop owner, and Christian bookstore owner. After shutting down the bookstore, she worked as the marketing director, acquisitions, and editor for Fruitbearer Publishing, LLC. Her strong faith in God led her to take a leap of faith into the world of Christian publishing. With divine guidance, she has honed her skills and established Perfect Misfits, LLC, an independent publishing company. The primary goal of the company is to provide a platform for writers to develop their skills and publish their stories.
The number of predators among us is increasing. Pornography is their jet fuel.
– Kevin Brock, FBI (Power Over Predators, 2018)
Our Partners & Sponsors
We are deeply grateful for the generous donations from individuals in the private sector, community partners and foundations that have linked arms with us in anti-trafficking work this year! Despite CoVID, your hearts and generosity have greatly impacted this state! We have purchased a mortgage-free home and property, received funds for renovations, security and new positions on our staff!
We recognize that God receives the glory–and we give it fully to Him! We are humbled by the gifts given by hearts that have been moved to become a voice for the voiceless…and we are incredibly grateful! THANK YOU!
