Contact Us
Board of Directors
Worth the Wait is always actively looking for board participants. If you are a resident of the Amarillo area and you would like to donate your time to participate in Worth the Wait, please contact us. The following are the current Worth the Wait board members:
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Daniel Martinez – President
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Laura Allen - Vice President
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Mitsy Veloz – Secretary
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Samuel Moore - Treasurer
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Stacey Ladd - Founder
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Leah Fort
Staff Members
AMY CHRISTIE - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Amy Christie, originally from Nebraska, moved to Amarillo from Houston in June 2008 with her husband, John because they wanted to live in a smaller city. Amy and John have two dogs, a Chihuahua named Chavez and a miniature dachshund named Willie. Amy joined the Worth the Wait team in July 2008. She has a bachelor's degree in Elementary & Special Education from the University of Nebraska - Kearney and a Master's of Education degree from the University of Houston - Victoria. Amy loves being part of schools and education and feels very passionate about children and making a difference. She is eager to lead the organization in a great direction. Amy firmly believes in the mission of WTW, and she is excited to get involved with the community and help change the lives of the youth in the Texas Panhandle. Contact Amy at amy@worthwait.org
Interesting Fact: Amy loves the outdoors, especially water skiing and snow skiing. She is also a big NASCAR fan - "Go Dale Jr.!"
CENEE GRAHAM - PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Cenee began working for Worth the Wait in February 2009. She is a Texas Panhandle native, raised in Claude, Texas. Cenee received her Bachelor of Science degree in History from WTAMU, as well as her master's degree in Counseling. Cenee has been involved in area school districts as both a teacher and counselor, which is how she was first introduced to WTW. Cenee truly believes in the WTW program and how it provides great lessons at the right age. She is excited about working with school districts across the Panhandle of Texas to educate and improve teen's lives and futures. She hopes she can help expand WTW to other schools in the area as well! Cenee has been married to her husband, Mark, for 13 years. They have two children, Brice, who is 13 and Briss, who is 8 years old. They also have an Australian Shephard named Jake. Contact Cenee at cenee@worthwait.org
Interesting Fact: Cenee has a big garden every summer and she often gives away lots of fresh vegetables. It's hard work, but very rewarding!
NICOLE TURNER - RESEARCH & MEDIA COORDINATOR
Nicole Turner joined the Worth the Wait staff in January 2008. A fresh college graduate, Nicole is excited about being a part of the organization because she truly believes in the value of teaching students about abstinence until marriage. Nicole received her bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from West Texas A&M University in 2006 and her master's degree in Journalism from the University of North Texas. Nicole was raised in the Texas Panhandle and is from Booker. After living in Denton for a year and a half, she missed her home roots so much she decided to move back to Amarillo to start her career. Contact Nicole at nicole@worthwait.org.
Interesting Fact: Working for Worth the Wait is Nicole's first professional, full-time job. And she loves Taco Villa!
JEREMIAH SAIZ - HISPANIC OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Jeremiah Saiz, originally from Plainview, began working for Worth the Wait in September 2009. Jeremiah firmly believes in WTW's purpose and mission and he is extremely excited to continue to work with youth and be a positive influence on them. Jeremiah has a bachelor's degree in Biology and a master's degree in Human Resource Management, both from Wayland Baptist Univeristy. Before coming to WTW, he taught science and coached baseball at Plainview High School. He has also coahced baseball at Wayland. Jeremiah recently wed in September 2009 to his wife, Julia. They currently reside in Amarillo. Contact Jeremiah at jeremiah@worthwait.org.
Interesting Fact: Jeremiah played college baseball, and he has also lived in New York, Massachusetts and Hawaii!
JENIFER MARTIN - EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Jenifer Martin started working at Worth the Wait in November 2007. Living in Amarillo since she was 4 years old, Jenifer was glad to get a job at a local organization where she could feel right at home, while also making a difference in so many teenagers' lives. Her educational background is in accounting, and she is currently working toward completing her bachelor's degree. Jenifer enjoys spending time with her husband, Dennis, and the rest of her family. She also enjoys spending time outdoors. Contact Jenifer at jenifer@worthwait.org.
Interesting Fact: Jenifer just got married four months (July 2007) before she started working at Worth the Wait!
SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ - ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Samantha Rodriguez began working at Worth the Wait in May 2009 as the Administrative Assistant. She strongly believes that abstinence from ALL risky behaviors can only lead to a more positive present and future, so she was excited to join an organization like Worth the Wait that represents that. Samantha's educational background consists of psychology and nursing, which she took classes in from South Plains College in Lubbock, and she has had several years of clerical and secretarial experience as well. Originally from Plainview, Samantha moved to Amarillo to live with her father. She currently lives in Amarillo with her two daughters, Alexus, who is 12 years old, and Vanessa, who is 6 years old. Contact Samantha at samantha@worthwait.org.
Interesting Fact: Samantha has two sisters, one brother, four nephews and two neices. She also plans to finish up her psychology and nursing degrees at Amarillo College within the next year!
HEATHER JEWELL - NURSE EDUCATOR
After moving from San Antonio to Amarillo in 2007 with her family, Heather Jewell began working for Worth the Wait as a nurse educator. Heather worked in a hospital as an RN for several years, but she had no idea that Texas taught abstinence education in its schools. She says she was raised with certain values and beliefs and when she found out about WTW, she was excited to work for an organization that taught her same beliefs to youth. Heather was born in Mississippi but later moved to San Diego, Calif., where she was raised. Heather attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, receiving her bachelor's degree in nursing. In college, Heather met her husband, Chuck, and they were later married in December 1996. Her husband was originially from Amarillo, so they decided to move back to his hometown to raise their family. They have two daughters, Reilly, who is 10 years old and Tecoa, who is 7 years old. They also had a baby boy, Benjamin, in February 2009.
Interesting Fact: Heather loves to read, do crafts and she is an OBSESSIVE picture taker (which sometimes drives her family nuts)!
MISTALA HAMMER - NURSE EDUCATOR
Mistala Hammer is Worth the Wait's newest nurse educator, who started working for the organization in February 2009. Mistala comes to WTW as a Licensed Vocational Nurse with 6 years experience. When Mistala first heard about WTW, she was eager to join the team because of what the organization is about and what it teaches students. She is excited about the new experience WTW will give her, as well as learning new things and learning some public speaking, too. Mistala and her husband, Kevin, have two children, Seth, who is 10 years old and Sawyer, who is 3 years old. They also have a white Westie dog named Trigger and a fish named Turk.
Interesting Fact: Mistala is a very honest person!
JEFF TANNER - EVALUATOR
Dr. Jeff Tanner has been the research evaluator for Worth the Wait since 1998. Dr. Tanner earned his doctorate form the University of Georgia and joined the faculty at Baylor University in 1988. He currently serves as the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at Baylor University. An internationally-recognized expert in several marketing areas, he has taught executives and graduate programs in Canada, Mexico, Trinidad, France and India, as well as across the United States.
Starting in 1987, his social marketing research has focused on promoting healthy lifestyles, particularly abstinence among adolescents. Dr. Tanner's reasearch on social marketing has won awards from the American Marketing Association, the Society for Marketing Advances and others. He has published nearly 60 research articles in various journals, most recently the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Health Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Consumer Psychology and Psychology & Marketing.
