Dr. Larry Acosta

Larry Acosta is the President and Founder of the Hispanic Ministry Center, Urban Youth Workers Institute. Larry’s passion is to envision and shape the emerging generation of urban leadership for transformational ministry. Larry’s claim to fame is that he is married to his lovely wife Jayme and they have four wonderful children.

Larry’s Extended Biography

Larry’s High Resolution Headshot

Maria Chavez

Full of passion for at-risk youth, Maria is driven to serve and has 10 years of Youth Ministry experience under her belt. Additionally, she has a passion for Business Administration/Management, which goes a long way! Technically she has no kids, but claims her nieces & nephews as her own. She enjoys spending time with her loved ones, a good concert, is a total movie junkie & is always up for a daring experience – sky diving anyone?

Cynthia Chege

Cynthia is a Kenyan native and a graduate of Hope International University.  She coordinates the UYWI fundraising development efforts. Prior to joining UYWI, she worked  in human resources and coordinated events for Amnesty International. When she is not volunteering in her church, she enjoys traveling, reading and entertaining her friends over a hot cup of chai and mandazi!  Cynthia states, “UYWI has become a huge part of my life. I truly believe in our mission and our work and I thank God for the opportunity to serve urban youth workers!”

Brian Diaz

Brian currently serves UYWI as an Operations Administrator. He does life with his best friend and wife, April, and together they attend NewSong Church in Irvine, California. He enjoys watching movies, reading good fiction, and traveling to other countries and being immersed in different cultures. He hopes to continue being used in advancing the Kingdom in L.A. and around the world.

Bobby Duran

Bobby Duran is our Events Production Manager, when he’s not at his home office you can find him traveling, producing events and meeting with leaders across the country, creating partnerships and networks through training,mentoring and connecting. These leaders will come together to host and support our RELOAD Training Tour. Before UYWI, Bobby was a member of the band PAX217 for 4 1/2 years as a DJ/Road Manager. He now resides in Whittier, CA with his wife Sandy of 8 years and their son, Christian who is 3. They both serve at Mosaic Church in the greater Los Angeles Area.

Andy Fierro

Senior Graphic Designer
Andy comes with six years of volunteering experience in youth ministry. As a volunteer and attendee at various UYWI events, he also knows that we provide resources like none other to youth workers. It is because of this knowledge he was glad to jump on board when asked to join the UYWI Staff. When Andy is not designing for the organization, he enjoys being outdoors, traveling or just reading a good book.

Leneita Fix

Training Coordinator: Southeast Region
With over 17 years of experience in youth ministry, her early years of service were spent in camps and as a youth pastor to rural church plants. With the Lord’s moving the last 13 of those years have been spent ministering in three different cities in an inner city setting (New Jersey, Virginia and Florida). Her passion is to train up the next generation of urban workers in practical, relationship-driven methods for reaching the inner-city with the hope of Christ. One of her greatest joys is serving in ministry as a family with her husband and three wonderful children.

Anthony Flynn

Anthony comes to UYWI from Memphis, Tennessee. He has over 12 years of corporate, pastoral, youth ministry and community development experience. Anthony is passionate about equipping and training those who are responsible for reaching the lost. He is humbled by the privilege of being married to the beautiful Nikita Flynn and being daddy to the greatest son and daughter in the world, Taji and Alaya.

Anthony’s Bio
Anthony’s High-Res Headshot 1, Headshot 2, Headshot 3, Headshot 4-casual

Julie Herrick

Julie Herrick is the Operations Administrator for the Urban Youth Workers Institute. In her current role she handles all your RELOAD and National Conference registration needs, and manages travel arrangements and behind-the-scenes details for RELOAD events. She loves to travel to new places, so visiting RELOAD cities fits right in. She also loves hiking, camping, and hanging out with friends. With no kids of her own, she enjoys being an honorary Auntie to all her friends’ kids.

Fred Oduyoye

Fred is the RELOAD Director and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fred brings to the table years of experience in both the corporate world and youth ministry. He has a passion for building community amongst urban leaders to see them trained  and equipped so that they may execute all that the Lord has designed them to do.
Fred’s Bio

Fred’s Headshot

Carolyn Poirier

It wasn’t the pursuit of a marketing position that drew Carolyn to UYWI. Rather it was a passion to work with marginalized, at-risk young people that informed her decision to join the team in 2006. A native of Detroit, Michigan and now living in Oceanside, California, Carolyn holds a BA in Fine Art and has 30 years combined experience in youth and media ministry, and Christian music and event promotion.

Dr. Gabe Veas

Born and raised in the LA area, Veas has a heart and passion for discipleship. His doctoral research in educational psychology at USC was centered on multimedia, learning strategies, mentoring organizations, and small group dynamics. As a Mexican-American and a graduate of Azusa Pacific University and Fuller Theological Seminary, Veas is committed to promoting academic initiatives both inside and outside of the Church. He has taught courses at universities and has spoken at national conferences and other locations across the country providing practical advice to young people on how to be mentored, as well as how to effectively mentor those around them.

Lawrence Yau

Lawrence has extensive finance & accounting experiences in various companies and holds a Bachelor of Economics from UCI and an MBA from Claremont Graduate University. With his shared passion for the vision of UYWI, he will build more efficient systems so that the organization may continually serve the emerging urban leaders. Besides crunching numbers, Lawrence enjoys reading, sports, missions, and spending time with family and friends. He attends NewSong Church where he teaches Sunday school.

Support Staff:

Dean Borgman

Dean Borgman is the Professor of Youth Ministries at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and director of the Center for Youth Studies. He has spent his life in youth work, as professor of youth ministries in seminaries around the world, and locally as an Episcopal priest serving at Christ Church in Boston. He also regularly assists an urban Episcopal parish, and is on the board of several small youth organizations. He and his wife, Gail, have four grown children and six grandchildren.

Greg Fitzgerald

Greg Fitzgerald comes to UYWI with 25 years of leadership in Christian Ministry organizations. His involvement has been varied, from helping Larry craft the first strategic plan for HMC, to his current part-time assignment working to raise the funds needed to carry our work forward. Married for 39 years, Greg and his wife Carol live in Paso Robles, California. They have four wonderful children and three amazing grandchildren.