Our staff is dedicated and committed to serving those who want to enrich their relationships. Each staff member brings a unique quality to VOW, and we work together to make marriage matter.
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Justin and Tonya Waite
VOW Program Directors, Justin and Tonya Waite, oversee grant compliance, hiring and training of new employees, and contracting projects. Tonya previously worked as a director for the East Texas Abstinence Program and has many years of experience in community outreach. Justin previously worked as a Senior Software/Training Specialist for a firm in Minneapolis, MN. Both Justin and Tonya have several certifications in the medical and IT fields, and they are currently pursuing credentials in business management. Justin was born in Arizona , and Tonya was born in Marshall and raised in Hallsville , TX . They have been married for 10 years and have 2 children, Dallin and Alera. They enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, and off-roading. Tonya and Justin say their greatest excitement is to see couples improve their relationships. They feel that the VOW program is only a small part of a huge opportunity for change in America.
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 Albert Bruhn
Smith County Marriage Education Coordinator, Albert Bruhn M.A. CBM, assists VOW by educating couples about a healthy marriage. He also gathers support from the community to spread the Healthy Marriage Initiative. He has been teaching principles of effective communication and relationship development for almost 20 years, and he served as a part-time Meteorologist for CBS 19 in Tyler, TX. Prior to working for VOW, he was Vice President for Corporate Communications at DDS, Inc. and was a Director of Student Financial Aid for Ambassador University. Albert currently resides in Big Sandy, TX, with his wife of 26 years Barbara, and three children. His favorite part of VOW is getting to meet new people. He says its exciting to empower couples with knowledge that allows them to produce energy and enthusiasm in their relationships. He also says that its great when couples understand that changing themselves first can inspire great change in their relationship. |
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 Amy Canton
Amy Canton currently serves as the VOW Gregg County Coordinator. She previously worked for a Childrens Psychiatric Hospital and was a Correctional Officer in Tulsa, OK. She enjoys ballroom dancing, taking care of her many pets, and spending time with her husband, Jamie. Amy and her husband participated in the VOW Healthy Marriage Program, and they now understand better how to communicate each other. Her favorite part of her job as a Coordinator is being able to provide the skills couples need to fulfill their marriage.
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 Sarah Denton
Sarah Tison, School Coordinator, was born and raised in Maryland and moved to Utah as a teenager. She graduated from Utah State University in 2005 with a B.S. degree in Humanities, Arts, and Social Services. This was one of the best days of her life, because she is the first in her family to graduate from college. After graduating, she moved to Texas to experience a change in her life. All she can say is that it's been a CHANGE! In the two years she's been here, she met her husband Mathew and realizes that she is now a Texan. She is still trying to talk like one. She is the youngest of 5 children, and her favorite quote from her mother is, “It'll all work out!” She truly believes that it will all work out if you continue to keep chuggin' along and strive to do the best you can. She is thrilled to be working with VOW, educating students on “Choosing the Best Soul Mate.” She wants to inform students that they can become successful not only in relationships, but as an individual. Her main goal is to educate on healthy relationships in hopes to decrease the amount of co-habitating and single-parent households while increasing the number of happily married couples.
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 Maria Galvan
Program Assistant, Maria Galvan, has worked for the Longview Wellness Center for the past five years performing multiple tasks. She previously worked for the VOW Baby Love program as a Maternal Outreach Worker. Maria was born and raised in Mexico, and moved to the United States 17 years ago. She has three beautiful children and enjoys working with people and helping others. She feels that being bilingual and bicultural is a wonderful gift that allows her to communicate with the Spanish speaking population.
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 Alyssa Good
Alyssa Good is the Marriage Education Coordinator for Rusk and Panola County. She has recently moved to Rusk County from Luray Virginia, where she worked as a Substance Abuse Counselor in the criminal justice system. Alyssa received her M.A. in Community Counseling and an Ed.S. in counseling with court-referred clients from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Alyssa received a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She and her husband Keith have three furry children (two cats and a dog), and plan to enjoy a break from the east coast winters and spend time with family in Texas.
“I feel very strongly that healthy marriages are the framework for healthy communities. I am so excited to be part of a program that works to help people improve interpersonal relationships and in turn create happier families. I know that having a happy marriage has been crucial in my own personal and spiritual development and I am grateful that I have been given the tools to honor my commitment.”
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 Nicola Greene
Nicola Greene is the Gregg County Coordinator.
She was born and raised in the U.K. Nicola moved to Texas in 1997 and now considers it her home.
Since that time she has been working with churches, ministries and government bodies within Gregg County to strengthen marriage and family. Nicola and her husband, Jason were foster parents for 4 years. Nicola was the president of the Gregg County Foster and Adopt Association and her family was featured on KLTV - "The Gift of Love" in 2004. The couple adopted 2 of their foster children and also have 2 biological children.
She feels that the VOW project is a great opportunity to help society remember the benefits of marriage. She believes family is the place where individuals grow and become strong building blocks of society.
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 Anthony Griffith
A native of New Orleans, Anthony now calls East Texas his home. Anthony and Schrundagale Griffith have been married for 11 happy years. Anthony enjoys staying active by spending time with family, playing basketball, coaching, and officiating. Anthony has spent the majority of his professional working career helping to strengthen families dealing with at-risk youth, and is excited to be a part of the VOW Marriage Program. He believes that this program can be valuable for anyone seeking to enrich their marriage, and grow closer to their spouse. He also enjoys helping area youth attend college using sports. Anthony received his education from Wiley College and Kilgore College.
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 Schrundagale Griffith
Schrundagale currently serves as a marriage coordinator for the VOW Healthy Marriage Program and oversees eight counties. She previously worked for the Longview Wellness Center until she recently joined VOW. She attended Kilgore College and Letourneau University. Her hobbies include reading, spending time with family, and staying active. Schrundagale is married to Anthony Griffith, and they enjoy working with couples to strengthen our communities. They both accredit their greatest accomplishment to modeling a healthy marriage for their children to emulate, leaving a lasting legacy for years to come. They have been married for 11 years and have 5 children at home.
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 Aicela Moreno Cawich
Aicela Moreno Cawich currently serves as the Bilingual Coordinator for Smith, Rusk, Upshur, and Camp Counties. With 25 years of banking experience, she previously worked in Belize for the Belize Bank Ltd. as Executive Director/Vice President of Lending. While in Belize, she also earned certifications in banking from RBC in Toronto, Canada. She also worked for ForeLogic Ltd. in Dallas as an Office Manager before moving to VOW. Aicela was born and raised in Belize, Central America and has been married to her husband Romel Cawich for 29 years. She has three children and four grandchildren. Aicela is very happy to be in Longview where her immediate family has resided for over 30 years. She has worked with the Hispanic community the greatest portion of her life, and as a Hispanic she understands the culture and its people. She says that VOW is one more opportunity for her to continue serving her community and make a difference. Her greatest desire is to see relationships become ‘Healthy Marriages.' Aicela says you don't have to be perfect; you just need the desire to make it work.
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 Sgt. Major Patrick Johnson
Sgt. Major Patrick Johnson is currently a positive male behavior trainer for VOW. He is also CEO of J-S.T.A.R. Ministries, a 501c (3) non-profit organization specifically designed to focus on youth. J-S.T.A.R. Ministries hosts the Youth Explosion at the Marshall Civic Center/East Texas Conference Center every year where they give away free school supplies, clothes, and lots of door prizes. He proudly served 9 years and 9 months in the United States Air Force as a Security Policeman at RAF Lakenheath, England and Kleine Brogel AB in Belgium.
Sgt. Major Johnson was ordained as Bishop of youth in the International Church Fellowship August 19, 2005, by Bishop Floyd E. Lewis Sr. He also conducts a weekly exercise program for the Youth at East Texas Open Door in Marshall, Texas. He serves as a Chaplain for the Marshall Police Department as well. He has held many positions previous to working for VOW as a drill instructor for S.T.A.R. Boot Camp in Tyler, worked at Longview High School as On Campus Suspension Director, and served as the Resource Director for Kilgore Crisis Center. Sgt. Major Johnson and his wife are raising 6 children! He has made a promise to work with youth for the rest of his life. His mission statement for his non-profit organization says it all, “Helping today's youth become tomorrow's leaders.”
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 Gary Price
Gary Price, Marriage Educator/Coordinator for Smith County, received a BS degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Brigham Young University. He has 26 years experience in public safety program management with the East Texas Council of Governments. He is excited about working to make a positive difference in the lives of others by providing resources to help couples prepare for and enrich their marriage. “Having raised three teenagers, working to improve my marriage is a piece of cake (and lots more fun)”, says Gary. He resides in Kilgore, Texas with is wife Gale and son Ryan.
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 Arlene Roman
Arlene Roman is a Bilingual Coordinator for the Vow Marriage Program. She previously worked at Tyler ECI as the Bilingual Community Liaison and the WIC Program at the Longview Wellness Center. Though born and raised in New Jersey, she also lived in Puerto Rico, her father's hometown, learned Spanish and fell in love with the people and the culture. Being a positive role model and working with the Hispanic population is one of her passions. She is excited that the Vow Marriage program is available in their language and is certain of the positive impact it will have educating and enriching couples, strengthening family relationships and educating clergy and community leaders. On her free time she loves teaching ESL, doing volunteer work and reading. She's happily married, has three great sons and currently lives in Longview.
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 Salvador Sanchez
VOW Bilingual Coordinator, Salvador Sanchez, counsels Spanish couples enrolled in the program. Salvador previously worked as an HIV/STD Coordinator and Spanish Translator for the Smith County Public Health District. He also worked for the East TX Crisis Center to assist individuals with anger management. He enjoys watching youth sports and activities, taking pictures of nature, and buying flowers for his wife of 38 years, Celia. Salvador takes pride in counseling VOW couples and teaching them the skills they need to have a healthy relationship. He says the most exciting aspect of his job is helping couples understand they are not alone and help is always available.
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 Kathy Weeks
Kathy Weeks is the Marriage Education Coordinator for Upshur and Camp County. She was born in Linden, TX, and was raised in Upshur County. She is a graduate of Texas Women's University where she received a B.S. in Early Childhood/Child Development with a Minor in Business. Kathy is happily married and has three children. Growing up, her top priority was to have a happy, healthy family. She has a passion for people and believes happiness starts at home. Kathy previously worked as a Youth Service Coordinator with Communities In Schools, where her focus was helping students and families in need. She realized that to be most helpful to these students, she needed to begin by helping their parents first. In her line of work, she found that most of her students with the deepest issues came from unhealthy families. This is why she is so excited to work for the VOW Marriage program. “I believe that strengthening the family will strengthen the community,” says Kathy.
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 Ken White
Ken, Schools Coordinator, is a native of Henderson, Texas. Upon graduating from Henderson High School in 1999, he studied music at Panola Junior College. In the year 2000, he moved to Brazil as a missionary for two years. After returning from Brazil he transferred to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where he studied Marriage, Family, and Human Development. Utah is where Ken met his wife, Kendra. They have a beautiful daughter named Amelie. Ken enjoys playing basketball, racquetball, and tennis and is always willing to try a new sport.
Ken is excited to teach marriage skills to young people. He feels that marriage has really benefited his life and wants to teach those benefits to students at the schools that he will work with.
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