Leadership & Staff
Meet the team behind the mission
National Leadership
Board of Directors
Steve Dawson
Founder
After a powerful conversion to the Catholic faith in 2006, Steve has been active in various Catholic ministries and in leadership positions in the pro-life movement. Steve also spent time discerning religious life, spending 14 months with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, before discerning his call to work for the Church as a layman. As Founder and President of St. Paul Street Evangelization, he has been featured on various television and radio programs, and is also the author of several books and articles on evangelization. He resides in Michigan with his wife, Maria, and five children.
Adam Janke
Interim President
Adam is a “revert” to the Catholic faith having been born Catholic, raised Lutheran, and became Baptist in high school before returning to the Catholic Church in college. He oversees the day to day operations of St. Paul Street Evangelization, including the development of programs and resources. Adam brings the experience the institute has gained through hundreds of street teams in the form of talks and workshops on evangelization, healing, and hospitality. After converting to Catholicism in 2005, Adam obtained a BA in Theology and Catechetics and an MA in Theology in Christian Ministry from Franciscan University. Adam has been featured on EWTN Television and Radio, Catholic Answers Live, the Radio Maria Network, the National Catholic Register, as well as in several other Catholic news publications. He resides in Michigan with his wife and seven children.
Maria Dawson
Former Board Member
Maria Dawson is a faithful Catholic and graduated with a degree in humanities and Catholic culture from Franciscan University of Steubenville before getting her master’s degree in teaching from the University of Michigan. After working as an educator at several Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit, she currently works full time as a stay at home mom.
Fr. Charlie Fox
Board Member, Spiritual Director
Fr. Charles Fox, S.T.D., is a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Ordained in 2006, Fr. Fox has served in two parochial assignments and as the personal secretary to Archbishop Allen Vigneron. He currently serves as vice rector and dean of seminarian formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit. Father Fox holds a licentiate degree (S.T.L.) in the theology of the new evangelization from Sacred Heart Major Seminary, as well as a doctorate degree in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome.
Louis Brown
Chairman of the Board
Louis received an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. He currently serves on SPSE’s Board of Directors.
Mission Staff
Edgar Din
Shipping Associate
Edgar is a retiree who was born and raised Catholic in Manila, Philippines. He finished his High School in 1966 in an all boys San Sebastian College run by the Augustinian Religious Order. He then went to the University of Santo Tomas and earned his Bachelors Degree in Literature in 1970. Edgar put up his own homebased Medical Billing business in 1990 and had home visiting physicians as his main clients. He operated his business for ten years before being employed by Henry Ford Health Systems in 2000 and Infinity Primary Care Corp in 2006 and retired in 2012. During his retirement, Edgar became active in the Our Lady of Fatima house to house Prayer Ministry and joined SPEI in 2020. Edgar currently lives with his retired wife in Berkley, Michigan.
Christopher Din
Shipping Associate
Christopher received a bachelor’s degree from Madonna University, having majored in Religious Studies. He first started working for SPSE in 2020 but left for a period of two years and returned to SPSE in 2024. He currently works together with his father in the shipping department.
Lexa Davis
Video Production Specialist
Lexa Davis graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.A. in Film and a Creative Writing minor. With experience working on over 150 short productions, Lexa travelled north in 2021 to work as Video Production Specialist for St. Paul’s School of Evangelization. She partners with the team on various projects and directs the production process from start to finish. Lexa was born in Ohio and raised in a strong Catholic family. She grew tremendously in her faith and relationship with God through her involvement in UCF’s campus ministry, Saint Paul’s Outreach, RCIA mentorship, and live-streaming work for the Brotherhood of Hope.
Anthony Evich
Marketing Technology Administrator
Anthony was born and raised in northern Michigan along with his large Catholic family. Anthony earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in Marketing from Ave Maria University. Prior to coming to SPSE, he served in various Marketing capacities at two other Catholic companies. In his spare time, Anthony can be found spending time with his family, fixing cars, or with a camera in his hand. He resides in Clinton Township, MI with his wife and children.
Cindy Hasenauer
Office Manager
Born and raised in Flint MI as a Methodist it wasn’t until after graduating from Lansing Community College that Cindy met and married her husband Bob and converted to Catholicism. They raised three children in the catholic faith to learn to love and serve our Lord, Jesus. Before coming to SPSE Cindy devoted 24 years to various catholic churches in the Detroit Diocese as secretary and office manager. In her free time she enjoys gardening, outdoor activities and spending time with her grandchildren.
Mark J. Hornbacher
Vice President of Programs, Director of Theology
Growing up nominally Catholic, Mark began reading and studying the Scriptures as a teenager. This journey into a more mature faith led him to theology studies, discernment of religious life, and diocesan seminary, before he recognized a lay calling in service to the Church’s mission of evangelization. As Vice President of Programs and Director of Theology at St. Paul Evangelization Institute, Mark helps develop and implement many of the institute’s initiatives, including new course materials and other publications. He resides in Sterling Heights, MI with his wife Gayle, and their three sons.
Brian Lee
National Director of Teams
Brian was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. He earned a degree in Business Management before serving as a FOCUS missionary on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. After two years with FOCUS he spent three years in the seminary where he learned the art of prayer and discernment as well as studied philosophy and theology. Before coming on with SPSE Brian served as the Director of Mission and Discipleship at a major parish in downtown Indianapolis. He completed his Masters in Theology at the Augustine Institute and is excited to share his formation and further the mission of the New Evangelization with SPSE. He and his wife Kristen have two boys and one girl, and reside in Atlanta, GA.
Mark Nemecek
Social Media & Design
Mark earned a BFA in Graphic Design from College for Creative Studies in 2011. The following year, he started freelance work for SPSE. For several years, as a contractor, Mark managed SPSE’s Facebook page as well as most graphic design projects. Nemecek joined SPEI full-time in the spring of 2019. His day-to-day responsibilities include managing all social media platforms, editing videos for the online school, and completing all graphic design projects. Prior to joining SPEI, Mark worked at several technology firms over the course of a decade with a focus on User Interface Design.
Michael Miller
Associate Marketing Director
Michael is a Catholic revert who loves his faith and his family. Before joining SPSE, he spent more than three years in two different religious orders. Before entering religious life, Michael worked as a copywriter for an ad agency, a researcher and writer for a Catholic website, and a youth and young adult minister. He was born and raised in the Metro Detroit area and received his BA from the University of Michigan in English. He lives with his lovely wife, Kara, in the Grosse Pointe area.
Lea Wojciechowski Ross
Advancement Project Manager
Lea is a cradle Catholic who loves how the Catholic Church is perfectly characterized through both intellectual richness and authentic encounter with Christ. She earned her BA in Environmental Science and teaching certification from The University of Michigan, and her MS in Professional and Technical Communication from Lawrence Technological University. In the nonprofit world, Lea has served as Director of Advancement at Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Guadalupe, President and current Board member of Young Catholic Professionals (Detroit chapter), and Board member of Protect Life Michigan. Lea and her husband Josh co-own the J-RO School of Music in Troy. They live in Troy with their young sons Xavier and Simon.
Paul Schlenker
I.T. Support Staff
Paul is a web developer, server administrator, email administrator, source control administrator, and database administrator for St. Paul Evangelization Institute. He is responsible for keeping various websites up to date and running smoothly. Paul is a “cradle Catholic” who loves to share his faith with others. He has been involved in music ministry at several parishes around the country, and has experience as a facilitator in the RCIA program. Paul was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, and currently resides in southern California with his wife, Barbara. They have two daughters and two sons.
Bob Wilson
Director, St. Paul Street Evangelization
Bob Wilson is a life long Metro Detroiter. He grew up Catholic but didn’t start living his faith until 2007. Struggles with panic and anxiety led him to seek the peace that only Jesus can give. He’s been evangelizing ever since. He first started evangelizing with St Paul Street Evangelization in 2012. He’s evangelized at parish festivals, college campuses, parks, and downtown areas. He became the Director for SPSE in 2019. Before that Bob worked for UPS for more than 22 years.
Cristian Ponce
Head of Web Development & Technology
Cristian is a cradle Catholic, born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He is happily married and a proud father. With a deep love for his faith and family, Cristian brings both dedication and heart to everything he does.
Board of Advisers
Episcopal Board
Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke
Prefect Emeritus of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron
Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit
Most Reverend Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
Most Rev. William J. Waltersheid, VG, STL
Auxiliary Bishop/Vicar General for the Diocese of Pittsburgh
Theological / Canonical Advisory Board
Dr. John Bergsma — Professor of Theology, Franciscan University of Steubenville
Jeff Cavins — Founder of The Great Adventure, Director Emeritus of the Catechetical Institute
Nicholas El-Hajj — Catholic Apologist
Dr. Robert Fastiggi — Professor of Systematic Theology, SHMS
Marcus Grodi — The Coming Home Network
Dr. Mary Healy — Professor of Sacred Scripture, SHMS
John Martignoni — Catholic Speaker and Apologist
Rev. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. — EWTN Live Television Host
Steve Ray — Catholic Writer, Speaker, and Apologist
Sr. Ann Shields — Renewal Ministries
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers — Catholic Evangelist and Speaker
Michael Trueman — Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Detroit
Industry / Business Advisory Board
Peter Lamporte — SPSE Collaborator / Fisher of Men
Dave Mahoney — Direct and Digital Marketing Adviser
Tom Monaghan — President of the Ave Maria Foundation
Teresa Tomeo — Catholic Media Expert and Host of Catholic Connection
Brandon Vogt — Catholic Blogger, Writer, Speaker
Stephanie Whittier — Morgan Stanley, Board Chair
Join Our Mission
Interested in joining the team or supporting our work? We’d love to hear from you.