ALIVE AT LAST TEAM

 Gwen Miller, Executive Director

Gwen is the Executive Director of Alive at Last.  She has a passion to empower and equip women to live truly free and fulfill their God-given purpose.  That passion led her to volunteer as a mentor with Alive at Last in 2016. Gwen has served on the Board of Directors of Alive at Last.  Then she was hired as the Community Engagement Director in 2019. Her role included training and engaging volunteers and ministry partners. 

Gwen married and began a shared journey in pastoral ministry with her husband in1988. She and her husband have four young adult children whom they homeschooled. 

She has a Bachelors Degree in Education and is a certified Life Coach with over 30 years of experience in education and ministry. She has written curriculum and dozens of articles for publication. Her book A Simple Plan for Christian parenting is available on Amazon.

Dr. Lynnette Simm, Mentorship Director

Dr. Lynnette Simm, with degrees in psychology and education, has worked as a college professor, StoneCroft national speaker, and Creative Director for Pearls of Promise Ministries, where she co-hosted POP Talk, a TV and radio program. She is also a founding member of the Dallas Dream Team. She is the author of And the Day Came, an award nominated inspirational memoir. She co-produced Tear Stained Forgiveness: Finding Hope and Restoration After Abuse, a documentary about her family’s healing. Married nearly twenty-five years, Dr. Simm, her husband, Madison, and their two amazing daughters live in North Dallas, Texas. She currently works as a Life Mentor, helping young women and couples struggling with current and past sufferings by bringing her experience, training, and blessings from the Lord.

Natalie Merril, Small Groups Director

Natalie has been a volunteer with Alive At Last for 2 years prior to becoming Director of Small Groups.  She grew up as a missionary child.  Natalie was born in London England and spent a lot of her childhood in South America.  Natalie knows what it is like to be church hurt, she made a lot of bad decisions growing up.  However, through it all she had a lifetime of being molded by the Lord.  Our Father has shown her how to overcome with patience and endurance, in relationship with Him.  She received her BA in Business Marketing after 12 years of study.  She married the love of her life at the age of 40 and had her miracle child at 46.  She found her Hope in Jesus and she knows you can too.  Her heart goes out to you.  She sees you as God’s Beautiful Creation and asks God daily to use her for His Glory.

Makenzie Jenkins, Communications and Marketing Director

Makenzie has spent most of her life traveling and helping with ministry as a worship leader, photographer/videographer, and media director. Makenzie went to a Bible college in Houston TX from 2018-2019 where she learned how to improve her skills to take other ministries to the next level.
Since then she has married the love of her life, Noah, and they reside together in Fort Worth Texas.  Makenzie has served at Alive At Last as our Communications and Marketing Director since early 2024. She has a heart to serve the Lord and help serve women. Makenzie wants to use her creativity to spread the message of hope to all who desire to walk in complete freedom.

Laura Mapstead, Director of Technology and Community Engagement

Laura got involved with Alive at Last by helping Alisa, her sister-in-law, build the foundation of the Alive at Last Community on Mighty Networks.  While being a part of Alisa’s care team during her last days, Laura and her husband Rob continued to help fulfill Alisa’s vision in building out the community platform. Laura continues to help manage the community and provides technical support, digital content creation and marketing strategy remotely from North Carolina.

Laura has a BA in Communications from Pepperdine University.  Laura has spent most of her career involved in entrepreneurial endeavors and currently works as a freelance digital content creator for non-profits. Laura and her husband Rob have been married for 36 years and they spend their time outside of work being involved in prayer teams for revival, evangelism, and discipleship.

LeAnna Onstott, Survivor Advocate, Developement & Strategy

LeAnna could tell you about her accolades, graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science degree, or sharing her entrepreneurial spirit of running a business but her real treasure was her first introduction to Alive at Last.  While attending a networking event, she was introduced to Alisa Evans, the founder of the Alive at Last.  This introduction went on to develop an even greater connection with Gwen Miller who became her mentor, friend, and spiritual advisor.  They met once a week at different coffee shops, attended events together, and prayed validation and affirmation over her life.  This bond created a desire in her to pass on the gift of changing lives. She would say the overall theme of Gwen’s visits was “She wanted nothing from me, but everything for me”.  A great example of what mentorship is all about.  Loving and giving hope to the King’s daughters.  

Board of Directors

Mike Immler,  Chairman of the Board

Vice President, Military Affairs

Mike Immler joined First Command Financial Services in 2017 as the Vice President of Military Affairs, bringing with him nearly 40 years of relevant experience. As the Vice President of Military Affairs, Mike provides vision, direction, and support for the company on all military-related matters.  Specifically, he spearheads the Military Engagement Program, which provides advisors with the tools they need to effectively serve the military community.

Before starting at First Command, Mike spent 31 years working for the Army and Airforce Exchange Service, a worldwide retail organization serving service members, retirees, and their families.  There, he held a variety of notable positions  Most recently, he was the Deputy Director and Executive Vice President- and he was the first civilian to hold that role.  Reporting directly to the CEO, Mike oversaw the Procurement, Real Estate, General Counsel, and government relations office and helped improve company earnings by over $300 Million.

Mike retired from the United States Air Force Reserve as a Colonel after 30 years.  During this time he served on the staff of the Judge Advocate General of the Air Force and senior legal posts throughout the United States.  A graduate of Auburn University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, Mike received a Juris Doctor from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

Arlene Johnson

Arlene currently serves as Vice President of Advancement and is responsible for raising funds and friends so that God’s work can be done to protect, rescue, and restore girls from sexual abuse. Arlene was raised with parents in the foreign services which allowed her to live and work in six of the seven continents. She is a seasoned multi-lingual leader with over 25 years of global experience in both for profit and not-for-profit organizations.  She has 3 talented grown children who live in Scotland, Houston, and Chicago. Arlene and her husband Keith live in Dallas with their poochon, Missy. They are Ministry leaders in their church. They also enjoy traveling the world, playing tennis, ping pong, eating out, and hosting friends at their home. She is also a mentor to a sexually trafficked survivor from Alive at Last.

Barry L. Gordon

Barry is currently serving his second term as Mayor of the City of Duncanville.  He has also served as president of the board of directors for the Duncanville Community and Economic Development Corporation.

Barry Gordon spent 33 years with an agency in the Department of Defense, retiring in 2003 as a senior vice president.  In 2004 Gordon became a management professor at Southwestern AG University (SAGU) in Waxahachie, Texas, where he later became Associate Professor and Chair of the Business Department. Leaving full-time teaching in 2013, he remains an adjunct business professor at SAGU.

Delanna Hess

Delanna has been involved with Alive at Last since 2016. She has led our core small group studies for “Mending the Soul” and “Forgiving Forward,” recruited, trained and coordinated all our volunteers and small group studies. 

Delanna has also served in leadership for Celebrate Recovery, and Divorce Care ministry in 3 DFW area churches.

Delanna earned a BS from Texas Tech University and later pursued entrepreneurial endeavors in the hotel industry.  She served on the Board of Directors for the DFW Chapter of the American Marketing Association.  

Jeff Seeley, Treasurer

Jeff is pleased to join the Board of Directors of Alive at Last to lend his many years of financial experience to the organization. He is a graduate of Drake University with a BSBA in Accounting and is a Texas CPA. He has been the CFO of a specialty manufacturing company in the semiconductor industry for the last 8 years, having also worked as a financial professional in the construction, distribution and retail industries.

Jeff has been a member of his local church for over 35 years having served many roles including Chairman of the Elders and Treasurer. He is currently serving as a leader in their Christian 12 step program called New Life (Regen), helping people to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. He is married with 4 children and 4 grandchildren. He spent over 20 years coaching youth baseball, basketball and football.