Meet Our Dedicated Staff
Our staff is dedicated to the helping students to be effective, faithful leaders who humbly serve God and others.
We utilize the team approach, which gives staff members the opportunity to leverage his or her God-given talents and abilities to best serve the interests of others.
To request a speaker for your church, youth group, organization, small group, or company, please contact us here.
Amber was born and raised in Tampa. After graduating from Leto High School, she attended Florida State University for an undergraduate degree and the University of South Florida for a graduate degree. Her background includes working with at-risk teens and families, non-profit work, and program development.
She has been involved with Young Christian Leaders Development Programs, formerly known as First Priority of Tampa Bay, since 2009 and was appointed Executive Director (2013) and then President (2023).
Amber is a professionally trained and board certified coach (BCC) with additional training in executive leadership and neuroscience coaching. She is also a certified nonprofit executive (CNE) and her primary organizational focus is program development, training protocols, and donor relations.
To read Amber’s article in the Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies: http://jsri.ro/ojs/index.php/jsri/issue/view/44.
Carina Deshotels
Director of Mission Advancement
813-732-7732
cdeshotels@yclprograms.orgCarina was born and raised in Leesburg, Florida. She and her husband, Beau, have two children, Landon and McKenzie, and they currently live in Dade City. Carina and her family attend Grace Family Church.
Ben DeWitt
Director of Expansion
(210) 326-5372
bdewitt@yclprograms.orgBen grew up in Southern California and Iquitos Peru. He played basketball for Word of Life in New York and then transferred to Liberty University to complete his degree in Biblical Studies. He served as a youth pastors for 17 years at churches in Clearwater Florida, Fort Worth Texas, and San Antonio Texas. He and his wife, Shanel have three children and they attend Grace Family Church.
.jpg)
Shanel DeWitt
Director, Hillsborough County
(210) 906-2600
sdewitt@yclprograms.orgShanel was born and raised in Tampa and is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University, where she majored in Communications and Marketing. She has been married to her husband, Ben, for nearly 23 years, and together they have three children: Asher (20), Jamin (18), and Makiah (16). They attend and are actively involved in Grace Family Church.
Sienna Zemaitis
Director, Pinellas County
(208) 699-9497
szemaitis@yclprograms.orgSienna was born and raised in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and later made the move to sunny Phoenix to attend Grand Canyon University. She currently lives in St. Petersburg with her husband, Brian. They attend and are actively involved in Radiant Church.
Denise Harvill
Area Director, Central Tampa
(813) 240-3515
Denise was born in Annapolis Maryland. She grew up in Jamaica, Saudi Arabia and Florida. She attended University of South Florida where she earned a degree in Communications. She is married to Alan and they have three children. They attend South Tampa Fellowship.
Hillsborough County Team
Pinellas County Team
.jpg)
Pasco County Team
