Meet Our Team
The community at The Hub consists of different leadership teams, community members, partner organizations and churches, a Board of Directors, staff, and our neighbors in the Argentine community. Learn more about who we are and what we do here.
Staff Team
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Rev. Carter Ellis
Executive Director
Carter has been at The Hub for 4 years and loves getting to know the community on a deeper level. Her favorite part about working at The Hub is practicing Asset Based Community Development in the Argentine neighborhood and using the gifts within the community to guide our work together. Carter is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. Before moving to Kansas City, Carter served several different churches in the Western North Carolina. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School and Wake Forest University (go Deacs!). Carter and her wife Lora live in Argentine with their two dogs, Winnie & Dottie. When she is not at The Hub or spending time with her neighbors, Carter loves spending time with her family, hiking, working on their 100 year old house, supporting the KC Current (women's soccer team), and learning to cook new things.
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Andrea Villeda
Program Coordinator
Andrea is the Program Coordinator at The Hub Argentine and oversees the Community Market, Clothing Closet, Shower Program, and works closely with Neighbors of Argentine and the Adventure Academy. She has been at The Hub for a year and shares that she has been able to learn so much from the community. She is thankful that she is able to run programs that help the community and families. She spends her free time with her daughter who is now 2! Andrea also loves to spend time at the gym or just being with her friends & family. Andrea comes from the Wyandotte neighborhood and it has given her a close and personal connection to everyone she meets and is able to understand how to truly help them. She is thankful each day she is here for the community in different ways.
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Lexie Rios
Operations Coordinator
Kansas City native, Lexie Rios, is deeply passionate about community engagement and equity. With a career rooted in nonprofit & Latinx advocacy work, Lexie has driven initiatives that promote inclusivity and support our dynamic and wonderful communities. As the Operations Coordinator at The Hub Argentine, Lexie is dedicated to fostering a collaborative environment and ensuring smooth implementation to support the organization's mission and growth. Lexie LOVES plants and playing tennis. She is also working on her certificate in project management.
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Karla Williams
Judd Jones Scholar Intern | Saint Paul School of Theology
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Zaira Gomez
TEMP Program Coordinator
Zaira is the TEMP Program Coordinator at The Hub Argentine and will be overseeing programs such as the Community Market, Clothing Closet, and Shower Program over the next few months. As an Argentine native, she is a familiar face at The Hub and is passionate about expanding access to resources for community members in meaningful and diverse ways. Drawing from her social work background, she supports a range of efforts from mental health advocacy to community building. In her free time, Zaira enjoys photography, spending time with loved ones, and caring for her dog, Nala. She is also known to welcome a challenge when it comes to new hobbies like planting and painting. She is looking forward to continuing her work at The Hub and hopes to cultivate genuine connections within the community.
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Board of Directors
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Rev. Jeff Prothro
BOARD CHAIR
I am an Ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church currently serving as Senior Pastor of Asbury UMC in Prairie Village. I am blessed and thrilled to serve as a Board Member of the Hub Argentine. My wife Leighann, our two children and I have lived in the greater Kansas City area since 2012. In my free time I enjoy sports (with an irrational love for the Royals), movies, reading, trivia, and spending time with friends and family. I am very grateful for the work of the Hub and its fantastic community impact that will continue to flourish in the coming years.
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Naomi Tolentino
BOARD VICE CHAIR
Naomi is an educator with 15 years of experience. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she moved to KCK 10 years ago to serve the immigrant and refugee community in the area. She currently serves as the Coordinator of Students Support Programs at KCKPS. There she oversees various programs like Attend to Achieve and Positive Alternative for Children in Trouble, as well as serving families with wrap-around services to support student achievement. She is also an advocate and community organizer seeking equity and justice – serving on boards and volunteering with organizations such as the Hub. Naomi was part of the Argentine neighborhood for 6 years and currently lives in the historic Westheight neighborhood with her husband Randy Lopez. On Saturday mornings you can usually find Naomi making brunch, reading a good book, or leading a march for justice.
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Leslie Hernandez
TREASURER
I’ve spent the last 15 years working in the nonprofit sector, creating meaningful programs and connections that give back to local and global communities. As an Argentine resident and bilingual leader, I love inspiring growth and collaboration across cultures. When I’m not at my kids’ sporting events or chasing after my three kids and energetic dog, you’ll find me working out or planning my next adventure!
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Joyce McCarty
SECRETARY
Joyce is a certified candidate for ministry pursuing ordination as an elder in the United Methodist Church. Joyce believes in fully embodying faith, which looks like showing up, interrupting oppressive structures, and doing things with people, not for them. She thinks that if we use the gifts within the community to guide our work together we can only win. One of Joyce’s favorite things to do is laugh, she loves stand-up comedy, and finding irony in every situation. Before moving to Kansas City, Joyce grew up on a dairy farm in rural Illinois. She is a graduate of Culver-Stockton College and currently studies Divinity at Saint Paul School of Theology. When she is not hanging out at The Hub or spending time with her neighbors, Joyce loves spending time with her husband Alex, traveling, playing piano, making fun of her husband’s obsession with sports, and learning languages.
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Rev. Claudia Bakely
I am a retired United Methodist clergywoman who now lives in Argentine. Originally from N.J., my family moved to Rosedale in KCK when I was 10.
My father was also a UM clergy person, and was the director of Cross-lines in Armourdale for many years, so I grew up watching that organization work together with the community. Respect, dignity and agency were always core values of that work.
I was a Registered Nurse for about 23 years before I went back to school for my Divinity degree and became a minister. I have two wonderful grown sons who live close by. One of my very favorite things about living here is that there is a public library within easy walking distance from my home!
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Pete Burton
I first got involved in The Hub by volunteering with my church - Stilwell United Methodist - to do some basic cleaning and painting. Since that initial time a few years ago, it has been very exciting to see how The Hub has been and is still being transformed to provide services, meet some of the needs of, and be a partner with the Argentine community. I am a (retired) civil engineer. My wife Cindy and I have two grown children that live in the KC area, and we enjoy spending time with them, their families and especially a 3-year old grandson. I am honored to be a member of the Board and I look forward to seeing many great things that are to come.
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Rev. Jin Cho
Rev. Hyun-Jin Cho joined the Hub Board of Directors in 2024.
Rev. Cho serves as the Northeast Kansas District Superintendent with the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church. Prior to his appointment as district superintendent, Rev. Cho served as a pastor for United Methodist Church congregations in the Kansas towns of Lecompton, Topeka and Pittsburg.
A native of South Korea, Rev. Cho first came to the U.S. in 2006 to study at Saint Paul School of Theology.
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Dominique Jones
I live in the Argentine community and I like that there’s a sense of community here. I look forward to the opportunity to serve within my community and I am committed to being a part of the groundwork leading to change. I’m also looking forward to building relationships within The Hub Board of Directors and with members of the community. I enjoy collecting plants and learning about them, catching up with friends/relatives, and spending time with my husband & son. And, I could teach you how to update a space by consolidating items, cleaning, and organizing it--usually within a day!
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Lupe Lemus
Bio coming soo
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Jesi Lipp
I am a life-long United Methodist and currently worship at St. Paul’s UMC. Though I grew up in the Kansas City area, I only recently became a resident of Argentine. I am so excited to serve this community as a board member of The Hub Argentine. I'm a graduate of the University of Kansas, and I work as the Grants & Accounting Coordinator at the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault. I love reading science fiction and fantasy, playing D&D, streaming video games, and chilling on the couch with my dog. Also, I would totally be responsible with a flamethrower!
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Jessica Perez
Bio Coming Soon!
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Alejandra Perez-Rico
Bio Coming Soon
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Reid Samuel
Reid has lived in Kansas City, MO for the past 16 years and calls KC home.
He has over 15 years of experience working in nonprofit fundraising, to include database management and donor relations. He holds a Master of Public Administration from UMKC with concentrations in nonprofit leadership and fundraising. He is a member at Asbury UMC in Prairie Village and enjoys singing with the Heartland Men's Chorus.
As a Hub board member, he loves being a part of an organization driving social connectivity and civic pride.
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Tim Steele
Dr. Tim Steele is an audiologist and President/CEO of Associated Audiologists, Inc. a local audiology private practice. Tim and his wife Julie have four children, live in Olathe, KS and are active members of Old Mission United Methodist church. He has been active in volunteerism and service through church, work, and through Rotary. He is honored to serve on board and be part of the exciting community work of The Hub Argentine.
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