meet the team

Matt Parker

“We can’t help free those affected by human trafficking if we aren’t actively looking for them. “

As our Co-Founder and CEO, Matt is continually providing vision and oversight for the organization. He has a communications degree and spent a decade working in a local faith community before he began undercover work in SE Asia with police. Currently, he travels and speaks on behalf of the organization, designs the organization’s covert gear, and works with field teams as they press forward for freedom. He has lived overseas several times and traveled extensively doing humanitarian work over the last 15 years. Matt is married to his high school sweetheart, Laura, with whom he founded the organization. They have three kids and love being outdoors in the mountains of Colorado. You can learn more about how he started The Exodus Road here.

Laura Parker

“No human being should have to live as a slave. It’s not the kind of world I want help build.”

Laura is Co-Founder and President of The Exodus Road as well as the Chief Communications Officer. She has a degree in middle grades education, and a second major in English. She began her career as a teacher, and later merged into writing, starting her own blog and writing for various online and print publications. She now directs the Marketing & Communications team and oversees development within the organization. Laura loves collaborating with the field teams and bringing back stories from the front lines. After living in Asia for six years, she now lives in Colorado with her three children, and her husband, Matt Parker. Matt and Laura have been married for over 18 years and are high school sweethearts. You can read the story of how they started the organization by going here.

Stephanie Steinbart

“Entering the world of counter-human trafficking has been a journey for me and certainly not one that I ever anticipated being part of. It’s dark, messy, and excruciatingly sad. But it’s real. And it’s happening every day in every country in our world. Slapped with this truth, I had a decision to make. Would I turn away and pretend I didn’t know? Or would I accept the call to use my feeble gifts in an effort shine just a ray of light in the darkness of this reality? Certainly, the ordinary can do extraordinary things.”

Stephanie is The Exodus Road’s Chief Operating Officer. While originally from the midwest, she spent most of her career in the South before moving to Colorado. Stephanie has a degree in education and comes to us with over 15 years of nonprofit experience! During her tenure, she has worked for a multitude of organizations including the Susan G. Komen foundation. She has a passion for using her gifts of organizational leadership and collaboration to empower donors to have a hand in the mission of an organization and plans to continue to do just that. She is looking forward to beginning this new chapter in the beautiful state of Colorado working to help find and free victims of human trafficking. Stephanie is excited to share the gorgeous mountain views with her three sons and her husband.

Jamie Smith

“After witnessing the signs of human trafficking first hand on more than one occasion, the thought of someone being held captive in this industry just broke me.  It was something I couldn’t turn a blind eye to.  I’ve felt prompted to enter into this space for quite some time now and am responding to this in an act of obedience in helping these victims.”

Meet our Director of Donor Engagement, Jamie! She is responsible for developing relationships with donors and giving them a high-quality experience with our organization that fosters long-term engagement and investment. Her strong background in communications and proven initiative from both running her own photography business and years working in the non-profit realm makes her a perfect fit for our Advancement Team. When she isn’t in the office, Jamie loves to spend ample time outdoors hiking, camping, and sitting by the bonfire with her husband, three kids, and their two dogs. She also likes to indulge in her guilty pleasure of binge-watching investigative crime shows.

Nicole Plank

“The boys and girls enslaved in human trafficking are somebody’s children. What if this happened to my children? I would want to know that someone out there cares enough to rescue them. So here I am, giving what I can, to help find and protect these children.”

Nicole is the talented Office Manager for The Exodus Road. She would describe herself as the “Office Jedi.” Need we say more? Nicole keeps things running smoothly and is a great support to all staff at The Exodus Road. She previously worked in HR for the Division of Youth Corrections for several years and volunteered her time there as well. Nicole is a working mom of four kids, which means multi-tasking comes naturally to her. She also had the unique opportunity to be a Presenter at the PPCC Multicultural Awareness Conference. The primary conference goal is to encourage collegial discussion and build civic engagement on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She loves being with her family, and they like to spend their time outdoors, hiking and camping in beautiful Colorado. They also spend time together serving the community at the local soup kitchen.

Sarah Stapleton

“I have always been very passionate about counter-trafficking efforts. Every human being deserves to be treated with value, dignity, and respect. Freedom should not be a privilege for some but an inherent right for all.”

Sarah is the Social Media Manager and she creates beautiful and engaging posts on our various social media platforms, provides informative and educational content, and interacts with supporters through social media profiles of The Exodus Road. Sarah has a passion for social justice and was previously an intern at The Exodus Road. Sarah lived in India for two years which has fueled her passion for counter-trafficking work, and she spent several months with an artist group learning to use the arts for social justice. Sarah likes to binge-watch crime shows, do creative projects, and she counts snacking as a hobby.  She also loves riding dirt bikes, motorcycles and doing other adrenaline-inducing activities!

Zach Ferlise

“Human Trafficking is an issue I have experienced first hand when working in North Aurora combatting poverty and homelessness. Once I saw humans being trafficked in my own community, I felt wholeheartedly committed to eradicating this issue.”

Zach helps build strategy and processes within the Advancement Department as their Development Manager. Before joining us at TER, he was Assistant Director of Operations at the Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region. His background in organizational leadership and non-profit management makes him the ideal person to lead our team to success! In his spare time, Zach enjoys reading and writing, playing soccer, and binge-watching the latest shows at home with his girlfriend, their corgi, and two cats.

Zelle Calina

“My family has personally experienced human trafficking. I want to be a part of the movement to end modern slavery.”

Zelle is our Development Specialist and is an asset in supporting the Advancement Team at The Exodus Road. Zelle studied Biomedical Sciences and has a graduate degree in Public Health from the University of Nebraska Medical School. Through this graduate program, Zelle learned about human trafficking as a public health concern and she was compelled to help. She has a heart for her community and she helped found St. Jude’s Play Live fundraising chapter in Orlando, FL. This is a yearly event where kids and families play video games together and raise support for St. Jude’s Research Hospital. In the first year, her chapter raised $15,000 and then rocketed up to $50,000 in the second year and continues to grow. Zelle has two dogs, and she loves to hike with them. She also enjoys painting and playing board games in her down time. 

Marlena Outlaw

“Human Trafficking has always been heavy on my heart, especially having witnessed it the first time I traveled overseas. To see it and know it is always happening, I cannot let that happen on my watch. It is not okay and it feels like such an overwhelming problem, but knowing that I can help just one person out of a dark place makes this huge issue feel that much lighter.”

Marlena was one of the very first employees of The Exodus Road team back in 2012. She was an integral part of the growth of TER and was willing to lend her many talents to any task thrown at her. After working for several other non-profit organizations, she is back with The Exodus Road and we couldn’t be more excited. In her current role, she connects with donors to keep them feeling informed and important. Marlena is married to her best friend and together they have two young children. They are an adventurous family who love being outside and spending time with friends. In addition to being a wonderful team member, wife, and mother, Marlena also teaches yoga. Her willingness and drive make her a valued member of our advancement team and we are so glad she found her way back to our organization.

Kyle Bush

“To me, freedom is the most basic human right. I can’t think of anything that is more important than fighting for those who have been deprived of that right.”

After earning his degree in Film and Video Technology from the Colorado Film School and working for Discovery Church as a Media Director – Kyle has joined our team. We have loved having a Multimedia and IT Specialist in house! Kyle is the technical genius behind many of our videos, including “Sunlight on Her Face”. He’s also on standby to resolve all of our basic IT issues. Kyle blows us away with his mastery of technology and talent for storytelling. Kyle lives in Colorado with his wife and daughter and is also pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. His dedication to his family and our mission makes him a great asset to the team. The best part about Kyle? His heart for social justice.

Leigh Gaddy

“If you learned that the problem of human trafficking exists, how could you not care about it? It’s so easy to turn away from the realities of human trafficking, but I encourage everyone to open their hearts just a little. Countless people are enslaved now, more than any other time in history. There is still work to do!”

Leigh is the Email Marketing Coordinator for The Exodus Road. She is responsible for the creation and coordination of all email marketing in an effort to communicate the mission of The Exodus Road and connect with our supporters. Leigh has worked for a decade in the nonprofit industry and says, “if we’re not working 40 hours a week to make the world a better place, why are we working at all?” Prior to her work here at The Exodus Road, Leigh worked for Children’s Services in the Pikes Peak Library District promoting their programs to families. She is married to her favorite person in the world, and they have two wonderful, goofy kids! Leigh is a bookworm, science nerd, a DIY-er, and she loves her veggie garden. Her family likes to whitewater raft, hunt mushrooms, and snuggle up for movie nights. Leigh is also a beekeeper and does children’s outreach for beekeeping at the libraries and elementary schools.

Kelly Turner

“I was once asked, “What breaks your heart?” Without hesitation it was the thought of children who have lost their freedom and are being trafficked. “You can choose to look away. But you can never say again, you did not know.” –William Wilberforce“

There’s no way we could pull off any of our Galas without our Event Coordinator: Kelly Turner! Previously the Owner and Wedding Planner of Luxe Weddings in Colorado Springs, Kelly has a knack for coordinating important celebrations. She also has an extensive history planning galas, walks, festivals, and other large corporate events for large companies such as Google and Southwest Airlines. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys outdoor activities with her husband and three children. They love the mountains just as much as the beach and make an effort to get to both as often as they can.

Stephanie Kunstle

“I was blessed to grow up in a world where I was loved, safe, and given opportunities to thrive. But so many people have not tasted this kind of life, and it grieves me to hear their stories of exploitation, violence, and poverty. I believe we must do all we can to fight for these men, women, and children to bring freedom and healing. It’s an honor to use my passions and gifts to advance the mission of The Exodus Road.”   

Stephanie is the Content Creator for The Exodus Road.  She joined the marketing team to share the stories of survivors as well to write about issues concerning human trafficking through The Exodus Road blog. She also supports the team in creating a movement of people called to action to uphold our work of bringing freedom to modern slaves. She has worked in sales, development, and marketing in both the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. Stephanie has been married to her husband David for 16 years and counting! They have two precious daughters. When she’s not advocating for the work of The Exodus Road, Stephanie is representing artisans around the globe as an Ambassador for Noonday Collection in efforts to help these people experience freedom from poverty. Otherwise, you can find her in the kitchen experimenting with a recipe which will usually end up on Instagram or her food blog. She loves to cycle through beautiful Colorado, hike, and especially to gather family and friends around the dinner table to celebrate life. Stephanie and her husband are partners in a winery called Proper Wines located in Washington state. They produce an estate grown Syrah which is recognized by wine critics and most importantly, by so many amazing friends who support this labor of love.

Matt Parker

Laura Parker

Matt Stowell

Steve Leigh

Nate Griffin

Cliff Clarkson

Tori Murphy

Daniel Murphy