The WAVS team is made up of passionate individuals on two different continents working together to equip young men and women with life changing-job skills.
To see the WAVS School staff in Guinea-Bissau go here.
WAVS Staff
Chris Collins
Chris first traveled to Guinea-Bissau in 2008, shortly after WAVS opened up its first vocational school in the country. On that two-week trip, he saw how WAVS was equipping students with the job skills they need to provide for their families for the rest of their lives. In December 2010, he became the first full-time executive director of WAVS.
Prior to joining WAVS, Chris was a journalist in Fresno, California, for five years and received several national and regional awards for investigative reporting. He spent six weeks covering the war in Iraq in late summer 2007 for McClatchy Newspapers.
Chris was born in Boston, grew up near Seattle and graduated from Whitworth University in Spokane in 2005 with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political studies.
Alyssa comes to WAVS with an eclectic life resume. Some of her most important titles include wife, mother of four, cancer mom, writer, serial entrepreneur, and Make a Wish fundraiser. She was deeply impacted by the phrase “blessed to be a blessing” when she was much younger, and that core value is what drew her to WAVS.
Alyssa is passionate about family, movement, mental health, travel and intentional connection. She is living proof that life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful and spends her days chasing the mundane joys this imperfect world has to offer. She believes vulnerability is a superpower and gratitude can change the world.
She looks forward to seeing how God uses her unique experiences, personality, and giftings to be a blessing to the people of Guinea Bissau.
Crystal later served as the Event Manager for The Grand 1401, a historic building in downtown Fresno. Crystal next worked as the Marketing Manager at STAR Fine Foods and helped build the company’s social media presence, expand its existing product lines, and manage its media campaigns.
In the meantime, Crystal also volunteered with WAVS to coordinate the décor at its annual dinner banquets in Fresno. In 2017, she joined WAVS as its Director of Marketing and Events. Crystal has always been impressed with how WAVS focuses on gospel-centered and long-term development in Guinea-Bissau and its drive to build relationships with the students and community while empowering them to rise out of poverty through vocational training.
Gizelle is from Tulare, California, and she loves spending quality time with her family, listening to music, and going to concerts . She’s passionate about fitness and enjoys helping others. Currently, she’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Advertising/PR at Fresno State.
She has always been drawn to non-profit work, and feels she’s found her perfect match with WAVS. She loves how at WAVS focuses on empowering young people by providing them with the skills they need to create better lives for themselves and their families.
With her enthusiasm and desire to make a difference, Gizelle is excited to support her community and have a positive impact on the lives of others.
Temperance was born and raised in Fresno, California, and has traveled to the Dominican Republic, China, Japan and South Korea. As a global explorer, she has seen the beauty the world has to offer, as well the various unmet needs of the people around her.
Committed to helping her city and the people of the world, she has recently been accepted as an Urban Greening Fellow with California Climate Action Corp and Events & Marketing Intern with WAVS. She hopes to spread awareness of the importance of empowering young people and educating them in world skills and knowledge. WAVS continues to inspire this vision in her and in the world at large.
She loves spending her spare time being an amateur baker, reading a fantasy book or cruising through thrift shops around Fresno. Nothing will keep her from a nice black iced tea. Bearing fruit wherever she planted is her number one goal.
WAVS STAFF IN GUINEA-BISSAU
Sloan joined the WAVS team as Country Director in October 2019, bringing with her years of experience working in humanitarian aid and international development. Before joining the team, Sloan worked with several NGOs in Greece, primarily serving as a coordinator for various projects to provide long-term support to refugees, including welcoming and integrating them into Greek communities.
A native of Ohio, Sloan holds her Bachelor’s in Sports Management from Wittenberg University and her Master’s Degree in International Peace & Conflict Resolution from Arcadia University, where she focused on security management and emergency response.
Sloan is passionate about supporting others in pursuing their goals and identifying ways to strengthen programs. She spends most of her time living and working with the WAVS staff in Guinea-Bissau.
Since a very young age Adriaan has been passionate about making a difference in the lives of underprivileged individuals as well as poverty stricken communities. He believes every human being has the right to basic necessities and therefore serving in love and good will has been his goal over the years in whatever way or form it presents itself.
Being part of a low cost housing project for Jimmy Carter in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa – Habitat for Humanity’s vision catapulted Adriaan into living an extraordinary lifestyle. He spent two years in Zimbabwe on a construction project accommodating and hosting international missionary teams whilst providing aid to local orphanages, rural churches and prisons. Adriaan serves as part of a global emergency response team for Samaritans Purse serving victims of war, poverty, famine, disease and natural disaster. Through Samaritans Purse, he deployed to the Hurricane Dorian response in 2019.
Over the years Adriaan and his wife Joscelin have also been a foster family – looking after newborn babies giving them a loving home until permanently placed. Various trade skills experience allowed Adriaan to start his own construction business in 2020. He managed projects for hospitals, residential homes and industrial warehousing while providing a service where they aid the elderly with everyday needs.
“Joining WAVS and being part of a vision that will impact so many lives is an absolute privilege. I am excited to see what the future holds.”
Laura Trickett
Director of Administration & Operations
Laura was born and raised in Fresno, California and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a certificate in ESL Linguistics from CSU Fresno. She also accidentally received a certificate in community change and social justice, but that’s a story for another time.
Laura traveled to Guatemala twice in partnership with a missions organization and has been involved with several Fresno based nonprofits. These experiences were instrumental in cultivating her passion for sustainable and holistic development work.
Laura spent the first two and a half years with WAVS at the Fresno office helping with events, marketing, and donor relations. After a visit to the WAVS schools in 2022, Laura realized her desire to work hand-in-hand with the school staff and students. This led to her becoming the Program Director for WAVS in early 2023. She now spends 5-6 months in Guinea-Bissau each year working with local teachers and administrators while collecting student and graduate stories to share with donors.