About us

Meet Our Team

Lorie - Operations Manager

Joining SHINE in September 2021, Lorie transitioned from corporate America to a role that resonates with her heart's deepest callings—supporting single moms. As our Operations Manager, she ensures the smooth operation of our programs and finds joy in participating in childcare during our Monday Night Thrive events.

Raised as a preacher's kid, her lifelong passion for helping others, especially those in vulnerable situations, has found a fulfilling outlet at SHINE. Outside of work, Orie is active in children's ministry, enjoys scrapbooking, outdoor adventures, and annual retreats to the Colorado mountains. Witnessing the transformative impact on the families we support is her greatest reward.

Jill - Executive Director

Jill's journey with SHINE began through a chance connection at our coffee shop after moving from the Pacific Northwest to Tyler. The warm welcome from Lolo and the community quickly felt like finding a second family. Initially involved in a project to refine SHINE's organizational structure, her role evolved into researching grants and furthering our mission.

With a background in Young Life Staff and middle school math teaching, combined with her personal experience being raised by a single mom, Jill brings a deep understanding and commitment to mentorship and education. As Executive Director, she's focused on supporting our team and ensuring SHINE's sustainable impact, empowering single moms to lead with courage, confidence, and strength.

Lolo - Program Director

Lolo's path to SHINE began with her move from Louisiana to Tyler, Texas, two years ago, seeking community after completing missionary school. Connected with SHINE by her single mom group leader in Baton Rouge, she was drawn to our vision and commitment to uplifting single mothers.

As the Program Director, Lolo leads with compassion and understanding, drawing on her own experiences as a single mom for nearly a decade. She is dedicated to creating a supportive, judgment-free environment where single moms can find their inner strength and embrace the rollercoaster of motherhood with confidence.

Our Shared Vision

Together, our team embodies SHINE's commitment to providing a supportive community for single moms. Through our diverse experiences and shared dedication, we strive to create a space where every mom can thrive, knowing they have a family in SHINE ready to support them every step of the way.

Our Founder's Story

When I unexpectedly became a single mom, almost everything I thought I knew about myself suddenly became a question instead of a statement.

I didn’t know how I would raise 3 boys.

I didn’t know how all the bills would get paid.

I didn’t know if I could keep attending church.

I didn’t know if my friends would stay.

I didn’t know when life would be less chaotic.

Those were some of the big things. Logistically, in the smallest of things, life was now a question mark as well. How would I make drop off at the daycare and still get to my teaching job in time? What would I do when one of my kids was sick but I had no more days left? Who was going to show the boys how to shave? How to stand up to potty train? How to tie a tie?

So many questions, and my brain was in total freeze mode for months from the sheer shock of my reality. Grief was right on its heels. This wasn’t the way I’d planned my life to go.

The turning point came sitting in my counselor’s office almost a year later.

He told me that I needed friends more than I needed a counselor. That was the shove I needed to get out of my own head and make an effort to connect meaningfully with other women.

It started with a spaghetti dinner at my tiny townhouse. We had great conversations, laughed until we cried and pretty much ignored the circus of kids swirling around us. That planted a seed of passion in me to help women be seen, known, and loved deeply by one another. Community became my rally cry. Not the surface level kind. The “I’ll go to war for you- by showing up, by listening, by telling you the truth, by praying, by helping you draw boundaries, by sharing what I have, by not leaving, by making you giggle when you want to scream- that’s the battle that true sisters enter on behalf of one another, and that's the one I'll fight for you.”

In community, I found answers to many of the questions I was asking. God would provide for me and my boys most often through the love of my own circle. One of the ways He responds to our deepest needs is to show up for us through people- and when we pull back or we disconnect, we miss not only connection, but we miss seeing Him more fully.

God made us for relationships- to him, and to one another. We screw up both all the time when we try to do it on our own. But when we show up open-handed and open-hearted, we find a kind of community that’s worth fighting for.

Warrior Women is a community committed to fight for one another- and for the ideal that relationships really are worth it. I continue to champion Warrior Women with joy as a board member of SHINE.

The best is yet to come!

With much joy & great anticipation,

Suzy