Executive Director of Trellis

Ian Stevenson, the full time Executive Director of Trellis since fall of 2015, is responsible for expanding our capacity of the organization as the primary vision caster and strategy developer. A team-player at heart, he finds joy in team development, growth, and increase of effectiveness through his work with our board, staff and city leaders.

Prior to joining Trellis full-time, Ian was a pastor at The Crossing Church in Costa Mesa, California, where he became the second full-time staff member, in 1989.  For 27 years, he focused on ministry development, outreach and teaching to lead, manage, and grow the church from 40 to approximately 2,000. Holding a bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville University, Ian is an expert in volunteer mobilization and management and has an extensive background in strategic planning, budget preparation, goal setting, and facilitating partnerships.

Ian and his wife Terrilee have been married for 35 years, with 3 grown children and 7 grandchildren. They provide unconditional support and guidance for the Trellis team, as well as their adorable little encouragers. In their free time, the two enjoy riding motorcycles, hiking, back packing and working out.

Director of Operations & Volunteer Engagement

Isabel oversees the planning, managing, and resourcing process for Trellis to operate with excellence and integrity. She was first called to volunteer with Trellis for a few years, where she led at the Check-in Center and helped establish the Community Impact Team, before stepping into her official role. Her passion to see God’s justice brought to every one of His children is what drives her to help equip and mobilize the church to make an impact on the city.

Prior to joining the Trellis team, Isabel acquired a diverse skill set while working in government as a policy advisor and later for a data visualization company specializing in school districts. Isabel moved from Big Bear Lake in 2011 to attend Vanguard University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in History & Political Science and a minor in Religion from Vanguard University as well as a certification in Lean Six Sigma process improvement methods.

Isabel enjoys spending time with family and friends and continuing to grow her relationship with the Lord. Isabel loves to go swing dancing with friends and try out new restaurants and coffee shops.

Business Management

Debbie oversees all things HR, Marketing, and some Accounting for Trellis’ Business Management. She provides Trellis with key insights through her knowledge and experience of leading and managing the day-to-day organizational operations. Debbie’s passion for connecting cities to collaborate together motivates and encourages everyone involved with Trellis.

Born in Texas, Debbie was called to Costa Mesa, where she flourished for 18 years. Here, she honed her senior leadership experience in multiple types of organizations both for profit and nonprofit. She started her own business and maintained it for 10 years before pastoring at a large church in Orange County for another 10 years. Through these roles, she gained excellent organizational skills and leadership development which she now utilizes at Trellis.

Debbie moved to Northern California in 2017, where she resides with her husband and 4 children in Quincy. With practically a petting zoo at their fingertips, she and her family enjoy caring for and playing with all the animals on their small farm. She loves to spend her free time adventuring amidst the mountains and alpine lakes, while managing Trellis remotely.

Director of Development

Lehua directs and leads the team in developing sustainable ways to support and grow the work of Trellis in Costa Mesa and Beyond. She also works closely with our Stakeholders group, while managing our fundraising and donors. Her deep knowledge of leading in churches and nonprofits ignites her passion to help continue to build bridges and inspire our communities to be better together.

Originally from Hawaii, Lehua relocated to gain a dual bachelor’s degree from Vanguard University in Theatre and Religion. While residing in Cosa Mesa for 23 years, she gained experience as the Creative Arts Pastor at the Crossing Church and 5 years in the Spiritual Formation Department at Vanguard University. 

Lehua recently relocated to Franklin, Tennessee with her husband and 3 kids, where she works remotely for Trellis and still visits occasionally. When she isn’t working or spending time at home, you can probably find her adventuring or camping with her family in the mountains.

Homelessness Initiative Director

John helps Trellis create a collaborative environment with the churches, businesses, city officials and community to help end homelessness and get people off the streets.  John is passionate about propelling the mission and vision of Trellis.  He strongly believes that churches should be modeling what Trellis does for the community and its leaders. John sees Trellis as the embodiment of loving God and others, while being the church as One and serving beyond a building.

John’s passion for the Lord and His kingdom was nurtured through his attendance at Sunset School of Biblical Studies in Lubbock, Texas. Here, he graduated in Biblical Studies, and then went on to obtain his BA in Organizational Management from Ashford University. He spent 6 and a half years as the Pastor of the Costa Mesa Church of Christ, where he fed people living on the streets, and housed over 44 individuals. John’s experience with those living without a home led him to get involved with Trellis, and he felt called to step into a permanent position for the Homelessness Initiative.

John currently lives locally in Orange County with his wife of 42 years. He enjoys spending what little free time he has with his bride, grandkids, two children, and loves a good motorcycle ride.

Office & Ministry Support Coordinator

Marylin helps to keep our office, staff, and meetings organized, and utilizes her ability to jump in and help to support multiple facets of our ministry. She has served homeless individuals in Costa Mesa for the past 7 years, which led her to start serving with Trellis in 2019 as Event Coordinator. When COVID hit, events no longer happened in person, so her skills for keeping things running smoothly were then translated in the office and ministry support settings.

Marilyn grew up in Texas and moved to Southern California at age 24. Prior to working at Trellis, she was the Senior Secretary at Huntington Beach High School for 10 years. She then felt called to serve a missionary with her husband Jim in New Zealand for 9 years. Here, they attended and graduated from South Pacific Bible College. They then served at Otumoetai Church as Pastoral Care where Marilyn ran Women’s Ministry, served with MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) and also worked as a secretary for the church. Her many years of experience as a secretary have helped to hone her organization and communication skills to serve the kingdom of God.

Marilyn and her husband Jim currently reside in Huntington Beach, where they spend their time volunteering, hosting events like teas, game nights and parties. She really enjoys spending time with and caring for her 12 grandchildren, while staying connected with friends and volunteering whenever possible.

Education Initiative Director

Terrilee is our liaison for the Costa Mesa School District, as well as all its beloved schools, teachers and administrators. She is passionate about using her gifts, skills and experience to help engage more of our community to help our schools be all they can be in order to impact future generations. She ensures that our schools are working together by supporting and encouraging them in any way possible.

Terrilee attended Taylor University in Indiana, where she obtained her Associate Degree in Business Administration before relocating to Costa Mesa. Prior to Trellis, she worked in the Newport Mesa Unified School District utilizing her administrative skills for 13 years. She then gained experience as the Executive Assistant at a local church for 12 years. Terrilee jumped into her position at Trellis with a total of 25 years of relevant experience and skills, which she blesses both our team and our local schools with effortlessly.

Terrilee has lived in Costa Mesa for 34 years, raised her 3 children here and is now helping her 7 grandchildren also recognize what is great about our city. While she loves relaxing with a good book or spending time at the beach, she also thrives on adventure. Terrilee and her husband of 35 years, Ian, enjoy the thrill of motorcycle rides, as well as hiking and backpacking excursions.

Neighboring Initiative Director and Homelessness Check-In Center Manager

Reina oversees operations through volunteer scheduling, supply coordination and event support at the Homelessness Check-In Center for Trellis. She has been volunteering with Trellis at the Check-In Center storage facility for the homeless since 2013, which she now manages. Reina recently became our Neighboring Initiative Director, and we look forward to utilizing her experience and connections with various cities, communities, and nonprofit organizations. She is passionate about growing relationships among our community and beyond. 

Prior to Trellis, Reina studied at UCI, where she found her heart for working with the homeless. She became President of Helping Hearts for the Homeless at UCI, which allowed her to empower students to serve the local homeless community, as well as spread awareness and education on campus. Furthermore, she oversaw several community youth programs regarding leadership development, community service & mental health advocacy at Orange County Herald Center. Reina discovered her passion for community work during her time as staff at The Beacon Church in Orange, CA working alongside Love Orange & Love Irvine initiatives and directly witnessing how churches can strategically partner with cities to make a greater impact. 

Reina is a proud resident of Costa Mesa, and loves pouring into the city she believes in. She was blessed to meet her husband, Chris, at the Check-In Center, and continues to serve as a family there with him and their son.

Homelessness Support Manager

Ray supports all things Homelessness at our Check-In Center, where he ensures everything runs smoothly with consistency and efficiency. His dedication to Trellis’ Homelessness Initiative includes leading trainings and managing volunteers, maintaining order at the CIC, and running the shower and laundry trailers. He also supports and leads our Community Impact Team which focuses efforts on providing tools for our homeless community to reenter the work force. Ray volunteered at the CIC during his struggle with homelessness for 2 years, then officially became a member of our team one year after finding housing.

Born and raised in California, he moved around to many states as a navy brat, then returned to attend UCLA for Aerospace Engineering. Ray then worked in administration for an electronic company after serving with the army in Germany. He continued on to work in the medical field for 28 years. Ray’s previously learned professional skills of thorough evaluation and analysis, process improvement, and risk management combined with his journey of overcoming homelessness himself serves as a real asset to our Homelessness Initiative.

In his free time, Ray enjoys being active by kayaking, camping, hiking, hunting, shooting, and fly-fishing. He loves anything outdoors or water-related and is a self-proclaimed failed stand-up surfer. Ray’s spirit of adventure and enthusiasm to try new things keeps everyone he meets on their toes.