Michael Lokey – Executive Director

Michael Lokey is the Executive Director and School Administrator at Brush Creek Academy, part of the Teen Challenge of Oklahoma Adolescent Centers. He and his wife, Summer, have four children and live in Jay, Oklahoma. Mr. Lokey served as the previous school administrator of The Cross Christian Academy for seven years and has spent more than 20 years in public and private education.

Since coming back to Teen Challenge, he serves as Executive Director and the current School Administrator. He graduated from Evangel University with a Bachelor of Science and Northeastern State University with a Master of Education. Throughout his time at Teen Challenge, he has served on many school accreditation teams for AdvanED and ICAA. Mr. Lokey has felt a calling on his life to see hope and restoration in young men and their families by pursuing a Godly standard of excellence at Teen Challenge of Oklahoma adolescent programs: Brush Creek Academy and New Lifehouse.

Joshua Banks – Program Director

Joshua has been with the Teen Challenge ministry since 2020. Josh was born in Houston, Texas, and he and his wife Jodi have four children. Josh and Jodi have worked with thousands of youths for over ten years. Josh has worked with youth at juvenile detention, YMCA, and an orphanage, taking various athletic director and foster dad roles. Like many of the boys in our program, Josh had a troubled youth where he was affiliated with gangs and exposed to drug usage. Now he uses his past to help other young men find freedom. Jodi has taken various roles with troubled youth in the education system and worked at the orphanage.

Before coming to Teen Challenge of Oklahoma, Josh worked as director and founder of a non-profit group, Impact Sports, which helped children in the local community find purpose and direction through sports. Josh now manages the staff at Brush Creek, as well as oversees the direction of the students. He is passionate about seeing kids’ lives changed through Christ and seeing them transform from the inside out. This passion drives him to maintain an effective and safe program for any boy that needs help.

Rachel Nicholson – School Dean of Students

Rachel has been working for Brush Creek Academy Teen Challenge since 2009. Before coming to Brush Creek, she worked at a boys’ facility for teen offenders while also working as a Program Director of a Christian camp. She was an active youth sponsor at her church during this time and loves combining her skills to help minister to hurt teens.

While at Teen Challenge Adolescent Centers, Rachel has been a classroom monitor, Kitchen Coordinator, and Lead Direct Care. She is currently the Dean of Students and Athletic Director at The Cross Christian Academy. Rachel finds great joy in coaching basketball, volleyball, and track. She uses the coaching time to teach many life lessons as girls compete.

During her childhood, Rachel experienced years of abuse. The Lord has led her through a time of spiritual healing and spiritual growth. It was during this time, Rachel truly developed a relationship with Christ. Rachel has her Associates’s Degree in Criminal Justice and is an ordained minister with Global University. She hopes to one day be a Program Director for a Teen Challenge facility.