MEET

OUR

GREATER

AKRON

YOUNG

LIFE

STAFF

TEAM

MATT PAVLAK

AREA DIRECTOR

Matt was born in Medina, Ohio, but moved to Wadsworth in the first grade. He graduated from Wadsworth High School in 2014 and attended the University of Akron, where he graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After college, he got a job at the Cleveland Clinic in the Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit. Young Life was a part of his story since he was a sophomore in high school. While he was in nursing school at the University of Akron, he gave his time volunteering as a leader for Young Life at Copley High School for four years. After graduation while he was working at the Cleveland Clinic, he got married and moved to Kent, while continuing to lead Young Life in his spare time. As time went on, Matt and his wife could not shake the draw to high school students and wanted to invest in them more regularly. In the Fall of 2019, Matt began to fundraise to come on full time staff for Young Life in the Greater Akron area. He now serves as the Area Director for Young Life Greater Akron.

CHESSA HOMAN

GREATER AKRON STUDENT STAFF

Chessa is from Wadsworth, Ohio. Chessa graduated from Wadsworth High School in 2023 and is currently attending the University of Akron, where she is double majoring in Media Studies and Public Relations while also pursuing her master’s degree in Strategic Communications through a dual-credit program. Young Life has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember through her parents and sister’s involvement and work with the organization. She began attending Young Life as a high school student and was involved all four years. Her life was changed in 2021 when she met the Lord on a YoungLife fall weekend trip. She began volunteer leading at Firestone High School in the spring of 2024. In the spring of 2025, she was asked to came on as student staff for YoungLife in the Greater Akron Area.

MATT HENNESSEY

AKRON CITY STAFF ASSOCIATE

Matt was born in Medina, Ohio. He graduated from Highland high school in 2021 and is currently attending Grace Theological Seminary in Akron, where he will be graduating with a Bachelors in Biblical Studies. Matt started attending Young Life when he was a freshman in high school. His life was changed forever during the summer of 2018 when he gave his life to Jesus at Timber Wolf Lake, a Young life summer camp. As he continued to grow in his relationship with the Lord, his heart for reaching families and students in the city of Akron continued to grow as well. Matt began volunteer leading at Buchtel High School in the summer of 2022. In the summer of 2023, Matt came on student staff for Young Life in the Greater Akron Area. In his new role, he will continue to lead at Buchtel High School, while simultaneously working to foster union between local churches and Young Life in Akron, with the hope of better caring for students in Akron Public Schools.

KAYLA PROCTOR

AREA ADMINISTRATOR

Kayla is from Delaware, Ohio. Her involvement with Young Life began as a junior in high school. After graduating high school in 2015, she studied at Kent State University earning a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education. During that time she was a volunteer leader at Stow High School (Go Bulldogs!). She continued to lead there until she married Alex Proctor in 2021 who was a volunteer leader at Firestone High School. They continued to lead together at Firestone until buying a house down the street from Buchtel High School in 2022. Since then, they have lead at Buchtel (Go Griffs!) while hosting events and campaigners regularly. While continuing to be a volunteer leader, Kayla began working part time as an area administrator for Young Life Greater Akron in the summer of 2025.

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