MANAGEMENT TEAM
Young Life has a team of six key staff working together to support youth workers in East Auckland.
Carmel Bell
Team Leader
Pakuranga College
Carmel has been at Pakuranga since 2015 as a youth worker. For many years she has also been the Team Leader.
Carmel grew up in the greater Howick area and is a past student in Pakuranga College.
She has a degree in Early Childhood education and her Youth Worker Certificate, level 3. Carmel is also the youth director at cession|community church.
Jewel Turinsky
CFO, Human Resources,
and Systems Manager
Jewel Turinsky has been with Young Life since 2004. She has a background in Business and Graphic Design. She handles all HR and financial-related matters for Young Life including payroll, budgets, invoices and accounting.
She is married to Mike Turinsky and they have two teenage boys, Mattias (19) and Liam (17).
Lyall Carter
CEO
Team Leader
Howick College
In 2023, Lyall transitioned into the CEO role.
Lyall Carter started at Howick College in 2019. He is originally from the South Island, a little town called Port Motueka. Lyall has a background in youth work and is also an avid movie critic (even writes reviews). Lyall is married to Emily Carter, who he will tell you, is the love of his life. They also have a daughter born in 2021.
Lyall is working at Howick to build a larger programme that will have more youth workers in the coming years. In 2019, he piloted a new programme called Blue Edge which has been very successful. He has also completed his Youth Worker Certificate, level 3.
Jackie Cox
Team Leader
Botany Downs Secondary College
Jackie leads the team at Botany Downs Secondary College.
Jackie grew up in East Auckland, graduating from Edgewater College in 1999. She has been a youth worker at Botany since 2011. That's over ten years of service. Way to go Jackie!
Mike Turinsky
Chief Executive Emeritus
Mike has been with Young Life since 2004. He has a background in International Business and Economics. He is also a youth worker at Botany. Since 2017, he has also been elected to the Howick Local Board for the Botany subdivision.
Mike focuses much of his time on our camping ministry and grant writing.
Mike is married to Jewel, and they have two teenage sons, Mattias (19) and Liam (17).
Sarah Saunders
Team Leader
Edgewater College
Sarah leads the team at Edgewater College.
Sarah started at Edgewater in 2018. She has a background in youth work and working with foster children. She has completed her Youth Workers National Certificate, level 3. She is also studying to become a Counsellor.
Sarah was born in New Zealand but grew up in the U.K. and moved back to New Zealand in 2016, with her family.
She loves reading and spending time with her family.