About Us
Who We Are
STEEL Mentoring Program for Boys is a Christian-based mentoring program for males in Douglas County, Georgia.
Our goal is to foster a commitment to young men that promotes pro-social friendships, develop strong interpersonal and reasoning skills to reinforce a sense of hope for their future while motivating them to become ‘Strong, Tenacious, Educated and Empowered Leaders’ where they live, go to school, work, and in whatever environment they are in.
History
Founded in 2018 by Oliver Hooks, Thomas Faulk, Phil Phinisee, Melvin Hadley, Dr. Steve Sutton, and Donahue Redmond.
The M.O.S. program is in direct response to the growing number of young males that underperform in school or are entangled in the Douglas County legal system. We provide positive support for young males that offers relevant content for their current and future needs that appeals to their interests. We understand that effective programs must use active educational and social support processes. We use experiential learning and hands-on activities as well as parental involvement.
Problem addressed
Young men came into court with no representation by men. Redmond was recovering from back surgery. His wife came home from church asking after speaking with a parent about an issue that her son was involved in. A youth was possibly going to be tried as an adult for beating up another kid with locks in a sock based on a previous argument and money owed him. Donahue, Hooks and Phinisee supported the kid in court. The judge remanded him into their care based on their mentoring capacity. They worked with him, enrolled him in an alternative school to get his GED (youngest kid to complete a GED at GA Tech), started community college, and enlisted in the Navy, where he completed a tour.
Mission
To provide life-changing experiences for participants and increase their exposure to career opportunities while reducing the number of youth being incarcerated
Vision
To lead and develop young mentees throughout Georgia into becoming strong, tenacious, empowered and educated leaders.
Leadership Team
Founders
- Oliver Hooks
- Thomas Faulk
- Phil Phinisee
- Melvin Hadley
- Dr. Steve Sutton
- Donahue Redmond
Mentors
- Shujuan Washington
- Lonnie Thigpen
- Dr. Steve Sutton
- Troy Jones
- Thomas Faulk
- Jerry Williams
- Tonya Cobb
- Joseph Adams
- Dana Lloyd
- Dwain Thompson
- Oliver Hooks
- Heath Smith
- Phil Ackerman
Biographies
Learn more about us below.
Oliver Hooks
Retired from Marta after thirty years of service. Founder of STEEL Mentoring Program for Boys. Member of Youth Against Violence, Rising Men Of Douglasville, Member of 100 Black Men, Foundational Transformation under Douglasville Police Chief Gary Sparks, CEO of Justice Advocate Restorative Services (Record Expungement for all fifty states), former President and Vice-President NAACP Douglasville Chapter, and now attending law school studying criminal justice.
Jerry W. Williams
Retired Administrator after over 35 years of service from The State/City of New York. An ordained Deacon by the National Baptist Association and a member of House of Hope WestPointe, Douglasville, Ga. Supporter of Party For A Purpose, a 501-c3, charitable organization, in Douglas County, Ga, and currently serves as Vice President.
Phillip Ackerman
Retired Store Manager from Publix Supermarkets after 24 years of service. Currently, a 5-year volleyball and basketball official for youth, adult, and college sports. 24-year member of Elizabeth Baptist Church, where I have serviced over 20 years on the Doorkeepers Ministry.
Donahue Redmond
Retired Director from AT&T after 37 years of service. Member of and Deacon at Elizabeth Baptist Church, Douglasville, GA location. Supporter of Douglasville’s Youth Against Violence Program, Rising Men Of Douglasville, and the Foundational Transformation of Life under Douglasville Police Chief Gary Sparks.
Heath Smith
Born in Thomasville, GA. and now resides with his wife in Powder Springs, GA. Joined the U.S. Army in 1986 and retired in 2008. Afterwards joined the Google Security Team in 2010 and retired in March 2024. Loves working with our youth and looks forward to helping them develop a bright future for themselves.
Dr. Thomas J. Faulk, Jr.
Doctor of Information Technology (Walden University), Blessed with experience in multiple industries for over 30 years: Legal, Insurance, Military, Defense Contract, Mass Media, and Financial. Military Career 27 years – (USAF – Retired Lt. Colonel) Air National Guard Reservist – Enlisted Career – Human Resources, Information Manager, and Paralegal – Transitioned to Officer – Operations Officer and Planning & Programming Officer (Executive/Staff Officer). Corporate experienced positions from Security Architect, Information Manager, and Vice President designing IT Security for Networks, Databases, Data Centers, Airframes, & Private Cloud.
Author: Mentoring for Future Kings & Queens, 31-Day Proverbs Huddle, and Dissertation: Senior Executives Strategic Edicts for Consistent Information Technology Metrics Over Assets.
Dr. Steven Sutton
Retired Non-Commissioned Officer of the United States Army. Currently serving as the First Administrative Bishop and Africa Missions liaison for the International Fellowship of Pastors, Churches, and Ministries. Pastor of Shiloh Temple Christian Church, Douglasville Georgia. Previously served on the Douglasville Taskforce Against Domestic Violence and the Board of Electors for Douglas County. Additional services include serving on the Faith and Non-profit Committee for the Georgia Black Republicans Council (GBRC).
Troy L. Jones
Currently Assistant Store Leader with the Kroger Corporation. I have been in Retail Management for 39 years running multi-million-dollar divisions for some of the top Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. I attend LinkedUp Church in Powder Springs; Founder of MIA (Man In Action), Founder Troy L. Jones Foundation, PTSA Board Member, Mentor Cobb County School District, Community Partner, Parent Volunteer, Member Equipped Men Of God, Member Steel Mentoring Program For Boys, and Author.
Tonya Cobb
Has a true zest for living life fully. With a degree in Mass Media Arts and major in Public Relations, she has worked in several positions stemming from sales, retail, client relations, and territory account management. Currently, she works in pharmaceutical sales with IBSA Pharma Inc. As a Servant Leader, she serves on L.A.S.H (Love, Act, Serve and Honor) Advisory Committee at Linked Up Church and the Communications Director with STEEL Mentoring Program For Boys. She lives in Marietta, GA with her husband, has 2 kids and one granddaughter.
Dana Lloyd
Retired United States Air Force 20yrs Logistics, Retired California Department of Corrections 28 yrs. Member Elizabeth Baptist Church, Mentor Chapel Hills High School, Douglas County High School Community Golf Coach, Partner Good Life Golf Concierge Services.