Mr. Rodney Johnson, Executive Director/Coach: Mr. Johnson, a co-founder of Exodus, brings great depth and range of experience to bear on the program. In the 20 years since his successful student/athlete career at the University of New Hampshire, Mr. Johnson has been an entrepreneur; a child care social worker for the Salvation Army; a foster care specialist at St. Christopher Ottilie, a 100-year-old child service provider; Director for the Rod Strickland and Tiny Archibald Summer League- New York City’s top-rated summer basketball league; and an executive at Young Athletes Inc. At Exodus, he draws heavily on his 16 years of experience in coaching youth basketball, and his experience in youth care and counseling allows him to ensure that Exodus services go beyond that of athletic skills and focus equally on academic and personal development.

Mr. Johnson is responsible for basketball coaching and the coordination of program elements including academic sessions, counseling sessions, classes, career development activities and job placement; transportation and trip planning; further fundraising and programmatic development; tutoring activities to provide the full range of service to participants; and maintenance of a clearinghouse of services and referrals to supportive services. Utilizing his personal network of college admissions officers and his experience as a talent manager, Mr. Johnson takes a proactive role in the school admissions processes of Exodus participants.

Mr. Apache Paschall, Coach and Co-Founder: Exodus co-founder Apache Paschall has dedicated himself to providing youth services since his time as a student/athlete at Black Hill State University. Upon leaving Black Hill State, Mr. Paschall has served as a youth counselor at the William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Equality; as a basketball coach and youth counselor working with troubled teens both at the Aim High Foundation and at Basketball City Youth Leagues; worked as an afterschool activity coordinator for Highroach Beacon Junior High School; ran a youth development program at the Community League of the Heights; and most recently served as the Varsity Coach for basketball and volleyball at St. Michael’s Academy for Girls, one of the most renowned girls athletic programs in the city. Mr. Paschall is responsible for basketball coaching as well as educational and personal counseling. Mr. Paschal oversees Exodus competition, practice, and technical support teams; coordinates team competitions; serves as a school admission and placement advocate and liaison; and monitors participant’s progress once they enter their respective schools. In addition, Mr. Paschall coordinates the delivery of homework assistance; academic tutoring and SAT prep courses.

Ms. Lauren Best - Girls Basketball Operations Director - Education Consultant – Head Coach. Ms. Best a former player and the first player from Exodus gilrs to become a coach is the go to person and manages Exodus nationally ranked Student/Athlete girls based program, catering to youth ages 8 through 18. She is responsible for national travel planning, team budget appropriations, fundraising and events management. while identifing educational opportunities and scholarships for members to attend various private junior high schools, high schools and colleges. she also assist members with navigating the college recruiting process. Monitor mentoring program for troubled youth. Managing our outreach-networking program with community based lecturing. while obtaining summer employment opportunities for participants.

Mr. Gregory Brown, Exodus Florida - Director: A two times All-City and State basketball player at The Collegiate School in New York City, Mr. Brown has been involved in youth basketball development since his High School days where he was a camp counselor at the Larry Byrnes Basketball Clinic and counselor at the Manhattan College Basketball camp. While attending St. Francis Xavier University and Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Mr. Brown would spend his summers as a counselor at Archbishop Molloy Coach Jack Curran’s Basketball Camp as well as the Eastern Invitational Basketball Camp. After college, he was one of the coordinators for the NYPD Law Enforcement Basketball League; served as Gym Director at the Boys and Girls Club of Jersey City; and helped coordinate and coach boy’s and men’s teams for the Upstate Basketball AAU program based in Syracuse, New York. Mr. Brown has also spent time in Europe scouting and managing professional basketball players while developing relationships with European youth basketball programs interested in sending student-athletes to school in the United States.

Mr. Brown has the task of developing the Exodus Florida program in the image of the New York program. Working closely with Executive Director Rodney Johnson, he will be seeking talent in the coaching, academic, and life skills areas. Obtaining facilities for both the athletic and educational facets of the program are also a priority.

Ms. Abby Ward, Exodus Florida, Boys Director of Basketball Operations - Head Coach: One of the top basketball coaches in the state of Florida, Abby Ward has numerous championships to her credit with boys and girls youth teams. Coaching AAU boy’s teams since 1999, she has won five AAU state championships and one YBOA national championship. Coaching girls from 1985-1999 she has won two AAU national championships with the Lady Player/ Hollywood Eagles. Ms. Ward’s crowning coaching achievement is her thirteen year stint as coach of the South Broward High School girl’s basketball team. She won a total of five State Championships including a stretch where her team won three state titles in a row. During that time she was named basketball coach of the year two times by the Miami Herald and three times by the South Florida Sun Sentinel newspapers. In 2002 Ms. Ward was named coach of the year not just for basketball, but for All-Sports in Broward County. All of this has been achieved while earning a BA from Florida Memorial University and a Masters of Arts in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix. She is a volunteer coach at the Five Star Basketball Camp as well as the All American Basketball Camp, under director Marty Seidlin. She has also been sight director for the Miami Heat Camp, working with camp director Tony Fiorentino, the former Miami Heat assistant coach and former head coach at Mount Vernon High School in New York. She is currently the Boys Basketball coach at South Broward High School and will be the head basketball coach for the summer travel program, as well as an academic advisor and tutor.

Mr. Lorenzo Williams, Exodus Florida, Travel Team Coach-Trainer: After attending Polk Community College and Stetson University in Florida, Williams enjoyed an eight year career in the NBA with stops in Boston, Orlando, Charlotte, Dallas, and Washington. After an injury cut his playing career short, Williams has carved a niche for himself traveling the country coaching big men on the fundamentals of post play. Williams will be instrumental in helping all Exodus players develop their skills and mental approach to the game, preparing them for the next level of competition, no matter what that may be for each student athlete.