OUR STAFF

Brenda Long
Founder and Executive Director 

Brenda is a dedicated wife and caregiver. She is the mother of 3, step-mother of 3, second mom of an adult foster daughter, grandmother of 23, and great-grandmother of 3. Brenda is a native rural Iowa girl who has also lived in Texas, Kansas, and California before returning home to her roots. She was raised on a farm in central Iowa, sharing a house with her parents and 7 other siblings. Brenda now enjoys living in the wide-open spaces of rural Iowa with her husband Steve and their family pets —two Yorkie’s, and three horses. Brenda is an active member of Heartland Church and a former  local real estate agent, with over 17 years of service. In her spare time, Brenda enjoys reading and learning new things. Brenda’s history includes working with CASA for at-risk children, volunteer services with a safe home for young women at risk, and 13 years of foster parenting alongside her husband. She is a graduate of JSMI School of World Evangelism in Fort Worth, TX and has her ministry credentials with Heartland Alliance in Ankeny, IA.
"The belief that everyone is born on purpose for a purpose was the driving force behind my prayerful pursuit of the purpose of my own life. In late January 2015, I found my answer and started the journey of walking in my God-given, God-ordained destiny. Garden Gate Ranch was birthed out of that pursuit, combining an endless passion for God with a deep compassion for His people."

Lauren
Development Director 

Lauren is a devoted wife who grew up on a farm in Central Iowa. Due to her roots, she has always been an enthusiast for adventure. She finds great joy in the outdoors whether hiking trails, mountain climbing, playing sports, running, rock climbing or simply walking. Lauren enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time with loved ones, and reading good books. She attended Nebraska Christian College where she received her BA in student ministries. Her passion is freedom —seeing people defy odds and become what they desire to be in every aspect of life. As a certified Life Coach, Lauren assists others in attaining their goals and dreams. She currently holds 3 certifications: ROAD Certified Life Coach, Destiny By Design Certified Life Coach, and Lifeforming Certified Growth Coach. She appreciates the uniqueness of each individual, believing every person’s life story has the power to impact and change our world.

Brooke
Development Coordinator 

Brooke grew up in a family passionate about living out their faith, fighting injustice and serving others. God used volunteer opportunities and family missions trips to prick her heart with a desire to walk alongside those overcoming addiction, abuse and dysfunctional home lives. At 17 years old, Brooke began to pray that God would show her how He intended to use this heart He had formed in her. After praying that prayer for three weeks, God answered and directed Brooke to the issue of sex trafficking. From then on, God connected Brooke with incredible people, ministries, and opportunities in the fight against this issue. To this day, Brooke stands amazed and humbled by all that God has done in her life, as it surpasses anything she could have imagined. Brooke graduated from Bethel University with a BA in Psychology and is passionate about walking alongside others and training up leaders in Christ so that, together, we can set the captives free.

Colleen
​Bookkeeper 

Colleen is a dedicated wife, a wise mentor, and a lover of animals. She grew up in rural Iowa surrounded by her family, and now lives on an acreage with her husband and their many pets. After graduating from AIB with a business degree, Colleen began to climb the corporate ladder of the accounting world, attaining so high a status as second in command for a million dollar construction company. But her success was not satisfying, and after many interactions with a Christian coworker, Colleen finally found fulfillment in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The joy and healing that followed her conversion filled a void that no status or achievement ever could, and it fueled a desire to use her gifts for the service of God and others. In Jesus, Colleen found healing and restoration from past trauma, and she longs to see this same grace transform victims and perpetrators alike. Today, she lends her gifts to Garden Gate Ranch for the expansion of God’s Kingdom, and for the healing of all those He loves.

Aubrey
​Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Aubrey is a twenty-something creative from the suburbs of Des Moines. She grew up in a Christ-following family of 5 and now lives with her husband and dog in rural Iowa. After graduating from Dordt University with a degree in graphic design, Aubrey spent 8 months abroad in 4 different countries, immersed in Christian discipleship and anti-human trafficking training. Through her work with Garden Gate Ranch, she exercises her passions for art, justice, and restoration as the team’s Marketing & Communications Coordinator. Aubrey desires to see all people awaken to their God-given identity, knowing that freedom and joy are found in the wholeness of His love. She longs to see the Lord complete the work ascribed to Him in Isaiah 61 — that all would be set free.

Leah
​Direct Care Coach

Leah is a loyal wife and mother of two. Born and raised in Webster City, Iowa by a devoted mother, she grew up a middle child among two brothers. When she met the Lord in 2003, she began the journey of her own freedom. He has directed her path ever since and has worked all things for good, inviting her to follow Him as her Lord and Savior and promising that He would make her a fisher of men, according to Mark 1:17-18. Leah felt the Lord's call on her life, that she would help the hurting overcome the abuse of the world according to 1 Peter 4:4 and that she would do this by serving them according to Mark 10:45. Leah's desire as a Direct Care Coach is to love residents the way that Jesus loves them, and to help them see that they are created as Matthew puts it in Matthew 13:45: Pearls — God's most valuable and sought after treasure that needs no polishing or cutting by man. Each comes complete and luxuriously created by God. 

Rachel
​Direct Care Coach

Rachel is a wife, biological mother of 4, and honorary mother of 2. After graduating from Northwestern College with a degree in Christian Education and Psychology in 1988, she moved to inner-city NJ to work at Star of Hope Mission. Rachel married her husband in 1990 and, together, they moved to Wisconsin to work as houseparents and, later, managers of the group homes. This journey led them to owning their own treatment foster home for troubled teens. Later in life, after a trying seven months of continual hospital stays for their third child, Rachel and her husband felt they could not go back to "life as normal" again. Instead, they went into full-time ministry, relocating to the Des Moines area in 2013. Here, Rachel and two other women felt called to launch a strip-club ministry in order to reach the area's sexually exploited. Through this ministry, and subsequently learning more about sex trafficking, Rachel felt a strong pull toward doing more for Christ and for her sisters coming out of this horror.

Marcia
​Direct Care Coach

Marcia is happily married to her wonderful husband of 10 years, and together they have a large blended family of 9 children, 18 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Marcia loves to read, play with her dog and make jewelry that she sells at various craft and art shows. She graduated from Liberty University with a degree in criminal justice, and worked and volunteered at various shelters and nonprofits across Iowa before joining Garden Gate Ranch's care staff. Her passion and purpose has always been to assist and serve women who have survived domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Marcia looks forward to walking journeys of healing with the residents at Garden Gate Ranch and watching as God transforms their lives.

Mandee
​Direct Care Coach

Mandee and her husband have 4 children that share their last name, and many more that have shared their home through 13 years of foster care and acting as a host home for teen moms. She and her husband now raise their family on their homestead in small town, Iowa. They enjoy camping as a family and being active together. Mandee split her time growing up between rural Iowa and Taiwan, living at her grandparents' orphanage. Through life experiences, the Lord has placed a passion for hurting women on her heart, as He has shown her healing in her own life and in the lives of many birth mothers she has had the privilege of walking with. This passion led her to become a very active doula in the birth community, through which she has partnered with multiple organizations across the metro to serve pregnant women across the state. She desires to show women the grace and strength that God has given them, and to empower them with the knowledge that God designed them and their children with a purpose.   

Mary
​Direct Care Coach

Mary is a fun-loving, fifty-something wife and mom of two beautiful adult daughters. As the youngest of 4, she experienced life looking up to her siblings and parents, who taught her to live with compassion and in consideration of others. As a young girl, she came to know Christ and He began to give her a heart to meet the needs of the disregarded and hurting. Through the years, God has given her opportunities to do just that - providing care, wisdom, and resources in many contexts, from partnering with her husband in full-time youth ministry, to facilitating women’s groups, developing and leading Bible studies for adults, youth and children, and serving in non-profits such as Ruth Harbor and the Ronald McDonald House. Her life experiences have given her a great passion for those who have lived through the effects of trauma, addiction, and abuse. It is a joy for her to be part of the team at GGR, and her prayer is to serve with compassion and care in order to truly reflect the heart of Jesus.

Deb
​Direct Care Coach

Deb and her husband have been married for nearly 40 years. Deb grew up caring for her 8 siblings and always wanted a large family. After having her two biological children, she ran a daycare for 17 years in her home in order to stay home and raise her children. She was a Court Appointed Special Advocate and learned about foster parenting through that program. She and her husband then became foster parents, adopting 5 children and unofficially adopting 2 more, who then lived with them for many years. Deb was a facilitator for the Inner City Young Mom's group for several years with the Young Women's Resource Center until finding a home in rural Runnells. She was a preschool teacher for many years, and now runs 2 non-profits in her spare time: Healing Hearts With Horses and Horse Heaven Rescue. In her free time she loves the beach and anything outdoor or water related, especially kayaking.

Linda
​Direct Care Coach

Linda was raised by a single mother in the beautiful hills of Northern California along with 4 other siblings. She is a mother of 5 children and grandmother of 10. In her early twenties, she began to search for purpose and direction for her life. When God drew her to Himself, she was overwhelmed by His love and acceptance. Through her healing, she sensed the call of God from Isaiah 61:1-3, to bring healing, joy and purpose to the brokenhearted, and instill in each individual the knowledge that they have great value. This led her to love and challenge the incarcerated as a Chaplain and missionary, traveling to several countries. She has a passion to stand against injustice and help to stop the exploitation of women and children. She graduated from Shalom Bible College and Seminary with a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and a Masters degree in Nouthetic Counseling and is presently working on her Doctorate of Ministries.

OUR BOARD

Chuck M.
​Board Chair

Chuck has been married to his wife for over 50 years, and together they have a son, a daughter and seven grandchildren. He graduated from Drake University with a BA degree and graduated from REHMA bible training correspondence school. Presently, Chuck does business as CRM Sales, Inc. along with acting as Garden Gate Ranch's Board Chair. In 1976, he had an encounter with the Holy Spirit and he and his wife surrendered their lives to Jesus. He has been teaching Bible since 1978, with a speciality in Prophecy. Chuck met Garden Gate Ranch's founders over 15 years ago and they became great friends. When Brenda received and shared the vision for Garden Gate Ranch and its place in the fight against human trafficking, Chuck and his wife were immediately drafted into the vision. Chuck is both humbled and honored to participate in this ministry of the Lord's.

Colleen M.
​Board Member

Colleen is a dedicated wife, a wise mentor, and a lover of animals. She grew up in rural Iowa surrounded by her family, and now lives on an acreage with her husband and their many pets. After graduating from AIB with a business degree, Colleen began to climb the corporate ladder of the accounting world, attaining so high a status as second in command for a million dollar construction company. But her success was not satisfying, and after many interactions with a Christian coworker, Colleen finally found fulfillment in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The joy and healing that followed her conversion filled a void that no status or achievement ever could, and it fueled a desire to use her gifts for the service of God and others. In Jesus, Colleen found healing and restoration from past trauma, and she longs to see this same grace transform victims and perpetrators alike. Today, she lends her gifts to Garden Gate Ranch for the expansion of God’s Kingdom, and for the healing of all those He loves.

Terry J.
​Board Member

Terry is retired and living in Ankeny with his wife of 35 years. They have 4 daughters, 8 grandchildren, and one great-grandson. Terry attended Mason City Junior College and Buena Vista University, and has an Associate Degree in Christian Literature from Shalom University. After college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and spent time in Vietnam. Upon discharge from the Army, Terry worked in Iowa as a Police Officer and Deputy Sheriff. He has a diverse work history in the fields of insurance and investment, sales and communication, and motel and store management. Terry became a Christian at the age of 38. Because of his personal transformation, he knows that God can work wonders with anyone who dedicates their life to Him, no matter their situation or background. This understanding fuels his desire to be involved with Garden Gate Ranch. Terry knows that it is God's desire to restore abundantly to GGR's residents the years that have been stolen from them. He is greatly honored to be a part of the integrity and mission of Garden Gate Ranch.

Barb R.
​Board Member

Barb is a committed wife, mother, and encourager. She grew up in rural Iowa, graduating from UNI with a degree in secondary education, and later earning a Master's in adult learning and performance from Drake. For over 23 years, Barb channeled her education and expertise into training employees and leaders in the companies for which she worked, one of which was a Fortune 500 financial services company headquartered in Des Moines. While Barb appeared to have achieved the American dream of success, she found herself more and more unsatisfied. On a missions trip in 2017, she finally realized what she was missing: the joy of deep, authentic connections, beginning with a connection to her full identity in Christ. Barb's journey led her to pursue a second career as a faith-based life coach. With God directing her, she stepped out in faith in March of 2020, leaving her corporate job to pursue full-time life coaching. Barb looks forward to sharing her services and wisdom with GGR's residents and staff, inviting them to find joy in their own courageous journeys. 

Chad R.
​Board Member

Chad is a dedicated husband and a supportive father of a teenage boy. He grew up in Southwest Iowa, then matriculated at the University of Northern Iowa where he received a BA in Leisure Services with an emphasis in travel and tourism. He and his wife met at UNI and have been married for 20 years. Chad grew up in a secular household, not being taught about Jesus. When he found out that he and his wife were expecting their son, Chad accepted Christ and continues to grow with Him daily. Chad has worked in sales for 22 years at a local distribution company and enjoys building relationships and getting to know his customers. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching sports (especially football), watching movies (particularly Star Wars or Marvel movies), and grilling and smoking different types of meats. Like many, Chad was not aware of how widespread human trafficking is, even in Central Iowa, and he now continues to raise awareness of this crime.
Honorary Board Members
​Mike H.
​Steve L.
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