Maxwell Shockley is the Hope Center manager, where he leads a gifted and collaborative team. He aspires for all youth at O’Connell to feel heard, enjoyed, and accepted, while serving them with guidance, teaching, and care.

Maxwell earned a Bachelor in Economics from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has helped run youth ministries, explored stand-up comedy and puppetry, and completed master’s level coursework in spirituality and comedy. Maxwell has also worked in retail, founding a successful overstock furniture store emphasizing e-commerce and social media marketing.

In joining OCS Maxwell has returned to his focus on counseling and teaching, working to build an atmosphere of stability and joy for the Hope Center. Outside of work, Maxwell’s time is spent reading, drinking tea, taking care of his house, spending time with loved ones, and pursuing his interests in alternative therapy and positive psychology.

Jim Clark brings extensive real-world work experience to his position as the O’Connell Children’s Shelter outreach coordinator. With a successful background in leadership, sales, and marketing, Jim works to help our youth prepare for life after O’Connell, visualizing their life goals and plans for their future. He also coordinates our volunteer program, recruiting and supporting a robust network of community volunteers who mentor and coach our youth.

Jim’s can-do work attitude coupled with a thirst for finding solutions characterize both his professional career and his approach to life. This includes a passion for art in its many forms, from supporting O’Connell youth in their artistic pursuits to working with the Eva Reynolds Fine Art Gallery to grow their presence and sales.

Stevin Hays is the O’Connell House 2 manager. He finds that connecting with youth and seeing them grow and mature while at OCS is especially rewarding given that he grew up with a similar background. He comes to OCS with customer service and landscaping experience and EMT training.  

Important to Stevin are his family, friends, pets, and relationships. When not spending time with loved ones he enjoys enjoy physical activity/weight training, writing and producing music, and playing video games.  Plus—he’s diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan!

Lex Mapes is the house manager at Williams House, where he leads a dedicated team at the forefront of LGBTQ inclusive housing for youth in foster care. The primary goal of Williams House is to provide refuge from the discrimination and harassment that LGBTQ foster youth often face by celebrating, supporting, and centering their voices during their time in care.

While employed with OCS, Lex earned his Bachelor of Social Work at Washburn University. His passion for advocacy grew even stronger during his internship with the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project and later as a camp counselor for Kansas’ first ever LGBTQ+ youth leadership summit.

In his free time, he enjoys fostering for the Lawrence Humane Society and spending time outdoors with family and friends.