Meet our staff
Get to know our team here, and say hey to us on Sundays - we'd love to meet you!
Brad Blakeley
Lead Pastor
Brad Blakeley grew up in Henderson, NV. After receiving his B.S. in Social Science, he began teaching at Lake Mead Christian Academy in 1998. In 2004, he joined the Church at Lake Mead’s launch team and maintained a teaching role in both the school and church. In 2010, Brad earned an M.A. in Christian Apologetics at Biola University. His favorite teaching topic is the resurrection of Jesus. In 2019, Brad transitioned out of the Academy and now serves as the Lead Pastor of the church. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities, spending time with his wife and daughters, and studying. He’s currently in a doctoral program at Northern Seminary. Brad’s favorite drink is a vanilla iced coffee from Starbucks.
Jaimee Thomason
Executive Pastor
The Lord has allowed Jaimee to spend a large portion of her life as part of LMCM. The ministry played a huge role in shaping her into the person she is today. After Jaimee graduated from LMCA, she went on to get her Bachelors's degree in both Theology and Elementary Education.
With over 20 years of ministry experience, and over half of those being directly involved with children, Jaimee is passionate about creating opportunities for the next generation to experience Jesus!
Jaimee lives here in Henderson with her amazing husband Matt, and two beautiful daughters, Emma and Mikaila. In her free time, she enjoys working out, being present with her family, and anything related to the beach. Her favorite drink is a decaf americano with almond milk or heavy cream.
Evan Hartsell
Community Pastor
Cris Cockrell
Youth Pastor
Cris is a Vegas valley native and one of our very own, a graduate of Lake Mead Christian Academy. Cris attended Biola University for his undergrad, receiving a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies.
He leads our LM Students team at the church and is called to spread the gospel through preaching, film, and world missions.
In his free time, Cris loves playing sports, especially basketball, eating sushi, and making movies.
Tyler Graham
Next Gen Pastor
Tyler and his wife Amanda felt God calling them in January of 2021 to come back to Henderson to be a part of His mission here in this area of the city. They spent the previous three years in North Carolina where Tyler worked on his Master of Divinity degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Tyler has a B.S. degree in Business Management and also has experience with selling real estate. He is particularly excited about church planting in the near future. However, he and Amanda are committed to simply following Jesus as He leads one step at a time. They are thankful for the friendships they have developed with the young adults at the CALM and are excited for all God will do in and through the group! Say hello to Tyler, Amanda, and their little boy, Kaden, when you see them on Sunday mornings. They would love to meet you (especially if you are a young adult)!
Carolina Apodaca
Worship Leader
Carolina has been the worship leader at Lake Mead for the past two and a half years. She grew up singing alongside her parents in the church and in every family gathering she can remember. Having a musical family definitely played an important role in her life. As she grew older, Carolina and her family moved from California to Chihuahua, Mexico, where she began leading worship in their local church at the age of fifteen. The church musicians started to leave town looking for job opportunities, so she and a few friends took matters into their own hands, learning to play themselves in order to lead the church in worship. Carolina found herself learning to play guitar in the secret of her room after asking her dad, grandfather, uncles, and aunt to teach her different chords (no YouTube tutorials back in the day!).
Fast forward 25 years, she has led worship everywhere, from small churches to a church of several thousand members. Carolina is passionate about leading the church to encounter God through worship. She leads the team at Lake Mead every weekend and occasionally leads for chapel in the High School campus where she also teaches Spanish.
In her free time, she enjoys watching a good movie, learning to play a new instrument, and creating music.
Alicia Samuolis
Pastoral Assistant
Alicia is a native of Nevada, born and raised here in Las Vegas. She married her high school sweetheart Michael, and together they have two boys, Lucas and Wesley. Their boys have attended LMCA since kindergarten, and that’s when she started working for the ministry in 2014. She has worked in various positions on the school side and had the opportunity to join the church team in 2019. She is the Pastoral Assistant and has the important task of keeping the pastors and church staff running by handling all the administrative tasks. She is passionate about this ministry and loves helping others. She is so honored to work with a team of people who are all in for Jesus!
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, finding fun new breakfast places or coffee shops to visit, and shopping. Her favorite drink is a sugar-free vanilla latte.
Tina Carrillo
Community Care Coordinator
Tina and her husband, Anthony, have lived in Henderson for just over 18 years. She has a son, 14 years old, in 9th grade, and a daughter, 12 years old, in 7th grade. She is a true Nevadan from Carson City.
Tina’s children have gone to Lake Mead Christian Academy since Early Education; she absolutely loves their school and ministry. She volunteered for the church on the care team for over 2 years, which led her into a position at the ministry as the Care Team Coordinator. Her position is to help care for families through any events that may arise, be it a time of celebration or a time of need. She also helps with sharing prayer requests or praying over requests. Tina loves that her job connects her with people in various stages of life who need encouragement or care.
In her free time, Tina loves to spend time with her husband and kids camping, baking or doing projects around the house. Her favorite drinks are Coke Zero, Diet Mountain Dew, and coffee.
Michelle Blakeley
Wellness Center Director
Michelle is passionate about living out her life’s mission - “to teach, counsel, and lead people to navigate life, follow Jesus, and find the best version of themselves.”
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Michelle has lived in the Las Vegas Valley for the past thirty years. She currently serves as the Director of Counseling at Lake Mead Christian Academy and the Clinical Director of the Lake Mead Wellness Center where she sees clients on a regular basis. In her position as Director of Counseling, Michelle has the unique opportunity to not only guide people academically at the Academy, but spiritually, emotionally, and socially as well.
Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts in Post-Secondary Workforce Education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and spent many years in the classroom before finding passion in full-time counseling. She then received her Master's degree in Human Services from Liberty University, Clinical Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University, and Marriage and Family Therapy from Lincoln Christian University.
Michelle and Brad are busy raising their beautiful family: a type 7, fourteen-year-old first-born and ten-year-old twin girls. There isn’t a day that goes by that you won’t see her with a sugar-free iced coffee with cream. Whenever there is a spare moment in life, she is reading a nonfiction book and booking her next travel venture for the family!