Kim Jefferies is the founding CEO for Campus for Hope foundation in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kim is a dedicated nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of experience, most recently serving as CEO of Haven for Hope for 3 and a half years. Under her leadership, Haven achieved notable milestones, including being named Nonprofit of the Year (2023), attaining Trauma-Informed Care certification, opening Couple’s Rooms, a Living Room crisis intervention program, and specialty programming and beds for young adults in addition to securing significant funding, and publishing Haven’s model in the Community Mental Health journal.
Our Leadership
Kim Jefferies
CEO
Kim Jefferies is the founding CEO for Campus for Hope foundation in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kim is a dedicated nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of experience, most recently serving as CEO of Haven for Hope for 3 and a half years. Under her leadership, Haven achieved notable milestones, including being named Nonprofit of the Year (2023), attaining Trauma-Informed Care certification, opening Couple’s Rooms, a Living Room crisis intervention program, and specialty programming and beds for young adults in addition to securing significant funding, and publishing Haven’s model in the Community Mental Health journal. Haven also earned recognition as a Top Workplace (2023 & 2024) and achieved record client outcomes while operating over capacity. Previously, Kim led Brighton Center as CEO for over 15 years, fostering substantial growth and earning numerous accolades. A respected community leader, Kim has held roles with The Nonprofit Council, United Way, and Autism Lifeline Links, among others. She has received prestigious honors, including San Antonio Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 (2012), Woman of Impact (2020), and Top CEO (2021). In 2024, she was recognized as a Pillar for Citizenship and will be inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in May of 2025.
Kim holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, an M.S. in Nonprofit Leadership, and an Executive Certificate from Harvard’s Kennedy School. Certified in Balanced Scorecard, she has also contributed to global missions, assessing education for children with disabilities in Malawi. Kim and her husband, Cory, have two accomplished daughters and enjoy outdoor activities, from hiking to gardening, alongside family adventures in nature.
Aja Leija
Chief of Staff
Community-Centered Leader in Non-Profit Operations and Client Advocacy
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Aja Leija is a dedicated non-profit professional with a strong passion for serving her community through operational excellence and client-centered initiatives. With many years in the non-profit sector, Aja has built a career around ensuring that systems work not only efficiently, but equitably—always putting the client experience at the forefront.
Aja’s career began at the San Antonio Food Bank, where she managed a major statewide contract with the Texas Department of Agriculture, delivering essential nutrition to hundreds of thousands of students across South and West Texas. Later, as part of the Compliance and Capability team, Aja worked directly with over 250 partner agencies to ensure adherence to USDA, TDA, and Feeding America guidelines. She played a key role in upholding food safety standards and addressing client grievances—ensuring that respect, fairness, and dignity were central to every food distribution interaction.
At Haven for Hope, San Antonio’s largest comprehensive homelessness service provider, Aja served as Executive Project Manager, where she was instrumental in implementing organization-wide initiatives to elevate the client experience. She spearheaded client feedback systems to ensure services were responsive to the real needs of individuals and families. Her role also involved supporting capital improvement projects and strategic organizational efforts, ensuring Haven’s programs, operations, and facilities aligned with service goals and measurable outcomes.
Penny Serna
MBA
Controller
Penny Serna is a mission-driven financial executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in accounting and strategic financial planning. Prior to joining Campus for Hope, Penny served as Chief Financial Officer for The Caritas Corp., a nonprofit dedicated to low-income housing. She led the integration of over 34 acquired properties into standardized financial systems, managed a multimillion-dollar revenue portfolio, and implemented financial strategies supporting bond financing for over $400 million in assets.
Penny’s approach is both strategic and human-centered—leveraging technology and process improvements while always keeping the mission in sight. She is especially passionate about serving organizations that provide shelter, education, and support for those in crisis.
Penny holds an MBA in Accounting and Business Administration. Today, she combines her extensive financial background and desire to build high-tech systems that are not only efficient—but also innovative. She is passionate about applying her financial expertise to build transparent, efficient, and mission-aligned financial operations that support equity and long-term impact.
Dr. Albert D. Chavez Jr.
, EdD, EdS, CFLE, CTRLC
Chief Program Officer
Dr. Albert D. Chavez Jr. is the Chief Program Officer (CPO) for Campus for Hope in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Chavez has spent the past 25+ years working in the realm of social services. Throughout his career, he has had the honor of serving nearly every population one can serve, from infants to 18-year-olds in emergency shelters for children and group homes for adolescents, to the chronically addicted, those who suffer from mental illness, and those who find themselves without a place to call home or who are at risk of becoming homeless, as well as the aging population and those who suffer from Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Dr. Chavez has dedicated his career and life to the helping field, building, developing, and facilitating life-changing programs and services. Prior to Campus for Hope, Dr. Chavez served as the Chief of Performance and Impact at Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. For 10 years, he oversaw all residential services, including campus education and training, emergency shelter, housing navigation, client services, coordination, and case management services. Through his work at CCSN, he was able to build and implement instrumental programs such as the Renewing Hope Program, the Designated Bed Program, and a housing-first, low-barrier, trauma informed, person centered, emergency shelter program.
Dr. Chavez is a United States Army veteran. He has an Associate of Arts degree in Ministerial Studies, a Bachelor's degree in Family Studies, a Master of Education degree in Counseling, a doctoral-level postgraduate degree in Educational Leadership/Education Specialist, a postgraduate degree in Religious Studies with distinction, and a postgraduate degree in Christian Counseling with high distinction. He also holds a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership Administration. Dr. Chavez has a postgraduate certificate in Advanced Clinical Dementia Practice. He is a Certified Trauma and Resilience Life Coach, a Certified Family Life Educator, and has certifications in Trauma Studies, Clinical Trauma, Addiction-Informed Mental Health, Compassion Fatigue, Dementia Care Specialist, and Behavioral Management Training. Dr. Chavez is also an author and has presented educational sessions at conferences both locally and nationally.
Ben Brooks Jr.
Vice President of Community Engagement & Partnerships
Ben Brooks Jr. serves as Vice President of Community Engagement & Partnerships at Campus for Hope, where he leads stakeholder engagement, partnership development, and system integration across regional networks. His work ensures that collaboration remains at the heart of Campus for Hope’s mission, uniting public, private, and nonprofit partners to build a trauma-informed, dignity-centered community.
Before joining Campus for Hope, Ben served as CEO of Pay It Forward SA in San Antonio, where he transformed his own journey of recovery into a lifelong commitment to helping others rebuild their lives. Rising from a program resident to the organization’s leader, Ben exemplifies empathy, resilience, and the power of second chances.
At Campus for Hope, Ben oversees key areas including partner engagement and policy alignment, the partner RFP process, and integration with adjacent systems such as managed care organizations and law enforcement. His heart for service and proven leadership makes him an invaluable part of the team working to build a campus, and a community, of hope.
