True Freedom Ministries is an evangelical, non-profit organization dedicated to reaching people locked in jails and prisons, the homeless, and those trapped in addiction across Ohio with the message of the true freedom found only in Jesus Christ.
Staff
Michael Swiger
Michael serves as our Executive Director. While a student at Case Western Reserve University, Michael was convicted as an accomplice to a crime his older brother committed and ended up serving 17 years for involuntary manslaughter. While incarcerated Michael earned two Associates Degrees with went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Michael also has a degree in theology from the Reformed Theological Seminary. Michael has authored five books, three of which appeared on Amazon.com's best seller list. For more information go to www.MichaelSwiger.com.
David Wessel
David Wessel serves as our Director of Operations and Development. David has 11 years of administrative experience. He is the former principal of Nordonia Middle School and Chagrin Falls Middle School. David graduated from the College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA) with a BA in government. He later received his Master’s degree in Administration from Ursuline College. David is looking forward to helping find partners and resources to grow True Freedom throughout the state of Ohio.
Jessica McCamon
Jessica McCamon serves as our Director of Staff and Ministries and Pastor of Women’s Ministries. Jessica is a graduate of Liberty University with a degree in Christian Counseling. Jessica serves her church Fellowship City Church in a variety of areas. Jessica has and does serve in Ethiopia as a missionary introducing emotional growth programs for orphans and widows. Jessica’s greatest joy and blessing is her walk with Jesus and the family He has blessed her with.
Rev. Dr. Jimmie D. Smith, Ph.D
Jimmie is a Pastor, Teacher, and Chaplain. He serves the Lake Galilee Baptist Church as Pastor/Teacher. He also serves as Juvenile Chaplain in Cuyahoga County. He also retired from the Cleveland Public Library, after 33 years of service. He was a Library Assistant for the Library. Studied at Baptist Bible Institute, Moody Bible Institute, Luther Rice Seminary, and Newburgh Theological Seminary. Married, with three children, and two grand children.
Mark Stradiot
Mark is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with 30 years of ministry experience. Mark preaches each Wednesday morning at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center. He is also part of the study group that meets weekly at Grafton Correctional. Mark travels each Thursday to the Juvenile Detention Home to ministry. Also on Thursday evenings, Mark leads the evening Reformers Unanimous program at the True Freedom Ministries home office in Cleveland.
David Hill
David Hill serves as a Chaplain of Men’s Ministries for True Freedom Ministries. David has experience in drug addiction recovery programs and has a passion for using his story to evangelize for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Lintashia Marshall
Bill Holko
Bill Holko serves as a part-time staff member for True Freedom. A graduate of Miami University (B.S. in Secondary Education) and the University of Akron (M.S. in Secondary School Administration), he served as principal of Akron Buchtel and Firestone High schools, and well as Revere High School in Bath-Richfield. His primary focus for True Freedom is ministering through classes and Bible Studies in the Grafton Reintegration Center, Grafton Correctional Institution, and the Lorain Correctional Institution. Additionally, he serves in a mentoring capacity for the men at Grafton Correctional.
David Sudnick
I came to faith in Christ as Savior and Lord in 1975. Prior to my retirement in 1999, I did some volunteering with various homeless ministries. After my retirement, I had more time for homeless ministry. In 2011 I met Mike Swiger at the annual banquet. I asked Mike “What can I do to help?” In early 2012 our clothing room, the “Slack Shack”, opened its doors. The clothing room is there to help those who are reentering society from prison. We provide some encouragement, shoes, clothing and personal hygiene items. Since the opening, I have been responsible for managing the clothing room. I work with our community partners and individual clothing donors. I support the homeless ministry by providing shoes, clothing and personal hygiene items.
Anna Bryniarski
Anna is our office administrator. She received a Bachelors of Science in Speech, Hearing, and Language Disorders from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2017.
Sandy Pocisk
Sandy serves as our Homeless Ministry Coordinator. She started with her husband in 1994 a homeless ministry and has served faithfully every Saturday distributing food and clothing to men and women in downtown Cleveland.
True Freedom Ministries Board Members
This Board of Directors, in submission to God’s leading, is dedicated to setting a vision for this ministry, providing guidance to our staff to achieve that vision, and equipping them with the resources needed to fulfill this vision. Our focus is on reaching persons behind prison bars, those subject to various addictions, and those trapped in homeless with the life-giving hope of Jesus Christ.
Chris Bryniarski
Chris is the Vice President of Operations at Prestan Products LLC, a premier fabricator and supplier of medical devices. Chris has an Masters of Business Administration from Cleveland State University. He also holds a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. Chris' undergraduate Zoology degree is from The Ohio State University.
Richard Gibson
Richard is the Senior Pastor Elizabeth Baptist Church. In 1919, Elizabeth Baptist Church was founded. In July 2003, Pastor Richard Gibson became pastor of this wonderful church. Under Pastor Gibson's leadership, the church has experienced a revitalization. Pastor Gibson introduced many new ministries, including: Praise Team, Prayer Circle, Dance Ministry, Video Ministry and Prison Ministry. Also, the Church, under Pastor Gibson's leadership, relocated to a beautiful new church and campus at East 55th Street and Francis Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio.
Dr. Reuben Gobezie
Dr. Gobezie is the Division Chief, Shoulder & Elbow Surgery, UH Case Medical Center, and also serves as Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Assistant Professor, The Case Center for Proteomics & Mass Spectrometry. Reuben earned is B.A. at Johns HopkinsUniversity then studies Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He did his Surgery Internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital then his combined Orthopaedic Residency and Shoulder Fellowhip at Harvard.
Jon Lawrence
Jon began his career as a Financial Advisor at E.F. Hutton in 1987 in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. During his tenure with successor firms, he steadily grew into leadership roles beginning in 1992 and culminating in 2009 as Director of Northeast Ohio for all Morgan Stanley operations and member of the Firm’s National Branch Manager Council. Jon then spent 5½ years leading Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in Northeast Ohio, where he oversaw 13 offices, 300 employees and $25 billion in client assets before returning to Morgan Stanley.
Jon earned his Bachelor’s degree in Finance from University of Dayton.
Jon and his wife, Melanie, have been married since 1990. They reside in Chagrin Falls and have two daughters, Danielle and Erika. Outside of work, Jon enjoys golf, tennis, running and travel. In addition to serving on the board at True Freedom, Jon is involved with Parkside Church.
Kimberly Smith Rivera
Partner with McGlinchey Stafford PLLC, Kimberly specializes in litigation, primarily in the areas of consumer finance and employment law. Kimberly graduated summa cum laude from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana in 1988 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in communication studies. She went on to graduate cum laude with a Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Kim has received the William H. Wallace Award for Excellence in Litigation, and the American Trial Lawyer's Academy Award for Outstanding Trial Advocacy.
Frank T. Sinito
Frank is the President and CEO of Millennia Housing Companies and American Preservation Builders. Frank’s experience is widespread, including acquiring, managing, developing and constructing affordable housing projects, and general contracting for conventional and subsidized housing as well as commercial properties. Frank is a member of the Northeast Ohio Apartment Association and the Midwest Affordable Housing Management Association. Frank is active in several Christian Ministries and is Chairman of True Freedom Ministries. He has a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Finance from Cleveland State University.
