Staff
Joe Newell
Joe is in his eleventh year with Chi Alpha. He currently directs XA along with his wife Mishael. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College (History), earning his ordination through Global University and the Assemblies of God. He and Mishael met as single missionaries in Costa Rica in 1996 and celebrated their 23rd anniversary in March. They have two children — Josiah (17) and Elijah (12). Joe loves sports — especially the Cubs — as well as history and art.
Mishael Newell
Mishael is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. She and her husband Joe direct Chi Alpha at UNC. They met as single missionaries in Costa Rica and were married in 1998. Prior to coming to UNC in 2011 Mishael served overseas as a missionary for 21 years, ministering in more than 40 countries around the world. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, she loves hot weather, saving money, and leading students in missions. She and Joe have two sons: Josiah (17) and Elijah (12).
David Lao
David Lao has been involved with Chi Alpha as a staff since Fall 2014 and has recently completed Chi Alpha’s Campus Missionary In-Training (CMIT) internship at NC State for the 2017-2018 school year. David is originally from Albemarle, NC, a small city close to Charlotte. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2012 with a BA in Math, and to this day people still ask him how exams are going. David loves to hear testimonies that demonstrates God’s love, and he looks forward to seeing more people experience God’s presence and come to know Christ as Lord and Savior. He loves to eat and values a fit lifestyle. He has a way of making other people laugh, or at least finds himself the source of laughter. He also enjoys playing Nintendo video games and watching anime.
Seth Collins
Seth grew up in the rural mountains of southwest VA. He studied Business Administration at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise and graduated with a degree in 2007. He went to work in the marketplace afterward for 5 years before giving that up to pursue full-time ministry with Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship.\ \ Seth completed his internship with Chi Alpha at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 2013 and served on staff for 2 years. During those 2 years, he also served as Chi Alpha Interim Director at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.\ \ In 2014, Seth and Brooke got married and both continued serving simultaneously at UVA and VCU. In 2015, both Seth and Brooke moved to New Haven to help pioneer Chi Alpha at Yale University. In June 2018, Seth and Brooke moved to Chapel Hill to work with Chi Alpha at UNC.
Brooke Collins
Brooke was born and raised in the plains of Kansas and will always have a soft spot for the Sunflower State. She attended Central Bible College (now Evangel University) and earned a B.A. in Preaching and Evangelism. Which means she loves public speaking and finding ways to help people connect with God. She has worked with Chi Alpha at Georgetown University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Yale University prior to coming to UNC-Chapel Hill.\ \ Somewhere along the way she met Seth and they got married in 2014. Most of their major relationship milestones have occurred at Chi Alpha events. You should ask her about how they met. Brooke loves watching movies and reading Wonder Woman comic books. She’s also a big baseball fan. One of her life goals is to see a game at every MLB ballpark.
