Our Staff

Get to know the diverse and professional staff that work at the Boys and Girls Club of Otero County.

Candace Helmick

C.E.0

Candace holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and has 8 years of experience in working in a corporate environment and 13 additional years of experience with non-profits such as BGCOC. Keeping a non-profit sustainable and thriving is a challenge that Candace enjoys tackling. It’s the positive impact it makes on her members of the club that keeps her focused and determined, much like, the impact it made on her own three children that attended and now work at BGCOC.

Elliott Ellinger

Program director

Elliott has worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Otero County since February of 2016 and knew right away that his passion was being a mentor to the youth in his community. He was born and raised in Tularosa and attended The Boys and Girls Club of Otero County throughout the majority of his youth. Like many of the other members that have poured their heart and soul over the years into BGCOC, Elliott has been amazed at what the organization has grown into. As the current Program Director, he is honored to work with such a unique, creative, and outstanding group of individuals.

Casandra Rohwer

Assistant Program director

Cassie has been with us since August 2019. She came to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Otero County after moving here when her husband got stationed at Holloman Air Force Base. Cassie has experience working with youth for 4 years and 3 years of that managing youth and staff. Cassie has a son who attends the Boys & Girls Clubs of Otero County since the 2019 school year. Cassie enjoys working with children and seeing them learn and grow every day. BGCOC is an important piece of our community and she enjoys being a part of something so special. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, enjoying the beautiful weather, and is currently going to school for a Bachelors Degree in Human Resource Management.

Mary Wilmott

School Based Site Director

Mary has been a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Otero County since 2005. as a teen, she was apart of our former Jr. Staff Program all the way until she transitioned into becoming a member of staff in 2016. As a Senior Youth Development Professional she coordinated the After-School Snack Program. Mary was promoted to School-Based Site Director in August of 2019, where she was responsible for overseeing our BGCOC site at Sierra Elementary. She enjoys cooking in her free time, and she was married in June of 2020. “My favorite part of working at the club is watching the members as they grow and mature from group one up to our teen members.”

Shawna Pratt

Director of Operations

Shawna has been with us since September of 2019. She came to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Otero County from the Deutsch school of Alamogordo where she had been a school bus driver for 15 years. Shawna enjoys working at BGCOC and has a passion for kids. Shawna thinks its especially important for the kids in Otero County to have a safe place to come to grow into productive adults. In her free time, she enjoys bowling and is a part of a local bowling league. She also enjoys sewing and is currently going to school for a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

Jazmin Vega

Front Desk

* Bio currently in the works

Tarah Anderson

Front Desk

Tarah started working with us in February of 2019

*bio is currently in the works

Tyler Helmick

Senior Youth Development Professional

Tyler has been a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Otero County since he was 6 years old. Since then, He has experienced the numerous programs the club has to offer, first-hand, such as the Learning Center, Smart Moves, and Triple Play. His experiences as a member have played a vital role as a Senior Youth Development Professional where he utilizes the skills learned over the years to create fun and engaging activities to interact with members and allow them to grow into capable and productive citizens. Tyler has just recently graduated from Alamogordo High School as of May 2019 and plans to attend NMSU to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering.