Kris Young
Kris’ love of cars started over 25 years ago when he bought his second car, a 1976 Ford Maverick Grabber. He learned to work on it himself, and was at the parts store so often that the cashier told him to get a job so that he could get the employee discount. Kris worked at the auto parts store for a while, then got a job as an entry level technician in a Mitsubishi dealership. While working in the dealership, Kris began attending Henry Ford College in Dearborn, MI. He then worked in a scrap yard. After the scrap yard, he was hired as a service technician in a Lincoln-Mercury-Volvo-Mazda dealership. Kris then went through the Ford ASSET Program at HFC. Graduating #1 in his class for both written test scores, as well as hands-on skill tests, he became a Ford Senior Master Technician in Gas and Diesel four months after graduating from HFC. Kris also became ASE Master Certified. Kris was approached by his former ASSET program instructor and invited to teach at HFC. He tried it out, found out that he really enjoyed it, and then in 2007 was hired full-time as an automotive instructor. In 2008 he earned his B.A.S. degree in Automotive Service from Siena Heights University. In 2014 Kris took over the Ford ASSET program, and has been training Ford and Lincoln dealership technicians for the last 10 years. Kris holds current ASE Certification in A1-A9, L1, L2, L3, G1, C1, P2, T2, and T6 in addition to his State of Michigan Master Mechanic’s license and his Senior Master Technician status with Ford Motor Company. In October of 2024, Ford Motor Company recognized Kris as the only ASSET instructor in the nation to hold Senior Master Technician status for 10 consecutive years.
Kris has wanted to find a car care-type ministry to be involved with for almost 20 years. Calvary Baptist Church in Canton, MI held a car care day for seniors and college students over 20 years ago, and it was awesome to be a part of. Before covid, Kris worked with another group – but they dissolved right before covid lockdowns began. After searching for something else and finding nothing, Kris and his wife Jill decided to start New Hope Automotive.
Kris and Jill live in Brighton, MI with their two sons Owen and Wyatt.
Jill Young
She attended Madonna University where she received her Bachelors of Science degree in Long Term Care Administration and certificates in Dementia Care and Nursing Home Administration.
After graduation Jill was an assistant manager of an Assisted Living Facility in Ypsilanti and quickly was promoted to manager at one of their sister properties in Westland. Jill truly loved her time there and cherished all of the time she was able to spend with the residents on a daily basis in addition to managing upwards of 40 employees.
Jill left the assisted living facility after the birth of her first child and worked from home for eleven years for TeamHealth, a physician practice which provides medical outsourcing to most of the United States. She loved this job and the ability to stay at home and raise her two young boys.
Jill has been married for over 20 years to Kris. She enjoys spending time with her family, golfing, playing pickleball, and relaxing outside.
Jill and Kris have been talking for years about how they can give back to the community. They have been praying about this and God has answered them to start New Hope Automotive. With Kris’ skillful knowledge about all things cars, and Jill’s ability to manage people, handle the finances and work with older adults, they feel confident in being able to provide low income individuals and families safe and reliable automotive repairs.
Jill is excited for this new journey and knows that giving back to the community and doing God’s work will be a blessing to everyone who receives their services.
Jon Myczka
A Michigan native, Jon currently resides in Brighton, MI, with his wife Kelly and their two sons. He works as a product manager in the digital finance and wealth management industry at Cetera Financial Group. In his spare time, he enjoys outdoor activities with friends and family, playing the guitar, and assorted household projects. Jon grew up helping his father maintain the family vehicles and still enjoys handling routine maintenance and “minimally invasive” car repairs. He is honored to serve on the New Hope Automotive board, helping those in need access affordable, high-quality car care
Michael Carroll
Michael was born and raised in Michigan and currently lives in Brighton with his wife, Danielle, and their four boys, two of whom are in college and two in high school. He has spent the last 23 years working at Toyota’s Research and Development Headquarters in Michigan, specializing in facility management, equipment installations, cost planning, and compliance. Michael is also a founding member of the Toyota R&D Christian Fellowship group. He looks forward to the amazing work that New Hope Automotive is embarking on and is excited to contribute to the success of the charity.
Brian Kazak
Brian Kazak, owner of Landforms, Inc. has lived in Livingston County for over 15 years and is proud to serve on the board of trustees for the local Salvation Army and New Hope Automotive. A graduate of Michigan State University, Brian is an experienced entrepreneur with a passion for building strong company culture and lasting client relationships. Outside of work, Brian enjoys spending time with his family and being outdoors, appreciating all Michigan offers.
Mark Garland
Mark fell into the automotive world early in life. As a teenager his father used to bring home old cars and make him completely disassemble them down to the last nut and bolt. As a young man he spent a lot of time on back roads with his father’s old 1979 F250 with the three-speed column shift. By 18 Mark built his first circle track race car and was working at the local dealership. In 1991 he was awarded second in the state by the VICA (Vocational Industry club of America) for automotive repair skills. In the same year he was awarded 5th in the AAA/Plymouth troubleshooting competition. Before the age of 20 he was an ASE master certified technician. Continuing to sharpen his skills he competed in circle track racing while pursuing a mechanical engineering degree. He went to work for Chrysler Corp helping to develop test procedures and learned data collection from strain gauges and accelerometer work. After 12 years there he followed his calling to open a repair shop of his own that he has run for the past 15 years. With many race car builds and off-road truck builds, Mark is a wealth of knowledge on many levels from automotive design, to repair, and construction. In his off time, Mark enjoys autocross and off-roading as well as volunteering with the Civil Air Patrol for search and rescue.