ACTIVE MENTORS
This page shows all current Co-Serve mentors actively available for participation in Co-Serve’s Mentor Program.
This page is used for updating mentor bios and photos for mentors who are available for participation in current or future Co-Serve Mentor Programs. Mentors can send an email at any time to Dan Ballast at [email protected] to update their bio or photo.
Haroun Harry Audu
I have academic and professional qualifications in Communications, Development Studies, Management, Law and Theology. My professional work experiences in the past 30 years plus, have been characterized by an active, direct involvement in Advertising, Public Relations, and Public Affairs Analysis. I have also been practicing Law and, I have served in several fora as a Development Consultant in the local and international civil society space. I continue to have on-going Advocacy preoccupation across several allied practice areas. I am married to Marie, a “Home Engineer”, and together, we have two daughters.
Dan Ballast
Dan has helped to develop international higher education as vice-president of the Kazakh-American Free University in Kazakhstan since the university’s creation in 1994. He lives with his family in the Philippines, where he is part of the community at Shepherd’s Home of Servant Leadership. As a member of Co-Serve’s Leadership Team, Dan helps to direct Co-Serve’s programs around the world.
Alex Babiniec
My name is Alex Babiniec and I am so glad that you are a part of this program and I would like to share about who I am and how I became a mentor. I was born in Denver Colorado and I have spent over 20 years in the mortgage industry helping clients find the financing needed to purchase a home or to help clients get into a better financial position with their current mortgage. I love the outdoors and adventure! I enjoy hiking, rock climbing, playing basketball, and spending time with friends. Most of all, I enjoy helping others to accomplish their goals and dreams in their lives. During my mortgage career, I had the opportunity to manage mortgage offices and teams where I supported others through training and helping them accomplish their goals. After experiencing much adversity, trauma, and loss in my life I believe that I am called to walk with the hurting and broken and share the comfort with others that I myself received. I have learned that adversity is a powerful tool that shapes us into the person we were created to be. I enjoy being a blessing to others by listening to their needs and coming alongside them to support them in their lives. I had the opportunity to serve during a Co-serve servant leadership academy in Colorado this summer. As the students shared their life stories it broke my heart to hear what they have been through, are currently going through, and are expected to continue to go through in their lives. The academy is only about two weeks long and I wanted to continue to serve. As I was asking questions about Kazakhstan and considering a visit, I was invited to serve at Kazak American Free University where I taught personal finance and conversational English. This experience reignited my love for teaching and pouring into the lives of others. I will definitely be going back to serve in Kazakhstan and I’m excited to be a support during this program also.
Eric Basye
Eric has been married for over 20 years and is the father of four children, two of whom are adopted. His career has been dedicated to nonprofit work, particularly in serving low-income neighborhoods through community development efforts that enhance the well-being of those in need. Currently, Eric serves as the Executive Director of a statewide organization that works to ensure a family for every child without a home. Living in the Mountain West, Eric enjoys reading, writing, fitness, and being outdoors—whether hunting, hiking, or camping. He holds a Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives from George Fox University, along with other graduate studies. Eric has a deep passion for mentoring and walking alongside individuals from diverse backgrounds and believes in the power of relationships to foster belonging, healing, and hope.
Joan Bedlion
I grew up in Southern California in the small town of Escondido. I am the oldest of three siblings. After graduating from high school, I headed off into the Air Force. I worked as a Medical Technician. I had the opportunity to travel from Alabama to the Azores. Upon leaving the military, I obtained my License Vocation Nursing. Being a single mother at the time, I needed to make more income and entered an LVN to RN (Registered Nurse) program. I graduated with my Associate Science Degree December of 1991. Since then I have been blessed with 4 children ages 35, 29,25 and 23, a loyal, loving husband of 28 years, tough times,several moves, different jobs, and a wonderful church family. I am presently working as a Dermatology Nurse in the state of Oregon. Now in my mid fifties, my interests are focused on continued learning, walks on the beach, fitness and relationships.
Aigerim Bekturganova
Growing up in an international family, I have always been surrounded by people that led me by their inspiring examples that shaped me into the person of integrity above all else. Their presence exposed me to various languages as well as showed me what it is like to be a true servant. I am lucky enough to say that I have had the opportunities to experiment with various fields, being attracted to them by my inner desire to explore, but no matter what I did — it all seemed to lead me back to my Rome, which is law. It is such a fascinating tool as it shapes the world, provides assistance to those in need and protects their rights, which is one of the reasons why I chose to study it. Apart from law, I enjoy learning and teaching languages, dancing, writing stories, reading fantasy books, and books about history and science. Being a human to me means to live not only for ourselves, but for each other, to create for each other, and make the world a better place for each other — and that, in my eyes, is true beauty and love. I am beyond excited to discuss all the topics and help each other grow as servant leaders.
Sharon Best
Two of the most important things about me are that I love life and I love people! Meeting new people gives me great joy as I hear about their lives! This gives me great understanding of the world through the lives of the people I meet. I have been a Life Coach for about 15 years supporting people in the pursuit of their dreams and helping them define why they feel they are here on this earth. Being an experienced Life Coach has enabled me to help people get over hurdles and challenges presented to them which then causes them to excel in their passions. It is VERY rewarding. I am married to my absolutely amazing husband, Arthur, who is a financial advisor, and we have 2 grown children and 5 grandchildren!
Alfred “Josef” Borchert
I am happily married for 30 years to Bonghee and we have a grown-up son. I am from Germany and Bonghee is from South Korea. My professional background is in mechanical engineering and occupational integration of people with special needs. Since 1996 I have been serving in leadership of non-profit organizations in Asia. I enjoy life-long learning and obtained a degree in inter-cultural studies. I love chilling with my son, swim and cycle on my racing bike and reading / listening to stories of people who are fully aware and fully alive.
Marilyn Braught
Greetings fellow learner. My name is Marilyn Braught. I am a wife of a wonderful husband, mother to 4 great adult men, and grandma (Nana) to 2 teenagers or almost teenagers. I love learning, reading, traveling and helping others in their journeys. I have always worked and volunteered since I was a young child, first on our ranch/ farm, then for my fathers business, and in a variety of jobs to get me through my college degree in microbiology to become a medical technologist working in hospital laboratories performing the tests that doctors use to determine illness and treatment. While in the midst of raising our sons, I found that mentoring greatly helped me in my journey to be a better mother and employee. For the past 20 years or so I have been passing the mentoring on to others with Co-Serve and other opportunities at work and through our local church. I strongly believe in servant leadership and want to facilitate others learning it and sharing it with others.
Terry Braught
Terry enjoys teaching upper grades but retired after 39 years of service to travel with his wife and her job. In the final decade of teaching, he taught technology with an emphasis on cybersecurity, one of his passions. Terry also coached basketball, nationally-ranked robotics, and cybersecurity teams while coaching his sons’ sports teams because of his passion for working to improve young people’s lives. He is currently writing a curriculum to train teachers in cybersecurity and writing other materials of interest. Terry has had over 40 years of marriage to his lovely wife, Marilyn, and he helped her raise four responsible sons. Together they are mentoring couples who are getting married or having trouble with their marriages.
Randy Bruins
I am Advisor for Strategic Direction at ENACTUS Kazakhstan. Based in Almaty, the largest city in Central Asia, ENACTUS Kazakhstan works with students at educational institutions throughout Kazakhstan to promote entrepreneurial action aligned with principles of sustainability. Student teams develop projects that meet real needs, and they present their results in national and international competitions. I bring my long experience with environmental protection research, institutional partnerships and mentoring to my work with ENACTUS Kazakhstan. I serve in this role through Resource Exchange International, a US-based nonprofit that builds human capacity in developing nations. I enjoy making personal and organizational connections and working with students who are developing their own outlook on life, leadership and service to others. I am studying Kazakh language, and in my spare time I enjoy biking into the Alatau mountains above Almaty.
Williams Burga
My wife and I live in Jos in Nigeria. We have been married for 30 years, have 3 daughters and a granddaughter. has over 20 years of experience in pastoral ministry and has worked with Youth for Christ as a pioneering staff in Northern Nigeria. he coaches church leaders to create and sustain servant-leadership communities. He mentors and trains seminary students, pastors, church leaders on the principles and practice of servant leadership.
Scott Carey
I graduated from the US Air Force Academy with a degree in civil and engineering and then proceeded immediately to air force pilot training. The next five years of my life were spent teaching young officers to fly jet airplanes. The rest of my Air Force time consisted of flying transport aircraft which transitioned nicely into my next 25 years of flying Boeing 737 aircraft for Alaska Airlines out of Seattle, Washington. I met and married my wife, Susan, 34 years ago and we have four grown children and four grandchildren. We live on an island in Puget Sound and keep busy with work, church activities, growing flowers and fishing for salmon. We enjoy interacting with others and sharing ideas and skills which were imparted to us over the years.
I have had the chance to travel to over 40 countries during my career, and have been greatly blessed by meeting dear people from many cultures on several continents. I also relish the opportunity to share lessons I’ve learned during my flying career about leadership and decision-making, team interaction and communication, and risk management and safety. Most recently I traveled to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and spent time with students and faculty at Kazakh American Free University and Samarkand International University of Technology. It was here I was introduced to the Co-Serve mentoring program through Resource Exchange Intl. I look forward to interactions with aspiring servant-professionals.
Aizhan Chettykbayeva
Hello, everyone! My name is Aizhan Chettykbayeva and I am happy to be a part of the Co-Serve International team since 2014. I live in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan and work at Kazakh-American Free University in the international office and as a teacher of the English and German languages. I love my job and I try to do my best to help students, because I believe that teaching is not only transferring the knowledge, but also helping people to find their path. In my free time I like reading books, walking, listening to music. I also write poems, short stories and love to spend time with my family. I hope that I can be helpful and I will be very glad to have interesting discussions, because we always learn something new from each other.
Robert Collins Jr
I am from the Pacific Northwest of the USA. I was born and raised in the greater Seattle, Washington area. I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree and entered a 27 year career in Law Enforcement. I worked for a city of 50,000 population near Sea-Tac International Airport. I was assigned as Acting Operations Commander when I retired. My other assignments included Special Operations, Patrol Sergeant, Criminal Investigations Supervisor, and handling the Internal Investigations Unit as Professional Standards Sergeant. Concurrent with my police career I served on the leadership board of our local church. I live in Portland, Oregon with my wife of 46 years. We have three grown children and seven grandsons. My interests and activities include golfing, snow skiing, playing basketball, motorcycle riding and watching my grandsons’ soccer and basketball games.
Daren Connor
Daren was raised in the California bay area and has lived in the Portland area since 2004. He’s been married for 30 years to Kathy, a college consultant and amazing mom to their two adult daughters. Daren has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from University of California at San Diego and has worked in technology and healthcare in roles ranging from Software Developer, Product Manager, and Consultant for 40 years, including WebMD, Providence Health Care System, and Hewlett Packard. He retired in 2024 from his work as a Solutions Product Manager for Hospital Patient Monitoring at Philips. Professionally he’s most passionate about leveraging new/innovative business models and technology to address the myriad challenges in our healthcare system. Daren served for several years with the Hands In Service ministry at Cedar Mill Bible Church that provided practical assistance with home maintenance and repair for community members unable to address these needs. He was part of the founding team that developed and launched The Jesus Table in 2011, which provides a weekly meal and conversation to the poor and needy in his local Cedar Mill community. He is currently serving on the board of Hope For The Homeless, a local non-profit organization that provides funding for nonprofits that are most effective at helping the homeless gain stability, and become housed. Daren’s other interests include hiking, running, travel, kayaking, gardening, and photography.
Amanda Cornwell
Amanda has been married to her husband, Bill Cornwell, for 19 years. She has five children, that she homeschools. She has her Bachelor’s degree in the Science of Nursing, and worked as an ICU nurse and Labor & Deliver nurse before she had her children. She has also been a group exercise instructor. She loves music, especially singing and playing piano, reading, exercising, eating delicious food and sipping on excellent coffee, and being in the outdoors with her family.
Rick Coulson
Rick Coulson recently retired from a 34 year career at Intel, most recently a Senior Fellow in the Intel Optane Group (IOG). Rick’s career passion has been to break the storage performance bottleneck and improve computers through enhanced storage and IO. Rick drove Intel’s vision for solid state disks (SSDs), the culmination of a 15-year quest to alleviate the storage performance bottleneck in computers and provide a more effective user experience. In addition to technical contributions, Rick is a passionate advocate for career sustainability and for servant leadership. Rick was awarded the Intel Achievement Award four times for his and his team’s work on storage subsystems and SSD technology. He holds more than 90 Patents. Rick received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from University of Colorado in 1980 and his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford in 1983. He is an avid pilot (instrument-rated) and enjoys developing future business and technology leaders. Rick has been married to Cathy for 40 years, with two grown children, Ryan and Cara. He is currently on the leadership team of Co-Serve International, a non-profit dedicated to teaching Servant Leadership around the world. He is on the advisory board of Vooks and an unnamed “stealth mode” start-up. He enjoys mentoring and coaching.
Steve Estes
I’m Steve Estes, from St. Louis, Missouri in the central United States. My wife, Karen, and I have been married for over 40 years, and have six adult children and five grandchildren. I continue to enjoy a 40 plus year career in Information Technology, the last 25 involving people and project management at various levels within large organizations. I hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Information Technology Management and am working on my dissertation for a Doctor of Management. Throughout my career I have had many opportunities to coach and mentor, and enjoy sharing my experiences with others in the hope of helping them on their own journeys.
Jeff Feldman
I was born and raised in a small city of Canada, close to Toronto, the third of four children. During my final year of high school, I had a chance to visit the Soviet Union. That began my ongoing, passionate interest in exploring countries and cultures different than my own and forming global friendships and connections. Since then, I have been blessed with opportunities to visit many countries, especially in Europe and South Asia and to live for periods of time living and studying in the USA, England, India and Lithuania, and Ukraine. Most recently I spent a challenging yet deeply meaningful week being of support to friends, in the midst of the brutal war in my ancestral homeland of Ukraine. At the same time, I discovered current family living there.
Professionally, I worked as a radio and television announcer and reporter for several years. After a period of travel while seeking answers to major life questions, I began a lengthy career as an elementary school teacher and administrator in Canada and the USA. In recent years I have been more focused on cultivating a stronger life of prayer while beginning to work with a friend and colleague to develop online programs for the teaching of English and Ukrainian as Second Languages. I have a 41 year old son, Ben, who is married and living in the USA with his wife Jessica.
Dan Fink
Dan spent his career as a forester managing timberlands in Oregon and Washington for sustainable harvest. He earned a BS degree in Forest Management from the University of Idaho and a Masters in Business Administration degree from Washington State University. Since retiring Dan has been actively helping welcome and settle immigrants from Afghanistan to the Portland, Oregon area. Dan and his wife Carol have been married for 40 years. They live in Oregon and their adult daughter, son and daughter-in-law live nearby.
Dirk R Frans
Hello, I am Dirk R Frans, a global citizen and I hold a passport from the Netherlands. I am married to Nel (by now for almost half a century), am the proud father of two sons and two daughters. We have 12 grandchildren. Nel and I have spent most of our adult life in Asia, 15 years in Bangladesh and 7 in Afghanistan. I visited 60 countries and worked in 30+ of those. I am an engineer turned sociologist and did a PhD on the institutional arrangement regarding water resources management. At the end of 2023 I retired from work as an independent senior consultant, advisor and mentor. I focused on strategic assignments often in Afghanistan and Bangladesh. I love reading, cycling and learning new things. According to the StrengthsFinder test I am Analytical, Achiever, Learner, Focus and Deliberative.
Heather Gabbert
Hello there! My name is Heather Gabbert. I live in Southeastern Texas, just west of Houston. I moved here in the fall of 2024 to be closer to my own mentor and the people I believe God has given for my life. My life has been profoundly shaped by the time and care others have invested in me, and I am grateful to pay it forward with the same dedication. I have a BA in Developmental Psychology and I work in Human Resources with a focus on recruiting. I love people, pets, learning and spending time with my family. When I’m not working, you can often find me reading or enjoying the outdoors. I am excited to meet you and hear your story.
Gilbert Gleason
Gilbert has been married for 43 years to his wife Sue. They have three married children and four grandchildren. They all live in the Portland area. Gilbert pastored their home church for over forty years. At the same time he has worked for a large corporation for the past 23 years. He is a member of two non-profit boards and enjoys serving people. He earned a B.A. from Biola University and M.Div from Western Seminary. He recently authored Love So Amazing: The Missionary Biography of Bert and Colleen Elliot.
Gordon Goldsmith
I am 67 years old. I have been married for 41 years to my wife Cindy and we have four lovely daughters all happily married. I have been retired for 9 years from the Boise City Fire Department. I spent 25 years in the Fire Service and most of those years I was involved in various roles as a Fire Prevention officer/Fire Investigator. I have a two year degree in Fire Science. I was promoted to Captain in the Fire Prevention Division. Through self-study and testing I received a certification in a nationwide association as a Fire Investigator. I value hard work, treating all people fairly and with respect. I highly value servant leadership. I have tried to practice servant leadership in my home and serving in the local church in leadership there. While working in municipal government, I was exposed to a few good leaders. For the most part, though, the leaders where I worked were more intested in their own welfare than in those they managed. I enjoy helping others where and whenever I can. Since retiring I have been volunteering at the local Food Bank and helping with contruction projects at our church. My wife and I have served in various mission work. Our longest was five months on the Mercy Ship which is a floating hospital that was located in Madagascar. I enjoy gardening, hiking and spending time with my family and my eight grandchildren.
Gleb Goloborodko
With 15 years of entrepreneurship experience, I have built and led high-performing software product teams, specializing in web applications for clients in the U.S., UK, Israel, Australia, Sweden, and Norway. My leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in values-driven and people-oriented management, ensuring that every team operates with strong collaboration, trust, and purpose. Beyond the tech industry, my leadership extends to sports management, where I have coached and managed an American football team, applying strategic thinking and motivation principles to drive performance. Academically, I hold Master’s degrees in Applied Mathematics and Management and am currently working on my P hD paper on Fostering Innovations through Motivational Mechanisms. This research aligns with my passion for developing leadership models that inspire creativity and sustained growth. I started my career as a teacher at the National University. I have had the privilege of contributing to Co-Serve’s leadership development programs, delivering masterclasses in 2017, 2019, and 2021, helping cultivate emerging leaders through real-world insights and interactive learning. Additionally, I am the founder of the volunteering organization Poryad, which provides critical humanitarian aid to civilians affected by the Russian war in Ukraine and supports frontline defenders.
Melinda Green
I currently live in Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA and serve in the role of pastor’s wife. My husband and myself have been in ministry for 44 years and have lead congregations in several states and communities. I have three grown children with many grandchildren. After my children married, I returned to school and achieved degrees in Interior Design and Occupational Therapy. Both degrees have been utilized to maintain a full life while helping others. I enjoy gardening, homemaking, and furniture refinishing.
Claudia Hahn
I am half Swiss and half Indian. I am married with 3 children. I am a team trainer and leadership teacher. I also help facilitate trauma groups. We lived in Afghanistan for 15 years and now have lived in Tajikistan for 2. I taught at the Institute for Leadership Development (ILD) in Faizabad and Mazar. I love mentoring ladies and helping people become more self aware of themselves and others.
Doug Hartman
My wife and I live in Michigan, a midwestern state in the U.S. I am a professor. She is a school teacher and children’s author. We are also parents of three children, two in college and one a recent graduate. I do research on the effective use of digital technologies for teaching and learning. I teach courses on the same topic. I also mentor students working on BA, MA, and PhD degrees. And I partner on projects in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkiye, Mongolia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Indonesia, India and Afghanistan. I am curious: Should educators use ChatGPT in the classroom? If so, how? How could teachers and presenters use multimedia technologies more effectively? And How can digital technologies be better integrated into educational experiences so deeper learning occurs? I love to read nonfiction. Recent biographies include Robert K. Greenleaf: A Life of Servant Leadership and Jean Monnet: Unconventional Statesman. A long walk or bicycle ride on a mountain trail is medicine for my soul. You can find more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_K._Hartman
Shan Hill
My wife Jaime and I live in a small town just outside of Portland Oregon. We have two children at home. Jaime is a veterinarian and works here in town. I work in the real estate profession. We have attended Good Shepherd Community Church in Boring Oregon together since 2011. Our faith is important to us and we continue to grow together. Between the kids and work, we do not have a lot of free time but we try to spend time outdoors in the summer as much as we can.
David Houghton
Dr. David Houghton serves as the Chair of the School of Business at Oklahoma Baptist University. He has served as a guest lecturer at the Kazakh-American Free University. Dr. Houghton’s research focuses on a wide range of topics in consumer psychology, managerial decision making and business ethics. Dr. Houghton and his wife have three children (a daughter and two sons). He enjoys reading science fiction and fantasy as well as reading books on business and leadership. With the family, he enjoys hiking and camping.
Cece Hurst
Hi from New Mexico. I am from Indiana but have lived in New Mexico for close to 20 years. I have 3 grown children and 8 grandchildren. I work as the Food Service Manager at the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired but am looking forward to retirement in the next year. I also serve as a Chaplain and enjoy participating in the Jail ministry in our small town. I also volunteer at my church and have served on various boards around my town. I like to listen to Audio Books and of course, spending time with my grandkids.
Rick Jackson
Rick is a retired Sales and Services leader having worked in technology for over 30 years. From starting his career selling some of the world’s first personal computers to leading international teams in the sales and services divisions for Gartner, he has enjoyed starting things which were new and fixing things which were broken. Having retired in March of 2022, Rick and his wife Wendy moved from England to Manzanita, Oregon, USA to be nearer to their two grown children. He is a dual American and British citizen who enjoys golf, reading, travel, nature, and new experiences of all kinds.
Carolyn Johnson
I have lived in Colorado for most of my life and consider myself a native. I am a mother, grandmother, and a teacher living in Parker, Colorado. My daughters are all grown and pursuing their own careers. I have an almost 4 year old granddaughter with whom I spend as much time as possible. She is such a delight! My current teaching is with a program in the Cherry Creek Schools in the Denver area entitled Home/Hospital Services. This program is designed to help students who for various reasons cannot attend school in person. We as H/H Teachers meet with these students online or sometimes in their homes to help them keep up with their classes in order to return to school caught up. I have been working in this capacity for 15 years. It is very rewarding to help these students who otherwise might not be able to graduate with their class. I have been to Kazakhstan 3 times, in 2014, 2017, and again in 2019. I love the country, the people I have met there and hope to go again to teach at KAFU and see the wonderful students and teachers there. The Co Serve mentoring program is a wonderful learning program. I have had the privilege of going through this Servant Leadership curriculum with several students from different countries. I have had the privilege and honor to meet many of them as well!
Dilip Joseph
Dr. Dilip Joseph (MPH, MD) is the founder of Wholistic Health International, a non-profit created to increase awareness of the wholistic nature of life and health in individuals, families and communities. He has a passion to develop communities that would invest into an integrative nature of health – physical wholeness as a result of a healthy interaction between an individual’s body, soul, and spirit. It is his desire to see a shift in the conventional paradigm of physical wellness into one that is a balanced approach between the physical, social, and spiritual interactions. Dr. Joseph is married to Cilicia and have five children – oldest is a girl followed by four boys, all ranging between ages eight and 18. His hobbies include traveling, reading, writing, following and occasionally playing tennis, etc.
Marina Larina
My name is Marina Larina. Now I’m working as a Chief Development Officer in a Linguistic Center in Omsk. I was a teacher of English and Spanish at Kazakh American Free University for 17 years. Speaking about my study I graduated from East Kazakh State University. It offered me a general course of academic subjects, providing higher education. The University offered a number of courses giving profound knowledge in a variety of fields: the humanities, natural sciences. I specialized in the humanities because English has always been my favorite. At Kazakh American Free University I gave lectures in Translation subjects and gave tutorials in Spanish and English. I also taught in the Graduate School. I was lucky to attend classes of Servant Leadership. I participated in the Servant Leadership Academy in 2012 and in 2017. The leadership role is an inevitable reflection of people’s needs and challenges in modern life. Now I use the knowledge of Servant Leadership in running business and in developing the linguistic center.
R. Frederick Lightsy
Mr. Lightsy is a retired Army officer; a husband, a father to three children, brother to one, and a son. Several years ago he retired as an Army officer with over 33 years of experience, and has been to many different countries – mostly to areas of conflict from places such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Since his retirement, he has been volunteering with multiple organizations, and continues to travel abroad to assist those in need; also in arduous settings such as Ukraine and Ethiopia. It is fairly fitting, that he has a Master’s Degree in International Relations and has applied that education, training, and experience in these contentious areas. He is looking forward to volunteering with Co-Serve International through mentoring, teaching, and coaching the future leaders of tomorrow.
Tai Toon Lim
Tai Toon (“TT”) Lim is a versatile professional manager with extensive experience across the public, for-profit, and non-profit sectors. His management and leadership approach is shaped by his background as a military officer, his Christian faith, and the experience leading teams in Singapore, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and the UK. TT specializes in corporate restructuring and insolvency, strategic planning, M&A integration, venture investments, and start-ups. He is deeply committed to initiatives focusing on community transformation and promoting human flourishing.
Precious Lolong
Growing up without having a safe place to express my feelings led me to yearn for a place where I can welcome and listen to people especially, especially younger ones. Today, I manage the Third Place at Shepherd’s Home of Servant Leadership in the Philippines – a place where you can tell stories, read books, or just play. I also work as a massage therapist. I’m interested in topics concerning trauma and healing. And, I’m a mother of a 3 year old sweet girl.
Joktan Audu Maisamari
Joktan Audu Maisamari lives in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, with his wife and Son. He is passionate about youth development and raising leaders who serve with integrity and compassion. Since 2020, he has been actively involved with Harvest Leadership Community in Africa (HaLCiA), where he currently serves as the Coordinator of the University Centre for Servant Leadership at the University of Jos. Joktan earned a B.Sc. in Sociology from the University of Jos and is rounding up a postgraduate program in Social Work at the same university. His academic background, combined with his practical experience working with students, has strengthened his commitment to leadership formation and mentorship among young people.Over the years, he has facilitated servant leadership trainings for student groups, student executives, and university staff, helping to build a culture of service, accountability, and character-based leadership within the university community. He also coordinates mentorship programs that connect students with experienced mentors for personal and leadership growth. Joktan believes that one of the most strategic ways to transform society is by shaping the mindset of future leaders while they are still in universities. He looks forward to start this journey of raising leaders with servant hearts (You) across Nigeria and beyond.
Iliya Majam
Greetings from Jos, Nigeria. My name is Iliya Majam. I am married and have to children and two grandchildren. I have a deep passion to share the story of my life with people (young people especially), the challenges I have had and the lessons I have learnt (and still learning), with the hope they are helped in their own life journey. I have been involved in the leadership of Harvest Leadership Community in Africa (HaLCiA) for many years, with the desire to help develop servant leaders in Africa. In September of this year I handed over the leadership of HaLCiA to another but am continuing to be involved in promoting the teaching and practice of servant leadership.
Janie Martin
In my early years I was a dental technician until going back to school at 23 and graduating from Multnomah University with a Bachelors of Arts. I spent two years living and working in Austria, returning in 1989. Shortly after returning to the US I got married to Jonathan and had my first two children – 2 little girls. My husband was invited to teach English in China and from that time we lived nine years in different parts of China and had one more child, a boy. We returned to Oregon and I focused on raising my children and taking care of the household until in 2015 I returned to school to study Counseling for 4 years. During those 15 years living near Portland, Oregon I was able to volunteer and travel to various countries around the world to support Non-government organizations and participate in servant leadership activities in Asia, Europe and NGOs such as World Relief in African nations. Jonathan and I presently live in Central Oregon and continue traveling a couple of times a year. My focus has been educating on social and political trauma and desire to empower others to see how their lives have been affected by trauma and discover freedom and celebrative growth.
Jonathan Martin
Jonathan graduated with his BA in English Literature and in History and immediately left for China to teach – he later got his MA and continued to teach at the University Level for 13 years both in the United States and in China. He was then asked by his Church to oversee the work it was doing amongst the poorest and most wanting regions in the world – training leadership, empowering the poor through economic and social development. This connected him to leaders all over the world. Jonathan served on Co-Serve’s board for 9 years – and five years ago in 2019 decided to join Co-Serve full time to continue working with NGOs, non-profits, and Church leaders all over the world – giving him an opportunity to learn from some of the best. Jonathan and his wife Janie have a home that they use to give respite and counsel to those who work hard investing in troubled and difficult places in the world. Jonathan has been married to Janie since 1990 and they have three children who are all married – and they have four grandchildren.
Roger Martin
Roger has over 50 years of experience in business. Almost 30 of those years had been with the Boeing Company. His responsibilities included operations management, quality management, and quality improvement. He ended his career at Boeing as a Program Administrator responsible for training. He was very active in Statistical Quality Control, Quality Improvement and Lean initiatives. He was both a practitioner as well as a trainer. While working at Boeing, Roger earned his BS in Business Administration at Warner Pacific University, a Master of Business Administration at WSU Vancouver, a Master of Arts in Organizational Development at the Fielding Graduate Institute, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Human and Organizational Systems at the Fielding Graduate Institute. After completing his MBA in 1997, Roger began teaching Management classes at Warner Pacific. Eventually he retired from Boeing and began teaching full time.
Ronnie McKay
Ronnie is a retired nurse, has two married adult sons and a grandson. She homeschooled her sons from kindergarten through 12th grade, before they entered universities. She first came to Ust-Kamenogorsk and the Kazakh-American Free University in September 2014 and has returned yearly to teach Conversational English and CPR classes. Ronnie has helped coordinate several Servant Leadership Academies in Colorado where she enjoyed getting to know the students and mentoring them. Ronnie’s hobbies are exercising, photography, listening to audio books, volunteering, and serving others.
Lynne McNamee
I was born in Alaska, my father was in the United States Coast Guard and we moved to Hawaii, Florida and California while he served in the military. When I was 19, I joined the US Air Force as a Russian linguist, received my Bachelors Degree in Russian Area Studies and then became an officer, I retired in 2011. I met my wonderful husband while in the Air Force and we have two sons – both are in their 30s and married, we have two granddaughters. My husband and I have been to Kyiv three times and enjoyed the remarkable city and the students and faculty of Boris Grinchenko Kyiv University. If there is one constant in my life, besides family, it is traveling and meeting new people, always a new adventure ahead.
David McNamee
I confess to being a recovering middle school teacher, college professor, and university administrator having worked for more than 20 years in both nonprofit and for-profit institutions. I am a Professor of Leadership in the MS in Leadership program at the University of Arkansas Grantham and International Faculty with Jesuit Worldwide Learning. Before that, I spent 20 years in the US Air Force where I had been privileged to lead as many as 500 people as a senior intelligence systems officer and group commander. I have also managed teams in state government and owned other businesses. My BA is in Communications. My MSsci is in International Relations. My Ph.D. is in Leadership Studies. My wife and I are unabashed wanderers. We both grew up in military families and have spent our lives moving around the world. We met in the military and had long and satisfying careers in the Air Force. We’ve been married for 41 years. We are blessed with two sons and three grandchildren. My passion is teaching leadership and in particular, servant leadership. But I also love to compete in triathlons, make wine, and write family histories.
Juan Medina
I have traveled to 24 countries and have lived in Russia and Mongolia, Afghanistan, Kuwait, India, Philippines, Haiti, and Paraguay. My most recent trip was revisiting Afghanistan in the summer of 2019. I presently live in Texas and was raised in a Hispanic culture and speak Spanish and speak Dari and have learned Japanese and Russian. I have earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Management degree from Baylor University in Waco, TX and a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems in Phoenix, AZ. I have worked in the Information Technology Sector for 15 years and have done Project Management for 5 years and currently am a freelancer where I work in the Education and Financial sectors. I enjoy playing guitar, singing, hiking, camping, running, swimming, and biking and teaching ballroom dancing. I am a health nut and enjoy vegetarian and/or vegan meals. I also am looking into possibly going into the medical field having met prerequisites this past year for Nursing. Furthermore, I am a Jack of all trades as I love learning and teaching others. I enjoy mentoring others and look forward to interacting with international students to learn from them and mentor them in whatever capacity I can with what is given to me. It would be an honor to serve any and all who God puts in my path.
Dan Meier
I love to encourage people and learn from their life stories. I’m the oldest of six siblings—with sisters born in Ecuador and South Korea.
I have 30 years of work experience in the military and government sectors. I’ve enjoyed leadership adventures across the world including Afghanistan, Kuwait, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand. I have a college degree in Civil Engineering. I am currently a contract administrator and project manager for electrical power substation and transmission line projects. I enjoy being outdoors, walking, reading, travel, growing strawberries, and family history.
Dean Messing
I’ve been married to my Chinese wife, Jwenjwen, for 47 years. We have three adult children whom we home-schooled till University. My professional training is in Applied Mathematics and Electronic Engineering, and I spent the majority of my work life doing scientific research for an international electronics firm, teaching in University, and tutoring students. In 2016 I decided to leave my field to live and teach in China. My years in China as a Uni teacher turned out to be the best years of my life. I was informally introduced to Servant-leadership through my Research Director under whom I worked for many years. He modeled the Principles in all that he did. In 2010 the founder of Co-Serve befriended me and I began learning (and then teaching) the formal topic of Servant-leadership through Co-Serve International. Since then I’ve been privileged to volunteer with Co-Serve, teaching the Principles in Afghanistan, and mentoring students from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Nigeria, China, and America. Some of my fondest memories are of my beloved Co-Serve mentees, and I look forward to meeting you this year!
Jwenjwen Messing
I came to the United States from Taiwan in 1973 for graduate school (BBA, Finance; MBA), and then worked in industry for a few years. I married Dean in 1977 and put my faith in the Lord Jesus on Palm Sunday of 1981. Learning has always been important for our family. We home-schooled our three children from Primary School through High School. They are now grown and have given us six grandchildren. I enjoy classical music, good literature, Chinese brush-painting, and walking. Being faithful to the Lord is my goal in life.
Connie Miller
I am a 66-year-old mom, grandma, and homemaker. My college degree was in business but I only worked for a short time as a bookkeeper and then stayed home to raise our three girls. I homeschooled them from kindergarten through high school so that was basically my twenty-year career. Two of the girls are now married and the other is a first grade school teacher. She taught in Kabul, Afghanistan for three years at an international school, which is how I became interested in this ministry. I have seven grandchildren ranging in age from 7 to 14. My husband passed away in 2021 from covid after nearly 41 years of marriage. He served as mayor of our city (Elkhart, Indiana), for eight years and was a wonderful example of a servant leader. His first campaign slogan was “Because People Matter” and his favorite saying was, “I live to serve.” I like to volunteer at our local food pantry, serve meals at our homeless shelter, and work in our church garden which provides food for the pantry. I also teach in Kids’ World at our church. I would love to be a listening ear and get to know your story.
Pat Mitchell
Pat (Patrick) Mitchell lives with his wife, Jaroslava, in Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. They have been married for almost 39 years, and have 6 adult children + 13 grandchildren ranging from 25 to 1 years of age! They first visited Ust-Kamenogorsk and the Kazakh-American Free University (KAFU) in March 2000. After that, they returned to teach every academic year until 2017. In the early years, they brought their 2 youngest children, and Jarka home-schooled them in the “Mitchell apartment.” Here’s a snapshot of Dr. Mitchell’s career. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics (1966), a M.S. in Information Science (1968), and a Ph.D. in Computer Science (1971). After serving in the US Army, he worked in two jobs before being hired by Intel Corp, where he worked for 21 years doing software development, management, and research. Looking back, he clearly sees God’s hand at each stage of his life. After retiring, he decided to “give back” by sharing his career with the next generation. That’s when he and Jarka began going to Kazakhstan. In past years, he has mentored ISLP students from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. He looks forward to discussing the principles of Servant Leadership with YOU. You can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pat.mitchell; however, he doesn’t post very often.
Keith Naber
Keith earned his Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, his Business degree from The Master’s College and his Professional Coaching Certification from the Hudson Coaching Institute. He has over 25 years of experience leading highly effective teams in Fortune 500 high-tech and manufacturing companies. He is Vice President of Professional Programs at the Hudson Coaching Institute in Santa Barbara, California. He is faculty in Hudson’s LifeForward and Hudson Coach Certification programs. He spent 20+ years of his career with the Intel Corporation in various roles including Chief of Staff to senior technologists, Plant Manager and Senior Operations Director. He is a certified trainer in leadership, conflict mediation and communication. He is also a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coaching Federation. Keith resides in Portland, Oregon, with his wife Kami. They love living in the countryside and traveling, especially to Mexico or anywhere warm.
Ruth Ortega
Ruth is part of a unique community known as “Shepherd’s Home of Servant Leadership Philippines.” She has had a decade of experience as a college educator, specializing in Literature, Society and Culture, as well as Understanding the Self, using the the opportunity to help university students develop a deeper understanding of the human experience. Ruth shares a profound bond with her two college-aged daughters, and her deep love and desire for their well-being motivated her to embark on a journey of healing. She sought to empower them and ensure their growth into wise, autonomous individuals. This intimate connection served as a driving force behind Ruth’s work; she saw her daughters mirrored in the faces of her students and the youth, guiding them towards greater wisdom, freedom, and the path of servant leadership. Currently, Ruth serves as an administrative officer at the Department of Education in her region. She remains committed to creating nurturing environments where safe spaces and compassion thrive. She draws inspiration from stories and believes in their power to connect people and impart important lessons.
Yvette Frances Ortega
Hello! You can call me Yvette. I’m a 21 year old Psychology student from the Philippines but I am based in Canada (for the most part). I grew up in an environment that places great value in servant leadership, trauma informed care, and other community-focused values which has moved me to dedicate myself to social, emotional, and mental causes in all aspects of my life. My mother, Ruth, has served as a great influence in my work. I teach public speaking, love film and critical analysis, and try to volunteer for organizations targeting minorities whenever I can, wherever I am. Currently, I am making my way to a career in the mental health field but for now you can find me working as a content moderator, trying out various cuisines, exploring new languages, and watching football. I’m excited to create a space where we can form connections and have conversations that matter to us and are useful for us.
Anastassiya Poltoranina
Hi, I’m Anastassiya! I’m 25 years old and passionate about hiking, engaging in small talks, and diving into the world of corpus linguistics. I believe everyone deserves encouragement to embrace their individuality and that kindness knows no bounds. Through teaching, I find joy in helping others grow—not just as a mentor, but as a friend who always has their back. Learning is my greatest passion, and I hope we can explore and discover new things together!
Erica Pernela
A visit to Ronald McDonald house, was the inspiration to pursue a career in pediatric nursing. Watching the kids enjoying life even though they were sick was so moving, I knew I wanted to be part it. I have worked with medically fragile children since 2007. The beginning of my career focused on holistic care as the key to successful healing of the whole person. “I believe we must meet emotional and psychological needs in order to provide best medical care possible”. In 2020 I became the Director of Clinical Services. Servant leadership is at the core of our organization and I feel is important to keep a positive culture in our facilities. As our organization grows it will allow us to continue to care about each individual staff member, family and client we serve.
Caroline Ransom
Caroline has 5 years of experience as an Educator and Leadership Mentor. After receiving a B.A. Degree in Communication & Leadership Development from a university in Texas she taught for 3 years in public school. After teaching she moved to the United Arab Emirates for a Communication & Servant Leadership internship. After completing the cross cultural program she discovered a great passion for living and serving the needs of other nations. She speaks Persian and she is currently living in Tajikistan partnering with a Leadership Development NGO focused on serving refugees. She has published two poetry books that creatively capture her journey of faith. She loves deeply connecting with friends and family, traveling and savoring every cup of coffee she can find.
Robert Roebuck
I am Canadian born, married for 67 years, a father of four, two deceased, grandfather to eight and a great grandfather to nineteen.
I have a corporate background in three companies. One as CEO and board member for twenty years and in other three in senior management. Primary strengths are leadership, problem assessing and resolution, sales, marketing, and strategic planning. Manufacturing experience came from being responsible for the purchase of the state-of-the-art manufacturing processes for the corporation and overseeing the installation in Canada. As a consultant I was involved with over one hundred plus companies focused on senior management and board development, strategic planning, mergers, restructuring, start-up situations and training. Focusing now on coaching mentoring where I have had the honor of helping over 2,500 people.
After leaving the corporate environment I focused on the not-for-profit Christian sector in governance serving on ten boards. Largest being World Vision International, a $2.3 Billion dollar organization with a global footprint. Roles were providing consulting as requested and holding positions of chair of the board in many as well as chair of the finance committee, strategic planning committee, search committee, interim CEO, and others. Instrumental in changes or establishing global governance. I have come to Kazakhstan 20 times in 31 years (interrupted by COVID) as a visiting professor. The later years focusing my time helping students develop personal mission/vision and core values. During my career I have worked in or had experience with for profit and not for profit organizations in 94 plus countries.
Craig Rosentrater
I have had to opportunity to train and mentor National Directors of NGOs around the world. What I enjoy the most about this experience is seeing leaders become “Change Agents” within their families, communities, and organizations. I enjoy life, God’s creation, and mountain climbing, but mostly I enjoying learning from other cultures as I have so much to learn.
Kanjana “Pang” Satidboon
Hello! My name is Pang – Kanjana Satidboon, and I live in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I work with the Karen Leadership Development Foundation, where I am deeply involved in mentoring and teaching university students. I have a strong passion for personal development and enjoy walking alongside young adults on their life journeys, helping to guide and support them in various aspects of growth and servant leadership. In my free time, I love traveling, experiencing other cultures, hiking and engaging in adventurous outdoor activities.
Anastasiia Shcherba
Hi there, future leader 🙂 My name is Anastasiia and I’m from Ukraine. It’s already been 7 years, since I wrote my first letter to a mentor, rereading the email, doubting and not knowing what would happen next. Whether we would find a common language or not. From now on, I have a friend who has influenced me significantly and made me believe that everyone can make a difference. I was a part of the BGKU team and now I’m working in the communications and PR sphere. I completed my studies, participated in various projects, and worked with multiple teams, observing how the principles of leadership work in real life. I am sure that we will have something to talk about during our discussions. So, let’s start this journey together!
Jim Simons
My wife Debi and I have been married over 30 years and have one son finishing his doctoral program in creative writing. I am a retired IT Senior Program Manager having worked in DevOps and Research & Development. Kazakh-American Free University has hosted me several times to speak on Business Communication, Career Success, IT Topics, English, and Spanish. I have assisted in three Servant Leadership Academies in Colorado and was blessed with getting to know international students and learning what they were learning. My hobbies are photography, reading, and biking. I write on computer security and basic investing. I am currently learning Russian to be able to communicate more widely with students in Central Asia.
Anya Smagina
I live in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. I work as an EFL teacher and interpreter at Kazakh American Free University. I am absolutely in love with my job and consider it to be my voice. Since the completion of the leadership program in 2015 I still follow my mission, which is to help students find their true voice. I like writing academic papers and study relationships. In my free time I travel around the region with my family, because travelling is my passion. Just take my backpack and wander around in woods. I am looking forward to share my thoughts on Servant Leadership and learn something new from you.
Svitlana Sokolovska
Hello! My name is Svitlana Sokolovska and I am from Ukraine. This year I have a great opportunity to join the Co-Serve International team. Luckily, I have 25 years of experience in higher education. Currently, I work as a teacher of the English Language and Communication Department at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University. In teaching it is essential to create a positive space, support students in academic growth, help them to find themselves, increase confidence in communication, raise stress resilience, and share ideas based on respect and trust. In my view, students appreciate all this. What else gets me excited about my job? Being on the same wavelength with my colleagues and learners. I hold PhD in Pedagogy, Master’s degree in Teaching English and Public Administration. My administrative experience was extremely useful for me as I occupied the position of university administrator such as a head of department and deputy director of studies. In my free time I love wandering in nature and spending time with my family. I am also interested in psychology and human development. I hope to have fascinating and enjoyable discussions that contribute to discovering new things and the beauty of the inner world.
Gary Soper
Hello, my name is Gary Soper and I retired after teaching elementary school for 35 years. I enjoy steam trains, traveling (I’ve been to 35 countries), cooking, fishing, and the outdoors. I have been married to my lovely wife Sally for 44 years. We have the privilege of being grandparents to two wonderful kids!grandchildren. I have been a guest teacher at KAFU six times and I enjoy encouraging young people to pursue their passions. I love to eat shashlyk!
Haley Steinert
Haley Steinert serves as the Neurology Research Services Program Director at CU Anschutz, where she leads strategic initiatives to support and advance clinical research across the Neurology Department with a team of over 80 individuals. With a master’s degree in organizational leadership, Haley has extensive experience in program development, stakeholder engagement, and fostering collaborative environments. She is passionate about empowering others to achieve their professional goals, especially through mentoring and coaching. She leads with both participative and servant leadership styles with the goal of supporting others and allowing them to shine in their strengths and giftings.
Jeff Stevens
Jeff has a B.A. Degree in English and a Master of Arts in Teaching English. He taught high school English for 5 years, and then worked for 14 years as a High School Counselor. After 19 years in high school education, Jeff moved to Vice Principal and Principal roles for the next 11years. After retiring from public education in 1997, Jeff worked for 4 years as Director of Adult Ed in his church while also serving about 5 years as an Adjunct Professor of Education at Portland State University in a bilingual/bicultural teacher education program. Jeff met his wife, Coralee, when they were students at Multnomah University, and they were married in 1965. They have three daughters, six grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Now retired, Jeff enjoys assisting his wife, Coralee with grand parenting activities, leading the small group that meets in their home and serving as a mentor in Co-Serve’s leadership program. During the summer of 2017, Jeff and Coralee enjoyed assisting in the second Servant Leadership Academy that was held in Kyiv, Ukraine. Jeff also enjoys his hobbies of fishing, golfing, camping, landscaping, reading, and leadership development.
Susan Stewart
I am an organizational transformation and leadership developer and coach with thirty years of experience working in many countries (including Nigeria, Kazakhstan, and Thailand). I am multilingual and I lived in Bolivia (10 years) and Myanmar (13 years). I currently lead Susan Stewart and Associates, a private Organization Development consulting firm and live in rural Colorado. I have a doctorate in veterinary medicine and an MA in Leadership Development.
I have had several professional roles: veterinarian, project, team, country manager and vice president for Latin America. I served on the Asia Pacific faculty of the Center for Creative Leadership. I have great joy in my family: my husband Court, my two daughters and four grandchildren. I love being in and with nature. I have a passion for the development of young people into leaders who serve in whatever role they find themselves in life. I aspire to that myself!
Carol Stiles
Carol served as an advocate for children and families in Central Oregon for many years. She served on numerous boards, committees, and task forces including the Governor’s task Force that crafted legislation creating Oregon early childhood programs. For 8 years, she served as the Executive Director of The Center Foundation, providing a host of athletic and medical services for high school athletes. During that time, the organization became a state-wide leader in identifying and treating youth concussion. Most recently, Carol helped found and served as Executive Director for a nonprofit titled Stroke Awareness Oregon. She has although taught college level sociology courses as well as multiple trainings. Most importantly she is the mother to three daughters, a son and the wonder-dog, Niko.
Anna Tuksunova
I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan. My husband and I have been married for 11 years, we have 2 sons. I’m a Certified Language Coach with over 10 years of experience across education, marketing, and sales in the educational sector. I run an online English school and personally teach Business English to professionals and teams. Passionate about personal and professional growth, I help others unlock their communication potential and lead with confidence. I participated in the Servant Leadership Program when I was a student back in 2008, I also joined the 2011 Leadership Academy as one of the mentors.
Yuliia Turta
In 2017 I became a part of a great Servant Leadership family. That year I participated in ISLP and after I started working in the Center for Servant Leadership Development at Borys Grinchenko University (Ukraine). Since then, I have learnt a lot, not only about people but about myself. I understood that relationships and communication are in a great need nowadays. As an English teacher I enjoy communicating with students, I love listening to their opinions and ideas. I love when my students laugh and feel loved. Also, I am fond of Jesus, books, playing guitar and spending time with people.
Vlada Vasylieva
Hello! My name is Vlada Vasylieva and I am from Kyiv, Ukraine. At the moment I am living in Italy due to the war and the fact that my home was totally destroyed by russian occupiers. I’ve been teaching English for more than 10 year and now I use neurolanguage coaching® to help people master the language in a brain-friendly way. Apart from teaching, I also help other teachers become language coaches. In spare time I enjoy doing sports like ballet classes and stretching as well as reading about neuroscience.
Maria Cherpack Vyzhva
My story with servant leadership began like many great adventures – unexpectedly. Back in 2012, ISLP opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking about leadership, and I’ve been hooked ever since. So hooked, in fact, that I turned it into my PhD research, diving deep into how we can help students discover their inner leader. By day, I wear multiple hats – psychologist, certified psychotherapist, and international programs coordinator at BGKU’s Centre for Servant Leadership Development in Ukraine. Pretty fancy titles, right? But what really gets me excited is something much simpler: genuine human connection. There’s something magical about watching people evolve and grow through their journeys – it’s like being part of countless living documentaries! These days, my favorite conversations happen at home, where I’m co-starring in life’s greatest adventure with my husband and our adorable daughter, who’s teaching me more about leadership than any textbook ever could!
Cliff Westbrook
I graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1988 and became a pilot, flying the B-1 bomber. When the Iron Curtain fell, I accepted an opportunity to come help an organization reaching out to the former Soviet Union as a civilian for a few years. In my career as an engineer, I’ve been a manufacturing manager, and I teach Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma world-class business principles. What energizes me is helping people find their purpose and achieve their goals. I had a wonderful time visiting and teaching at KAFU, Kazakh American Free University in Oskemen, at Narxos University in Almaty, and at Samarkand International University of Technology in Uzbekistan. What a wonderful time we live in, building relationship bridges between people this way.
My wife and I live in Alabama. We have four grown children, scattered about the US, pursuing their careers.
Jeanine Wiley
Jeanine Wiley is the Associate Central Asia Director for REI, Inc., and together with her husband of 46 years, Ron, leads REI staff and volunteers to engage with their Central Asian counterparts in “Building People to Build Nations.” Jeanine has two degrees in Food Science & Nutrition and is a retired Registered Dietician. She also has a M.A. in Organizational Leadership but likes to say it was a program in Servant Leadership, as that is where she learned the term and felt like each course was training her in the different facets of servant leadership. Jeanine was raised in a small mountain town in Colorado and is a mom to 4 adult children and is also a grandma (Nana). Presently, she lives in Oskemen, East Kazakhstan and is working alongside her husband in the American Program at Kazakh American Free University (KAFU). Jeanine is a trained and certified Restorative Justice facilitator, with extensive experience working in schools in southern Colorado. She has training in coaching and particularly likes to come alongside people and help them move forward in their goals and in their development. She loves the outdoors and going on long walks. She has been called the “Cookie Auntie” as she loves to bake!
Ron Wiley
Ron Wiley has worked his entire career in the non-profit sector, and the past 30+ years with Resource Exchange International, Inc. (REI, Inc.), an international humanitarian service organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Ron is currently the Central Asia Director for REI, Inc., and an associate professor at Kazakh-American Free University, in Oskemen, Kazakhstan. Ron has two degrees in agriculture, as well as a M.A. (Organizational Leadership), and PhD (Conflict Analysis & Resolution). He is passionate “to extend to others the gift of relational reconciliation so that together we can build a more just and peaceful world.” Toward that end, Ron has also worked as a trained Restorative Practices facilitator, and Restorative Justice, Organizational Development, and Cross-Cultural Engagement trainer/consultant. Ron and his wife, Jeanine, have four adult children and one grandson, and divide their time between Central Asia and Colorado, near where Ron’s ancestors homesteaded, and where family members continue active farm and ranch operations. He loves to read, to travel, to hike, and to make spiritual pilgrimages on foot in Spain, Portugal and elsewhere, whenever possible.
Gary Williams
Gary and Julie have been serving with Co-Serve and the work in Afghanistan for many years. Gary spent a career in the construction field and had the opportunity to practice servant leadership as the Vice President and COO at Western Partitions, Inc. in Portland, Oregon. Gary is now retired, but is still active in the business world as a mentor and a coach. As a member of Co-Serve’s Leadership Team, Gary champions and helps direct Co-Serve’s Mentor Program, Coaching Program, as well as programs in Afghanistan.
Julie Williams
Julie Williams has been married for 48 years to Gary Williams. They have three grown children and 8 grandchildren. They currently reside in Oregon but have lived and traveled to many different places. They spent 8 years in Portugal, where they opened a language school. Later they got involved with teaching Servant Leadership mainly in Afghanistan with Co-Serve. She was a full time mom while raising their children. Once her youngest son left for college, she obtained a Masters of Public Health. Julie has worked at an international NGO, has been a teacher (ESL Portuguese and Spanish), a nurse, and a real estate agent. Currently she is retired and enjoys volunteering in her community. She volunteers at a local food pantry that gives food baskets to low income individuals and also teaches ESL to local immigrant families. She likes to network with people from different backgrounds, languages and countries.
Stanley Wong
I live in Gresham Oregon and have worked in the field of Computer Programming for about 35 years. I retired from that position in 2011 when my job was off-shored to India. Since 2011, I worked as a bus driver transporting people with disability. I loved that job but finally retired from that job in March 2020. I have been married for 41 years and have two sons and a daughter, who have all finished college and are on their own. I just turned 76 this year. I also assisted with the Servant Leadership Academy held in Kiev Ukraine during summer of 2016.
Diya Yang
I’m a PhD candidate in Business Strategy at the Schulich School of Business. I grew up in a small town of southwest China and moved to Canada for my PhD program 4 years ago. I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in construction management. My passion is to understand how and promote business to be a vehicle for both economic success and opportunities for people to lead flourishing lives. I teach strategy cases for undergraduate students in the business school and discussing interesting business or nonprofit cases with others is my great joy. I believe if business strategy is the creative tool to build something empowering and effective, servant leadership is the hand that can use this tool to its best potential.
Brittney Youngblood
I am a 32 year old single mother to 1 daughter who is 13 and a son who is 11. I am an accountant for a credit union here in New Mexico and I am also the Director of Children’s Programs at my church, Cottonwood Christian Fellowship. My faith is important to me and I have a growing number of stories on how God has helped me.
Yahaya Yunana
Seeing our Christian values expressed across all spheres of life and society, and our drift away from the servant leadership model Christ lived out is what keeps me awake at night. Mati and I have been married for 32 years and blessed with 4 children. After a career of 32 years of a short stint in the public service and much of it in Upstream Oil and Gas industry as a Geoscientist in Shell Nigeria, India and Oman, I opted for an early retirement in 2017 to pursue an entrepreneurial career with the primary reason of socio-economic and spiritual impact. My education is in Geology and a MBA. Since retirement, I have been actively involved in business development, entrepreneurship development, management and leadership support to Christian organizations and organizational development of HaLCiA. I am passionate about servant leadership as a game changer to the leadership crisis our world is stuck in, across all spheres of our lives.
Aleksandra Zaitseva
Aleksandra Zaitseva is an alumnus of the Servant Leadership Academy in 2009 (Portland, OR, USA), has a Master of Arts in English translation and interpretation, an English language instructor for children and adults at English for a New Generation of Leaders “English for ANGELS” self-made project, the Callan Method Registered Teacher and co-founder of an NGO International Life Academy. Actively took part in organizing the first Servant Leadership Academy at Borys Grinchenko Kiev University (BGKU). Since 2014, Jeff and Coralee Stevens have been my mentors, therefore, I am able to pay it forward and help every student to develop their inner potential by means of English language teaching. I love photography, hiking, rafting, visiting foreign countries, and have been to Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, France, Poland, Slovakia and the USA.
Olga Zelenyuk
Olga is an alumna of the Co-Serve Academy-2012. She was head of the Leadership Development Center at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University (Ukraine). After the events of 2014 Olga has co-founded an NGO that teaches students and yound professionals peaceful coflict resolution skills, works on reconciliation projects and promotes non-violent communication. She is a certified coach and loves helping people organize their lives. In 2019 she became a mom to a beautiful girl that she is now raising with her husband and two cats. Olga loves the Beatles, giraffes, writing and reading.