Rick Bishop, US Chair, is a CPA and Tax Executive with United Parcel Service. Rick grew up in Georgia and has lived in the Atlanta area for over 30 years. Rick met his wife, Leigh Ann, while at his first job out of college. Rick and Leigh Ann have 3 children (Lawson – 13, Parker – 10, and Chase – 6). They attend North Point Community Church and live in Alpharetta, Georgia. Rick also serves on the Board of Directors for Christian Youth Theatre – Atlanta.

Rick and Leigh Ann were on one of the initial Dream for Africa trips to Durban in 2004, where Never Ending Gardens were planted in the community. Since then the entire family has traveled to Swaziland to serve at El Shaddai, and Leigh Ann has served in Kenya at Tumaini as well as Merciful Redeemer (with Lawson). Rick most recently traveled on the fall, 2008 J-9 trip to Kenya. The Bishop family definitely has a heart for Africa, and we look forward to seeing where the Lord takes us.

Ian Maxwell works at Heart for Africa. Ian’s vision for self-sustainable food security for all people is at the core of community transformation. Ian successfully unites and partners people from many nations to work together for comprehensive and lasting solutions.

Ian has a degree in economics from Bishops University in Lennoxville, Quebec and is the former vice-president of operations for Onyx Marketing Group in Toronto, Canada.

Tim Hunt is publisher and founding partner of ACES, Northern California's premier golf lifestyle magazine. He also is the principal with Hunt Enterprises, a communications and government affairs firm. Previously, he spent almost four decades in the newspaper business with the Tri-Valley Herald and he has continued to write his Sunday column on a freelance basis. Tim traveled to Swaziland in 2005 for his first trip and since then has been to Kenya twice, Malawi and returned to Swaziland. He lives in Pleasanton, CA with his wife, Betty Gail, and their daughter, Glenalyn, who both have traveled with him to Africa to serve. As a founding board member and the first chair of Heart for Africa, he has been privileged to see what God has done through the ministry to serve orphaned children in Africa. .

Howard Hodel is a financial, investment and risk management consultant living in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Prior to establishing his firm in 2006, he had over 25 years of experience in finance, investments, analytics, risk management and planning with Bank of Hawaii, Bank of America and British Petroleum. He currently serves on the boards of Heart for Africa (HFA), Hawaiian Islands Ministries, the Akamai Foundation, the Dartmouth Club of Hawaii, and the Sierra Club of Hawaii (Honorary), and is a member of the investment committees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii Pacific Health, and Chaminade University.

Howard is married to Patty Chan, his graduate school sweetheart, and they have three teenage children.  He and his wife are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, where he serves on the Men’s Ministry Team.  He has traveled on an HFA mission trip with each of his children individually to Malawi, Kenya and Swaziland beginning in 2006.  In the summer of 2010 Howard, Patty and their daughter, Lindsey, traveled to Swaziland with Heart for Africa to participate in Litsemba and serve with a team at an HFA partner church.  Howard has a deep interest in agriculture, which stems from growing up working on his family’s farm in central Illinois, and believes that his involvement in Project Canaan is part of God’s plan for him.  Howard is currently chair of the Project Canaan Agricultural Council and is focusing his efforts on getting the Canaan Coffee Company started for HFA.  Both Patty and Howard previously served as elders at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church in California.

Mr. Hodel received an A.B. Magna Cum Laude with High Distinction in Economics from Dartmouth College, as well as an M.B.A with Distinction in Statistics and International Business Management from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium while on fellowship from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, where he earned an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting.  He received his CFA Charter designation in October 2006.

Carl Watry is Vice President of Finance for Kids II, Inc. which is a manufacturer and distributor of zero to three age graded toys, activity sets, walkers, etc., to the infant and small furniture departments of major retailers such as Babies-R-Us, Wal-Mart and Target. He is also involved in the Secretary and Finance functions of the Kids II Foundation, a 501(c)3 whose charter is to support one major philanthropic effort every year and two additional local, national and global charities that primarily benefit children. Carl was also one of the original founders of Kings Ridge Christian School. As a volunteer for the Middle School ministry at North Point Community Church, his small group of 15 middle school boys "graduated" to high school. He had been praying and asking God what was next when he and Janine got together for coffee to discuss this opportunity with Heart for Africa. Carl, his wife Lisa and two daughters participated in a trip to New Hope in 2008 and have been forever changed. Carl's desire is to use his gifts in finance to make this mission self-sustaining not only in Africa but here in the States as well.

Rob Cassell is the Minister to Students at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC.  Rob graduated from Wake Forest University and has an MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Seminary.  He has served in churches in Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.  Rob and his wife, Kirstin, have two children (Riley – 4, Allyn – 2) and are in the process of adopting their third from Ethiopia.

Rob first traveled with Heart for Africa to Swaziland in 2008 and had a heart to see the Western church and the African church partner for the glory of God.

Ann Williams is a new member to the Heart for Africa board of directors. She first travelled to Swaziland with HFA in 2008 with her husband, Doug and 3 children Blake (21), Grant (20), and Lainey (18).  They served at Emmanuel Khayalethu working on construction of the new children’s home. They returned in 2009 to serve at El Shaddai and participate in Litsemba 2009.  Ann and the kids returned in 2010 to be a part of the medical team that served in the communities with our partner churches.

Ann was graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Biology.  She then attended Northwestern University Medical School and completed a residency in Ophthalmology.  She is currently in private practice with her husband, Doug, in Northwest Indiana. They specialize in general ophthalmology and cataract surgery.Ann is an active member of Westminster Presbyterian church in Munster, Indiana and currently is the President of the church session. In addition, she is a member of the Munster Civic Foundation and sits on the board of the McAuley Health Clinic. She and Doug provide eye care at no cost to the medically uninsured of Northwest Indiana through the McAuley clinic.The family looks forward to returning to Swaziland and being a part of God’s amazing plan for Project Canaan.

Tom Finucane is a Vice President for Health Systems for Cardinal Health, Inc., a Fortune 15 diversified Medical, Surgical and Pharmaceutical company. Tom grew up in Chicago and is proud father of 3 daughters (Meagan-15, Teresa-13 and Moira-6) and husband to Linda Ann for 16 years. He has held a variety of professional positions while employed with Cardinal Health and other companies such as American Hospital Supply, B. Braun and CVS/Caremark that includes international responsibility and assignments. He is an undergraduate with a B.B.A. at University of San Diego and post-graduate work and M.B.A. at the American Graduate School of International Management.  Both personally and spiritual experiences include a three year term as Chairman of the St. Cletus Parish Pastoral Council, Chairman of the Development Committee, Big Brother/Big Sister Program Volunteer and the Les Turner ALS Foundation (Lou Gehrig’s disease) Volunteer.

Tom made his first trip to Africa last summer and spent the majority of his time not only working with the Swazi people, but mainly at Project Canaan where he gained an appreciation for the love, vision and spirit of Heart For Africa. Since his return he has been active in fundraising and campaigning efforts that have initiated a "presence" or "footprint" in the Chicago-land area.  He has also volunteered and is a member of the Heart for Africa Advisory Council for the development of the Canaan Medical/Dental Clinic.

Ned Lehman is a new member of the Board of Directors.  He is Vice President, Spend Client Management for MedAssets, a financial performance solutions company serving healthcare providers.  He previously served in a variety of sales and leadership roles at DeRoyal Industries, Medical Present Value, and Omnicell. 

During college, Ned developed a heart for serving others by traveling on several short term mission trips to Guaymas (Sonora), Mexico providing food, clothing, and sharing the Gospel to people living in some of the poorest barrios in the country.  He first learned about Heart for Africa by reading It’s Not Okay with Me.  The book made an enormous impact on his life and eventually called the Lehman family to the Litsemba service trip in Swaziland in July, 2011. 

Ned married his high school sweetheart, Pam, shortly after college.  They have four children (Cole-14, Alexandra-12, Carly-9, and Emma-6) and they reside in Parker, CO where they are active at Southeast Community Church.  Ned has also spent the last 10 years coaching youth football and has a passion for positively impacting the lives of young men through youth sports.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Fort Lewis College, received his MBA from Colorado State University and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society.  Ned is extremely excited to see how God will use his skills to serve Heart for Africa.

Mark Anderson is Senior Pastor of Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  He and his wife, Karen (McCarty), have been married since 1981 and have four children.  Ashley is married to Kurt Lancaster, and they have two children Evy and Liam.  Liam was adopted in 2011 from South Korea.  Alyssa will graduate from Mississippi State University in 2012.  Will is attending Liberty University and will graduate in 2015, and Andrea will graduate from Cape Central High School in 2013.

Mark graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas and Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.  He has served churches in Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi and Missouri.  He has personally led several mission trips to Brazil (5), Kenya, Mexico, Scotland, and Columbia.  His churches have sent dozens of volunteer mission teams all over the world.  He has served with various non-profit charitable organizations and agencies.  He also served on the Board of Directors for LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee.  Mark has served as the football chaplain for the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida and Jackson Academy in Jackson, Mississippi.