Meet Our Leadership
View the profiles of Wycliffe USA’s senior leaders or view the board of directors
Dr. John Chesnut
President and CEO
John serves as President & Chief Executive Officer of Wycliffe Bible Translators USA, where his wife, Kelly, also serves as Spiritual Development Officer. Together they bring their unique gifts and shared passion to the organization — with the aim of seeing communities transformed when people experience God’s Word in a language and format they truly understand.
John and Kelly served in the pastorate for 13 years before joining Wycliffe in 2001 and moving to the Philippines. There, John served in a variety of leadership roles with SIL Philippines and SIL International, and Kelly led prayer and spiritual development efforts.
In 2011, they returned to the United States, where John served as Chief Development and Partnerships Officer for Wycliffe USA and Kelly continued in prayer ministries. Today, John remains passionate about partnership, believing that collaborative unity within the body of Christ provides greater opportunities for the advancement of Bible translation. Kelly, too, remains dedicated to intentionally infusing prayer into all aspects of the work and believes that when we are deeply rooted in Scripture, our very lives will manifest His love and provide opportunities for people to encounter Jesus personally in a way that captures hearts and transforms lives forever. In their current roles, they seek to encourage, inspire and care for people, striving to shine Christ’s light and love in all aspects of their lives and ministry.
John received a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Denver Seminary, and Kelly is currently earning her master’s degree in global leadership. They have seven children through birth and adoption and love the tapestry of nations God has woven together in their family. In his spare time, John enjoys the outdoors — whether hiking, teaching their grandkids how to fish or going on an early morning walk. Kelly loves snuggling with their grandchildren, reading a good book and sampling chocolate — in just about any form.
Andy Keener
Executive Vice President & Chief Partnerships Officer
Andy Keener and his wife, Lori, joined Wycliffe in 1992 with a desire to serve a people group that needed God’s Word in their language. They first worked in language survey in the Caribbean and then served for eight years facilitating a Bible translation project among the Teribe people of Northwestern Panama.
Since their time in Panama, Andy has served in various leadership roles in both Wycliffe USA and SIL, a primary strategic partner, by providing leadership for Bible translation efforts in the Americas and among Deaf communities worldwide.
More recently, Andy has focused on helping Wycliffe connect more effectively with church and Bible translation agency leaders around the world. The goal is for Wycliffe to be strategically responsive to and collaborative with those ministering to communities so people can receive biblical resources in the languages that serve them best. Andy is also involved with Wycliffe’s advancement efforts in the U.S.
Andy and Lori have four adult children.
Curt Henderson
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Curt Henderson began serving with Wycliffe as the Vice President of Finance in 2019 before stepping into his current role as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2023. Curt brings with him nearly two decades of financial management experience, much of it spent in nonprofit and ministry. Most recently, Curt served as Vice President of Finance at Clean the World.
God used a hit-and-run accident while Curt was riding his bicycle to soften his heart to become a follower of Christ. After several years of prayer and asking God to allow him to serve vocationally, God opened the door for Curt to join Wycliffe USA.
Curt holds a degree in financial management from Clemson University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Southern College.
Curt and his wife, Becky, live in Clermont, Florida, and have a vibrant home filled with six children: Harper, Corbin, Bailey, Skylar, Finley and Jensyn. In his free time, Curt enjoys reading to his kids, swimming, camping and baking bagels.
Vicky Mixson
Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer
Vicky Mixson serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, using her years of experience to give strategic oversight to Wycliffe’s Communications, Marketing, Church Engagement and Guest Experience areas. She joined the organization in 2012 following many years in marketing and communications for various agribusiness, higher education, banking and transportation firms. As someone who cares deeply about language and communication, Vicky is driven by a desire to see God’s Word reach every corner of the world to bring transformation and hope.
Vicky attended University of Florida, receiving a bachelor’s degree with honors in journalism and public relations. She is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America.
She and her husband, Bob, have two adult children, Patrick (married to Amy) and Natalie (married to Rick), and five grandsons. In her spare time, Vicky enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading and traveling (especially to watch the Florida Gators play football).
Sarah Traverso
Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Sarah Traverso began serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators in 2011 when she took a position as the administrative assistant in the Recruiting department. From there, she quickly began expanding her skills in Human Resources, working with benefits and staff management as the Associate Director for Staffing. Later, she served as Senior Director for Workforce Planning and Mobilization with a focus on strategy before more recently serving as Vice President of Global Workforce Strategies.
Currently, Sarah serves on the Executive Leadership Team, where she provides leadership to the Human Resources, Staff Care and Development, and Global Workforce Strategies teams. Through this role, she loves seeing how God connects and calls people to the many opportunities within the Bible translation movement.
Sarah has a bachelor’s degree in family ministries and counseling from Moody Bible Institute. She holds certifications in workforce planning, compensation analysis and as a SHRM professional.
Sarah is married to Mario and lives in Northern California. She enjoys gardening, camping and thrifting.
Jessica Seymore
Chief of Staff
Jessica Seymore has served with Wycliffe USA since 2010 in a variety of roles, particularly focusing on Wycliffe’s events strategy. With a bachelor’s degree in event management from Rosen School of Hospitality at University of Central Florida, Jessica has brought leadership and direction to many of Wycliffe’s event-driven initiatives and priorities.
In her current role on the Executive Leadership Team, Jessica facilitates various leadership team meetings to ensure alignment with the organization’s strategic goals, leads the corporate event strategy and supervises the executive administration and executive project management teams.
Jessica is a Florida native. In her free time, Jessica enjoys traveling and adventuring around the world, experiencing different cultures and languages along the way.
Andrew Flemming
Vice President of Global Partnerships Engagement
Andrew Flemming grew up a pastor’s kid and was first introduced to Bible translation when his family smuggled Bibles into a country that was closed to the gospel. The profound impact of seeing a portion of the body of Christ without God’s Word ultimately led Andrew and his wife, Lindsay, to join Wycliffe in 2006. They served in Ecuador and Thailand as teachers before returning to the United States.
Currently, Andrew leads the multi-organizational Global Partnerships team, a collaboration of individuals from dozens of countries around the world. They engage with hundreds of local churches and partner organizations to develop and implement Bible translation projects. Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a Master of Education in global social studies, and a Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University.
Andrew and Lindsay live in Orlando with their two extraordinary kids, August and Adelyn.
Kristie Frieze
Vice President of Guest Experience
Kristie Frieze has served in various roles at Wycliffe — most recently as the Senior Director of Events and Experience Marketing. In her current role, Kristie oversees all guest experiences and facilities at Wycliffe USA headquarters.
Before relocating to Florida, Kristie served as Executive Director for the Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation in Washburn, North Dakota, where she oversaw operations of the Foundation, as well as the Interpretive Center and Fort Mandan Historic Site. Kristie holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communications from the University of Minnesota.
Kristie enjoys relaxing with a good book and traveling with her husband, Joel, and adult daughters, Mya and Kalee.
Rebecca Gonzalez
Vice President of Human Resources
Rebecca Gonzalez began serving with Wycliffe in 2022. Her family’s extensive engagement in local church ministry developed her passion for the church, discipleship and the gospel. As a bilingual/bicultural professional, Rebecca understands the importance of language and translation, and the joy of communicating and hearing the gospel in a language and format people clearly understand.
Rebecca has worked with mission-driven organizations at the local and national level such as the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination, World Vision, Walgreens, Bethesda Christian Center, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Northwestern Chrysler Plymouth Sales. Throughout her more than 25 years of service through these entities, Rebecca has nurtured her leadership skills and yielded a foundation in the areas of strategic leadership, communication, resources management and church operations.
Rebecca holds a Master of Management in nonprofit administration from North Park University and is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional. She and her husband, Jorge, have two boys, Luiz and Daniel. With her family, Rebecca has provided logistical support for ministry, mission and community development projects in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Doug Hennum
Chief Information Officer
Doug Hennum has served with Wycliffe Bible Translators as Chief Information Officer since 2011. Prior to joining Wycliffe, he founded and managed two technology companies, starting in 1986 with MicroNet, an IT-managed services company that provided technology services and outsourced technology staff to more than 700 companies. He also founded ChamberMaster, a vertical market software company that today serves more than 2,000 chambers of commerce in the U.S. and abroad.
Doug has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is passionate about technology and innovation in both the business and nonprofit sectors. He is married to Jenny and has three adult children.
Tori Masyczek
Vice President of Staff Care and Development
Tori Masyczek began working part time with Wycliffe in 2005 in an administrative role at the Temecula, California, regional office after years of being a homeschool mom to her three amazing daughters. Since then, she has served on the recruitment and member-care teams in various administrative and operations support roles, including Associate Director of the Care Team, Director of the Launch Team and, most recently, Senior Director of Member Care and Resources. Through each of these roles, her passion for Bible translation and seeing our staff thrive has continually grown.
As Vice President of Staff Care and Development, Tori provides leadership and support to multiple teams in the Learning & Development, Member Care and Staff Vitality departments.
Tori and her husband, Richard, live in Lakebay, Washington, close to their three grown daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren.
Majeedah Murad
Senior Legal Counsel
Majeedah Murad serves as an attorney in the Office of Legal Counsel. Majeedah became a follower of Christ shortly after graduating from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. As a new believer, she was deeply moved by Jesus' words in the gospels and challenged by His invitation to live her life in light of eternity instead of for temporal realities. This challenge shaped a series of decisions that led her to leave private practice and join Wycliffe in 2019.
Majeedah began her career as a local government attorney in Alachua County, Florida, where she advised staff, the county commission and other elected officials on a variety of issues. Her primary focus was land use and zoning law. After relocating to Texas, Majeedah practiced bankruptcy law, representing trustees, business debtors and creditors. Majeedah is licensed by the State Bars of Florida and Texas and considers it a privilege to use her experience and legal skills to advance God's Kingdom through Bible translation.
Majeedah lives in the Orlando area and has one adult son who lives in Florida. She enjoys running, music, classic movies, outdoor activities and learning new things.
Ken Pratt
Vice President of Marketing
Ken Pratt has been involved in marketing since the early 90s, when he left his job teaching international students in San Francisco. Since that time, he has served primarily in education, doing marketing-related work with educational publishers, web startups, education technology companies and educational associations. His main area of interest is using various tools and resources to engage people. While tired of the gazillion emails he gets every day, he’s captivated by the creative ways in which organizations and companies use technology to connect and engage with those interested in their work. Ken is also quite entertained by a good commercial or ad in a magazine.
Ken joined Wycliffe USA in 2013 as Vice President of Marketing and served in that role until 2015 when he and his family relocated to Philadelphia. With many close, personal friends deeply connected to Bible translation, Ken has never veered far from the mission. In 2022, Ken returned to Wycliffe, where he’s excited to serve and bring additional marketing and leadership experience to the Bible translation movement.
Ken and his wife, Wendy, live in Orlando and have four adult children and one son-in-law (who is much better at golf than he is).
Megan Samuel-Fields
Vice President of Finance
Megan Samuel-Fields is a highly qualified finance professional, certified public accountant (CPA) and attorney at law. She brings to her role as Vice President of Finance a wealth of experience in leadership, receivership management, asset management, strategic financial planning and analysis, financial management and reporting, budgeting, auditing, change management and managing core business processes.
Megan holds a Master of Science in finance and financial law and is pursuing a doctorate in creative leadership for innovation and change, with her dissertation topic being “Financial Literacy Among MSMEs in Antigua and Barbuda,” which is where she was born.
In addition, she serves as a life coach, focusing primarily on academic and financial coaching. With a passion for “democratizing financial literacy,” Megan and her sister co-founded and co-host “Likkle Byte Ideas,” a digital live show streamed weekly on Facebook and YouTube that explores finance as a lifestyle journey and connects financial well-being to overall health. As a lifelong learner, Megan enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with others — in particular with teams, young people, women, entrepreneurs and small-business owners. In her spare time, Megan enjoys the outdoors (only when it’s warm), running and reading.
Megan is married to Henderson Fields and has two adult sons, Noah and Aron.
Dr. Ken Schmitt
Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Innovation
Dr. Ken Schmitt and his wife, Linda, began serving with Wycliffe in 1991 when they took a one-year sabbatical from a church Ken pastored to provide pastoral care for missionaries. More than 30 years later, they are still involved in the Bible translation movement. The Schmitts have lived and worked in Indonesia, Costa Rica, the Philippines and Thailand.
Ken served as Director of Member Care for SIL Indonesia and Americas Area. He also served as SIL’s Area Director for the Americas and Asia and later as Associate Executive Director for SIL International. Prior to his current role, Ken served as Senior Vice President for Field Operations and Chief Field Officer for Seed Company.
Ken earned undergraduate degrees from Gateway College of Evangelism and Knoxville College. He also holds a Master of Arts in religion and philosophy and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Tennessee.
Ken and Linda live in St. Louis, Missouri. They are proud parents of four adult children — Tyler, Tara, Parker and Rebecca. They have 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Ben Thornley
Vice President of Church Engagement
Ben Thornely grew up as a missionary kid in Brazil — the start of his many years in missions-based ministry.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in Christian education from Manhattan Christian College and a Master of Business Administration from Sullivan University. He worked at Southeast Christian Church — one of the largest churches in the U.S. — in Louisville, Kentucky, for 18 years before coming to Wycliffe. During his years at Southeast Christian Church, Ben traveled to more than 40 countries and focused on connecting with indigenous partner organizations around the world on developing, funding and executing a variety of projects.
Ben and his wife, Lindsay, have three kids and one perfect dog. They enjoy spending time outdoors, playing and watching just about any sport, and watching movies.
Kyle Willis
Vice President for Advancement
Kyle Willis was called by God to serve with Wycliffe in 2009, following a near-death boating accident and a season of deep discipleship. Since that time, he has been an integral part of the Wycliffe team, serving in a variety of roles with the Advancement team. Most recently, he served as the Senior Director of Philanthropy before accepting the position of Vice President for Advancement in 2024. As a leader, he is passionate about building relationships and views fundraising as a joy-filled ministry.
Kyle graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He and his wife, Danielle, live in Winter Springs, Florida, and have three children. In his free time, Kyle enjoys family time, being active in their local church, sports, quality coffee and shared experiences with others.
Our Board
View the profiles of Wycliffe USA’s board of directors.
Lindsay Olesberg
Board Chair
Lindsay Olesberg serves as Senior Consultant at Clarity for Christian Leaders, with a focus on facilitating growth in spiritual discernment for boards and senior leadership teams. She has more than 30 years of experience in ministry, serving in numerous leadership and teaching roles with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and providing Scripture engagement leadership for Urbana missions conferences, the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, and the Lausanne Movement. She loves the Bible and God's global mission.
Lindsay has a Bachelor of Arts in Asian studies from Pomona College and a Master of Arts in theology from Fuller Seminary. She is the author of "The Bible Study Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to an Essential Practice" and a Bible study guide, "Ephesians: Studying with the Global Church," published by InterVarsity Press and Hendrickson, respectively.
Lindsay and her husband, Jon, have been married 30 years and have two adult children, Michael and Mary. They live in the mountains outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dr. Julian Dangerfield
Vice Chair
Dr. Julian Dangerfield resigned from a career in software engineering to serve the ministry of Shalom Outreach as its Executive Director. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management and a Master of Arts in leadership, evangelism and mobilization from Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina. He has also completed his doctoral studies at Virginia Union University with a focus on cross-cultural ministry.
After receiving a vision to establish Shalom Outreach, Julian successfully trained and equipped pastors, medical doctors, teachers, social workers and young people for missionary travel to Africa and South America. He has devised strategies with ambassadors to the United Nations from African countries to confront social issues and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In the United States, Julian has also organized mission efforts for over 25 churches, ministries and nonprofit organizations.
Julian’s perspective is informed by more than two dozen years of ministry experience, during which he’s traveled to over 40 countries and executed strategies that expand God’s kingdom. He’s a sought-after preacher and facilitator who is passionate about knowing God and making God’s name known.
He currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Heritage Fellowship Church in Reston, Virginia. This dynamic ministry endeavors to connect Christ, congregation and community.
David Bowden
David Bowden is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Spoken Gospel, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people encounter the gospel in every corner of Scripture.
Before starting Spoken Gospel, David received a bachelor’s degree in Bible and biblical languages from Oklahoma Christian University and a master’s degree in theological studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spent the first decade of his post-academic career preaching and performing spoken-word poetry for churches and conferences around the world.
David is the author of When God Isn’t There and Rewire Your Heart. He currently lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, Meagan, and two sons, Ezra and Eli.
Bishop Fidencio Burgueno
Fidencio Burgueno is an ordained Bishop with the Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, and has served as the Administrative Bishop for the South Central Hispanic Region of his denomination for the last six years. Previously Fidencio served as the Spanish Language Director, including the Spanish Publication Ministries (Editorial Evangelica), for the entire denomination.
Fidencio has also served his denomination in a variety of ministry roles, including pastoral (three different churches), International Youth and Christian Education Director, and college and seminary professor and counselor. Fidencio currently serves on the board of directors for People for Care and Learning (PCL), a ministry focused on the holistic development of the community in Southeast Asia, as well as on the board of directors for National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NALEC).
Fidencio has a Bachelor of Arts degree in biblical studies from the International Bible School, a Master of Divinity from the Pentecostal Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Oral Roberts University.
Fidencio and his wife, Dora, have been married for more than four decades and have four adult married sons — Fidencio III, Jonadab, Marco V. and Jesse E. They also have eight grandchildren.
Dan Butler
Dan Butler has been a member of Wycliffe USA since 1980. Over the years, Dan has served in a variety of support, administrative and leadership roles, including as the Language Programs Director for SIL Sudan and Africa Area Director for both SIL and Wycliffe Global Alliance. In 2001, Dan and his wife, Barb, left Africa and moved to Dallas, where Dan served as the Vice President for Personnel for SIL and Wycliffe Global Alliance before becoming Chief Operations Officer for SIL. In January 2013, they returned to Africa, only for Dan to be asked to serve as the SIL Eurasia Area Director one year later. Following a short sabbatical in early 2021, Dan transitioned to a new role in SIL Eurasia using his experience and relationships to assist the new Area Director with key partnerships.
Dan has also served on the board of directors for JAARS and currently serves on the board of Barnabas International, an organization committed to providing pastoral encouragement to those in ministry. In addition, Dan serves on the board of Olive Tree Counseling Center in Antalya, Türkiye.
Dan and Barb have raised two children; one currently lives in Scotland with her three children, and the other is entering law school in Arizona, having completed a Ph.D. at William & Mary.
Today Dan and Barb live in Sequim, Washington, where they are active in their local church and community.
Dr. Sunny Hong
As a third-generation Christian, Sunny Hong immigrated to the United States from Korea in 1983 and considers herself bicultural. She is passionate about Bible translation, bridging cultural gaps and speaking up for minorities and refugees.
Sunny served as a mobilization consultant for the Wycliffe Asia Pacific office in Manila, Philippines, where she consulted and trained mobilizers so that more people joined Bible translation-related work. In addition, she served as a mobilizer and director for the Korean Relations office for Wycliffe USA for 12 years, where she helped 50 Korean Americans join Wycliffe and facilitated relationships with Korean American churches. Sunny also organized a radio program and bilingual newsletter to promote Bible translation among Korean American Christians.
Sunny has a Bachelor of Arts in library science from SookMyung Women’s University and has pursued several degrees in higher education: a Master of Arts in information services from University of Maryland, a Master of Arts in intercultural studies from Biola University and a doctorate in intercultural studies from Biola University.
Sunny currently serves as Director of Global Diaspora Services in Dallas, Texas. She also serves on the SIL board and as a Senior Anthropology Consultant at SIL International.
Dr. Pramod John
Dr. Pramod John is the CEO at VIVIO Health. Prior to that, he founded Oration PBC, which changed the way consumers purchase prescription medicine. He was also Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at McKesson, where he helped develop solutions that leveraged advanced technologies to optimize healthcare delivery systems, infrastructure and supply chains. Earlier, he founded and served as CEO of PacketMotion, a venture-funded startup in network space that was acquired by VMWare.
Pramod holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also an adviser to Folia Water and a mentor at StartX.
Pramod has recently served on the boards of Folia Water, Mission Aviation Fellowship and 3Crosses Church in Castro Valley, California. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and is married with adult children.
Felix Lee
Felix Lee, a securities enforcement and litigation partner at the law firm Fenwick & West, focuses on the defense of securities class actions, derivative suits, merger litigation and government investigations. Felix also regularly conducts internal investigations for corporate boards and their audit or special litigation committees and provides advice and analysis of corporate governance and compliance issues.
Felix earned his bachelor’s degree at Stanford University and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He has chaired Fenwick’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee for over 14 years and also serves on the advisory board of the Asian Law Alliance, a legal nonprofit that has helped tens of thousands of people obtain decent housing, justice in the immigration process and access to basic human and legal rights.
Although Felix was raised as a Mormon, his family fell away from the faith around the time he left for Stanford. There, he read the Bible and believed in God, but it wasn’t until he lived in the dorms at Harvard Law School that he began attending church and was truly introduced to the gospel. After he graduated, Felix’s strong belief in the Lord led him to attend seminary at Gordon Conwell, where he learned more about the basics of the Christian faith. Felix now serves as an elder at his church and is active in leading Bible studies, community groups and various other ministries.
Abel Lopez
Abel Lopez is the president and founder of CLAY Student Leadership, a dynamic leadership program focused on reaching students and their parents in the public schools. Recently, he also served as Awana’s US Latino Director, where in three and a half years he was instrumental in developing both a discipleship structure for the Latino church and a team to lead it, as well as securing the largest grant in Awana’s 70-year history.
Previously, he served as Youth and Associate Pastor for 18 years at Mundo de Fe church in Dallas. He also worked in corporate America, where he was instrumental in working with over 450 employees and millions of dollars’ worth of inventories. His experience with the corporate world mixed with his ministry knowledge has allowed him to impact this generation.
Abel holds a master’s degree in leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is also a graduate from Rehma Bible Training College and attended Dallas Christian College from 2002-2005. He is the author of 12 Fundamental Keys to Developing an Effective Youth Ministry and The Leadership Bible, and he is co-author of Somos Padres... ¿Y Ahora Quién Podrá Ayudarnos?
Abel and his wife, Mary, reside in Dallas with their kids and grandkids.
Bonnie Nystrom
Bonnie Nystrom and her husband, John, have spent more than 35 years working in a language project in Papua New Guinea. In 2001, the project was expanded to serve 10 different languages in the Aitape West area. The story of the dramatic circumstances God used to expand the translation project are chronicled in their book, "Sleeping Coconuts." Translators trained over the last 20 years are now reaching out to speakers of other neighboring languages with the hope of helping them start translation work. Although they no longer live in Papua New Guinea, Bonnie and John are still able to contribute to the project remotely.
Bonnie currently serves on the JAARS board, where she has been Vice Chair since January 2016. She also served on the SIL board for eight years. Additionally, Bonnie served as a member and chair of the Papua New Guinea Branch Executive Committee and the Ukarumpa International School board.
Prior to joining Wycliffe, Bonnie received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and systems analysis from Taylor University in Indiana. While serving in Papua New Guinea, she especially enjoyed her training and experience as a group facilitator during the branch strategic planning process.
Today, Bonnie and John live in Seminole, Florida, in the winter and northern Wisconsin in the summer. While continuing to support the Aitape West translation project, Bonnie spends much of her time serving her mother (now in her mid-90s) and her two mentally disabled brothers. Bonnie and John have two adult children and five grandchildren.
Mark Taber
Mark Taber and his wife, Kathy, have been working with Wycliffe USA and SIL — a Wycliffe partner organization — since 1982. Until 2008, they lived in Southeast Asia doing language development and Bible translation among minority language communities. During this time, Mark also served in a variety of administrative and leadership roles, including Language Survey Coordinator, Language Program Coordinator, Personnel Coordinator, Academic Director and Field Director.
Mark earned his undergraduate degree at Kingswood University in New Brunswick, Canada. In 2000, he earned his Master of Science in business administration at Amberton University in Garland, Texas. Mark served on the SIL International board of directors from 2002 to 2008 and, from 2010-2016, as the Pacific Area Director for SIL International, basing in Brisbane, Australia. Mark is currently serving as Wycliffe Global Partnerships Facilitator for Islands Asia.
Mark and Kathy live in Dallas, Texas. They have three adult children and four grandchildren.
Florence Wamae
Florence Wamae has been involved in Bible translation ministry since 2004 when she joined Bible Translation & Literacy (East Africa) as Communications Officer. She later served with Wycliffe Global Alliance as Communications Coordinator for Africa and is currently serving as Associate Director for Partnerships for SIL International. Her heart’s desire is to see the global Church serving God’s Kingdom in unity for His glory.
Florence is from Kenya and lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.
Daniel Watters
Daniel Watters grew up in Asia, where he witnessed the impact of his parents’ work in bringing Scripture to an isolated language community. At an early age, he decided to follow in their footsteps and joined Wycliffe USA in 1992 immediately after getting his Bachelor of Arts in linguistics at the University of Washington. In 2000, Daniel earned a Master of Arts in linguistics and exegesis at Trinity Western University.
From 1994-2019, Daniel worked in Asia with Wycliffe USA and a partner organization in a variety of administrative and leadership roles, including as a linguist in a non-formal education project. From 2015-2019, he served as Country Director for a language development agency.
He currently serves with SIL, a primary strategic partner, in Global Marketing and Communications. Daniel’s wife, Debbie, who is also with SIL, teaches English as a Foreign Language. Daniel and Debbie were married in 2012 and live in Waco, Texas. Together they have five adult children.
Dr. Juanita Watters
Dr. Juanita Watters grew up as a Wycliffe kid in Mexico, where her parents served from 1960 until they retired. As she lived among the Sierra Popoluca people, Juanita witnessed two things with eternal value — people and God’s Word. At the age of 16, she decided to invest her life in those two things.
Juanita’s passion for Bible translation influenced her educational pursuits. She has a Bachelor of Arts in biblical studies from Rockmont College in Colorado and both a Master of Arts and doctorate in language, reading and culture from the University of Arizona.
She and her husband, Jim, have been serving with Wycliffe for over 40 years, initially as translators in Mexico and later as trainers and consultants, with Jim also working in branch administration. Beginning in 1978, they worked with the Tlachichilco Tepehua language community, whose New Testament was published in 2004. They also served as mentors and consultants for the Pisaflores Tepehua translation project and saw that New Testament published in 2015. Juanita has been a literacy consultant for SIL Mexico for over 20 years. They currently split their time serving with SIL Mexico, Asia and the Americas Area.
Juanita loves encouraging people to craft songs in their languages and has crafted many songs herself. Recently she has begun to record them.
Juanita and Jim have four adult children and 10 grandchildren who give them much joy.
Alan Wells
Alan Wells is a partner with Financial Advisory Partners. He has over 30 years of experience in financial, operational and strategic matters, including as the Chief Executive Officer of a publicly-traded company and as Chief Financial Officer of another. While serving with one of the nation’s largest consulting firms, he advised clients in a variety of industries on strategic matters. Alan has led turn-around operations, start-ups, public offerings, and merger and acquisition transactions.
Alan previously served on several boards, including Cline Tool, Windstream Holdings and the Lutheran Church of Hope missions board. Currently he serves as chairman of the board of Higher Trek, an organization devoted to helping young men own their faith and follow Jesus for a lifetime. He received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Illinois State University and is a certified public accountant.
Alan and his wife, Cindy, reside in Urbandale, Iowa, and have two adult children.
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