Nell Becker-Sweeden

Nell Becker Sweeden has been serving in Nazarene Compassionate Ministries since 2004 and is presently the international director and CEO of NCM, Inc.  Nell holds a Ph.D. in practical theology from Boston University and is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene.

Nell and her husband Josh most recently served as assistant professors of theology and Richard B. Parker co-chairs in Wesleyan Theology at George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Oregon. In their spare time, Josh, Nell, and their sons, Elias and Asher, spend as much time as possible outdoors, camping, biking, and hiking.

Bill Simmons

Bill Simmons serves as president and CEO of American Leprosy Missions. In 2010, Bill Simmons served as president and CEO of two nationwide retail chains. His two decades of business experience serve him well as he leads American Leprosy Missions to bring care and a cure to those affected by leprosy and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

Simmons is chair of the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy, a founding and executive member of the Leprosy Research Initiative, former vice president of the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP) board of directors and a former advisory board member for the Nippon Foundation’s funding of the WHO Global Leprosy Program.

Subodh Kumar

Dr. Subodh Kumar is the Chief Data Officer (CDO) with World Vision International based out of Phoenix, Arizona. In his role as CDO, Dr. Kumar is responsible for developing a shared vision and providing strategic leadership for data-driven business transformation and creating value out of data and becoming a truly best in class data-driven organization. He has more than 30 years of experience in Monitoring and Evaluation and managing field programs.

Before joining World Vision International, Subodh served as Senior Director for Evidence, Impact and Data Intelligence function in FH. He was responsible for enhancing FH’s Data Intelligence Capability to leverage external driven data (Big Data) and internal data to drive evidence-based decision-making.  Subodh holds a Ph.D. in Statistics and Missiology from Bangalore, India with specialization in evaluations. He earned his bachelor’s degree with majors in Mathematics and Statistics and his Master’s Degree in Statistics from University of Agra, India.

Eileen Martin-Yeboah

Eileen is a member of World Vision, Inc.’s Legal Department where she serves as both an attorney and a member of the Grants & Contract Services team supporting the acquisition and implementation of the US federal assistance awards. Her responsibilities include advising on compliance issues related to public and private sector award funding.  She holds a juris doctor, from American University, and a B.S. degree from Cornell University.

Originally from Ghana, Eileen emigrated to the US with her nuclear family in 1989 and grew up in the Bronx, New York.  A certified city girl, she currently lives on the H Street Corridor in Washington, DC, and serves as an elder at her church.  In her spare time, she can be found walking a new path to the Capitol building while listening to a number of podcasts or cooking from an improvised recipe for her weekly gatherings with neighbors or friends.

Neal Joseph

Neal Joseph brings more than 35 years of senior-level leadership experience in the corporate, church and nonprofit worlds to his role on the Accord Network board. He currently serves as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Mission:Leadership. Prior to this, he served for six years as the Vice President of Nonprofit Recruiting at Slingshot Group, and was a former label President at Warner Bros. Records, Chief Operating Officer at Generous Giving, and Senior Vice President of International Partnerships at Compassion International.

Neal spent the first 20 years of his career in the music business at Word Records and as a label president at Warner Bros., earning five Grammies and numerous Dove Awards. He has traveled to 50+ countries throughout the world—both Western and developing—and understands the challenges and opportunities of doing both ministry and business in cross-cultural, multi-national settings.

Kara Edson

Kara Edson serves as a Senior Advisor on Compassion International’s Strategic Alliance Team,
where she cultivates alliances with industry partners to advance National Office strategies,
specifically around government engagement and award acquisition and management. She has
worked in the international development sector for more than 15 years, but exposure to this
work began at a very young age as a Missionary Kid from Central Asia. Kara holds a BS in Global
Studies from Missouri State University and an MA in International Development from Eastern
University.

Kara, her husband David, and two boys, Jax and Ari, live in Springfield, MO. When not working,
you’ll find her spending time outside with her family or in the kitchen trying out a new recipe.

Mike Mercer

Mike is the founder and CEO of Compassion First, a Christian relief/anti-trafficking organization that has pioneered holistic, long-term care and rehabilitation for survivors of child sex trafficking in Indonesia. Their work is also supported by peer-to-peer law enforcement training efforts, legal advocacy for survivors, and community development work in severely vulnerable communities.

Prior to working for Compassion First, Mike was the co-founder of Foursquare Disaster Relief (FDR) and served in various pastoral roles in Beaverton, Oregon, following his graduation from Multnomah University in 1995. Mike remains an advisor to FDR International and an ordained minister in the Foursquare Church. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Kymra, their three children, and an Australian Labradoodle. He loves golf and martial arts and is good at neither.

Matt Hangen

Matt Hangen started working with Water4 in 2010 while living in and starting water businesses as a missionary in West Africa. Already training well drillers and building equipment, Matt and his wife Grace linked up with Water4 after searching for a better way. Water4 shared their desire to find sustainable solutions and  to do so out of a love for God and neighbor, so it was a perfect fit.

As CEO of Water4, he now has the pleasure of ensuring that vision is carried out through the local leaders he so intimately knows.

Matt is married to his best friend Grace and they live in rural Oklahoma with their two beautiful daughters. Matt is a triathlete, ultramarathoner, lifelong reader, and lover of the outdoors.

Lara Lambert

Originally from South Africa, Lara serves as the Director of Program Development for Water Mission, leading a team of subject matter experts in WASH service delivery models, behavior change communication, and monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning. With 10 years of professional experience within the WASH sector, Lara has provided both technical and program support in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Lara holds a master’s degree in both Higher Education and community-based Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation.

Michael Cerna

Michael Cerna serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Accord Network. In addition to being a passionate follower of Jesus and a devoted husband and father, he has a master’s degree in international policy and has a heart for forming collaborative communities across the Accord Network.

Prior to joining HOPE International, Michael worked at Mission: Hope. He previously worked at McKinsey & Company in Atlanta, where he currently lives with his wife and two children.

Peter Howard

Peter serves as Senior Fellow for Transformation at Accord. Prior to joining Accord, Peter worked for 18+ years at Food for the Hungry. As Chief International Operations Officer, he provided strategic leadership to Food for the Hungry’s 20+ country operations and field programs worldwide in responding to human suffering and graduating communities from extreme poverty.

Peter led FH’s 2004 tsunami relief efforts as Country Director in Indonesia, launched FH’s public policy and advocacy department in Washington DC, and led FH’s global emergency response team from Oxford, England. Peter holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bethel University, a Masters in Christian studies from Denver Seminary, and a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. Peter lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife and children. He is passionate about journeying with people around the world through beauty, goodness and truth to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

Cassie Foster

Cassie serves as Operations Manager with Accord Network. She holds a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and ministers as an ordained pastor in her local American Baptist church. Prior to working at Accord, Cassie spent four years with Food for the Hungry as supervisor in their Donor Engagement office.

Cassie lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband and two daughters. In her free time, she enjoys baking, taking care of her plants, and hanging out with her pet tortoise, Tortellini.