THE STAFF & Board

Chris became the Vice President of Healing Hands International in 2009. Currently, he is our Chief Financial Officer, serving as a volunteer. From 1991 to 1993, he was the first Transportation Coordinator. Chris, a Certified Public Accountant, previously was the CFO for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and also retired from the U.S. Army after a 33 year career. Chris served as an elder at his congregation for 17 years and has been married to Anne for more than 50 years. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Jana Owen has worked with Healing Hands International since 2013 and currently serves as a VP of Operations supporting the MAGI project and the data and administrative support team. She started with HHI in 2009 as a volunteer leading worship at the Women of Hope conference. She fell in love with the mission and the rest is history! In her free time, Jana loves to sing, go on adventures, hang out with kids, and serve and build up others. Jana’s husband Kevin is a preaching minister and they are blessed with three handsome young men, Chase, Reid and Trey.

Joseph began working for Healing Hands International in 1999. He is a graduate of Lipscomb University and volunteered at HHI during college. As a Vice President of Operations, he provides support to our international shipping of cargo to mission points, Potable Water Projects, and response to international disasters. He and his wife Ruth have one daughter.

Ebenezer began working with Healing Hands International in 2008 and served as our Agricultural Representative to Africa. Ebenezer’s love for the Lord and his willingness to serve in this capacity was apparent from the beginning and in 2009 he was named the Director of African Agriculture. He currently travels throughout Africa conducting Food Sustainability Workshops where he trains community leaders in techniques for sustainable food production and preservation skills. Ebenezer and his wonderful wife, Regina, have one daughter and one son.

Alisa served as Marketing Director for HHI from 2006-2013. She rejoined the Healing Hands team in 2017 after taking off a few years to stay at home with her children. A graduate of Freed-Hardeman University, she has more than 15 years of non-profit marketing experience. As a Vice President, she provides support to the marketing and Women of Hope teams. She is passionate about women and children’s ministries and loves to share the ministry of HHI. She and her husband, JJ, live in Lebanon, TN with their two children.

Art began serving as President in November 2016. A graduate of Harding University, Art began his professional life as a corporate buyer for Dillards Department Stores using his marketing and accounting education. For the past 28 years, Art has worked with Christian ministries and schools to grow their programs and connect passionate donors to things that truly make an eternal impact. Prior to Healing Hands International, Art was part of the leadership team for AGAPE, Lipscomb Academy, and worked as a grassroots fundraiser at Harding University. Art and his wife, Kim, are parents to three adult sons, three daughters by marriage, and love spending time with their grandchildren.

Jannette Akoth is passionate about giving hope to the hurting, especially women, children, and prison ministries by pointing people to Jesus, our everlasting hope. Jannette graduated from the Nairobi Great Commission Theological College with a Diploma in Bible & Missions and Computer Studies. She began working with HHI as a Hunger to Harvest trainer in 2012, teaching sustainable gardening skills throughout western Kenya.In 2021 she shifted to become the Kenya Women of Hope Coordinator and began facilitating trainings for hundreds of women throughout Kenya. 

She is married to her husband Chris and they have three daughters and one son. She also serves as the Head of Mercy and Hospitality and the Winyo church of Christ in Rongo, Kenya.

Lillian is passionate about the HHI ministry and loves changing the lives of children, women, and elderly people. She earned a Diploma in Medical Records and Information Management and has eight years of working experience with various NGOs providing healthcare education. She began working as the Women of Hope Uganda Coordinator in 2022 and now facilitates business training and business management throughout northern Uganda. 

She has two sons and lives in Arua City, Uganda. 

Richard is a graduate of Baxter Institute. He and his wife have two beautiful daughters. In addition to preaching for the Ojojona Church of Christ, Richard serves as an HHI agriculture trainer in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala and assists with the MAGI box distribution each year.

Mbwenu graduated from African Christian College in 2012 with a Theology major and a Leadership minor. He has been trained in Survival Gardening and Farming God’s Way, as well as poultry, dairy cattle, and fish farming. He serves as the preacher for Tombolombo Church of Christ and as a Biblical facilitator in AIDS prevention. He and his wife and four sons live in Malawi.

Rosemarlin lives with her family in Gonaives, Haiti where she serves as the Women of Hope Haiti Coordinator. She is currently studying English and is moving toward studying office management, interpreting, and entrepreneurship as well. In her free time she enjoys doing macrame. 

Rosemarlin is passionate about serving women who are suffering and helping them to realize their dreams through business so that they can improve their quality of life and be productive members in their communities. She hopes that through business women will also see God working in their lives and their hope will be restored.

John is a graduate of the Mutare School of Preaching and serves as the Country Coordinator for Zimbabwe. He and his wife have five beautiful children and are passionate about serving the people of Zimbabwe. John had this to say about the work, “In areas where HHI Survival Gardening has been taught and implemented, the impact has been astonishing. We continue to see the demand for and expansion of our training program. With each community trained lives are saved. On behalf of the many families and communities that have benefited from the training, I say thank you a million times. Your help has indeed left marks of love and footprints of hope in the lives of many families.”

Joseph is a graduate of Nairobi Great Commission School where he studied Bible and Missions. He and his wife and daughter live in Northwestern Uganda where he works as an agricultural trainer. Joseph serves as a part of evangelism teams and as a speaker at youth conferences.

Patrick is an experienced technician who is known across Haiti communities because of the boreholes he has helped drill. He serves as one of HHI’s water pump technicians and enjoys interacting with communities and helping to bring clean water to those who have none.

Edwin earned a degree in Bible and Missions at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching in Arusha, Tanzania in 2012. He now serves as a preacher and agriculture trainer in Tanzania. Edwin teaches village, prison, and school workshops as well as managing the Andrew Connally School of Preaching agricultural farm. He and his wife of 20+ have five beautiful children.

Augustus is a graduate of the Nairobi Great Commission School where he studied agriculture, Bible, and missions. He also has an advanced certificate in Bible & Missions from Mombasa NGCS Extension School and a management diploma from Kenya Institute of Management. In addition to serving as an agriculture trainer for HHI, he also preaches for the Likoni Church of Christ.

James B. Legend is a graduate of Bear Valley School of Preaching and serves as the preacher for Yua Church of Christ. He and his wife have five beautiful children… Fortune, Albright, Joel, Blessing, and Jeffrey. James says, “May the Lord bless Healing Hands International and its donors for being a blessing materially and spiritually to humanity.”

Paulina Martin is a gifted teacher and administrator who serves as the Women of Hope Coordinator in Tanzania. In 2002 she graduated from the Nairobi Great Commission School with an Andvanced Certificate in Bible and Missions. She then began working at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching in Arusha, Tanzania as the Administrative Lead. HHI volunteers connected Women of Hope to Paulina and in 2021 she began serving as the Women of Hope Coordinator. She now trains diverse groups of women and manages several businesses and loans throughout northern Tanzania. 

Paulina is married and a mother of three children and is active in her community as a teacher and business woman. 

Ngonidzashe Mudzani is passionate about working with rural women and collaborating with churches to bring these women into the economy in Zimbabwe. She holds a BA Honors Degree in Development Studies, a Masters in Demography and Population Studies, and a Post-Graduate Degree in Project Management Monitoring and Evaluation all from Great Zimbabwe University. She has worked with multiple government agencies and nonprofit organizations facilitating and monitoring projects. She began working as the Women of Hope Zimbabwe Coordinator in 2021 and oversees multiple entrepreneurship initiatives throughout Zimbabwe. 

Loveness Nkhata is an experienced trainer and teacher who has been empowering women in Malawi for many years. She received a Certificate of Education and began working with a community-based organization as a Reproductive Health Assistant, training rural women in women’s and family health. She began as the Women of Hope Malawi Coordinator in 2022 and now facilitates training and coaching for networks of female entrepreneurs throughout Malawi. She lives with her husband and four children in the village of Tombolombo and is passionate about serving women and sharing the ministry of HHI. 

Victor is a graduate of Bear Valley School of Preaching and serves as a teacher at the Lugbe Abuja Secondary School. He and his wife live and work in Nigeria. Victor says, “HHI is God sent to rescue poor farmers from poverty. The workshops create an avenue where men and women can have the opportunity for the participants to increase vegetable production through training and to learn about God’s love and his saving grace.”

Jude serves as our pump committee trainer and helps develop pump committees across Haiti, empowering locals to take full responsibility of their hand pumps. He is an evangelist at the Butte Boyer congregation and enjoys training and developing others. 

Phenix is a graduate of the International School of Theology in Port au Prince and serves as one of HHI’s water pump technicians across Haiti. He began working as an evangelist in coordination with our drilling team and now helps to repair pumps and train local technicians.  

Anusha grew up seeing her mother Prasanthi serve marginalized women and is passionate about the same communities. After graduating with a computer science degree Anusha, her husband, and her daughter moved back home to launch her own jewelry business that employs women from Prasanthi’s Sewing Mission and helped Women of Hope identify new opportunities in her area. At the end of 2022 Anusha officially became part of the Women of Hope team to assist Prasanthi, facilitate trainings, and oversee microloans.

Prasanthi is a skilled artist and teacher who is passionate about uplifting women in eastern India. She launched Prasanthi’s Sewing Mission to train women in tailoring and sewing skills so that they would be able to generate an income from her home. In 2012 Healing Hands was connected to her work and she officially became part of Women of Hope. Since then we have worked together to expand the program that has grown to 4 sewing training centers and many microloan opportunities for other women. 

Prasanthi and her husband Mohan serve many marginalized populations in their community alongside their kids Anusha and Suny. 

Joseph, his wife, and four children are members of the Masaani tribe in Central Kenya. He is a graduate of the Nairobi Great Commission School where he studied agriculture, Bible, and missions.

Thomas earned a degree in Bible & Ministry from Namwianga Bible School as well as a teaching diploma from the University of Zambia. He and his wife have four children. Thomas says, “Hunger in Africa is real. Survival gardening training provides opportunities to create relationships. You become like a family member and it builds trust with the people. Once the relationship is developed there is the opportunity to share the Gospel and people listen.”

Elizabeth Yakubu has over 20 years of experience working with women from diverse backgrounds. She uses her life experiences to encourage young men and women who come from deprived communities to keep pushing until they fulfill their dreams. Elizabeth has been a business owner, a community trainer, and then worked for World Vision training women in vocational skills. In 2010 she began a partnership with HHI doing training projects throughout northern Ghana and other west African, including the Saboba women’s group who harvests shea for our Women of Hope products. She now runs God’s Will Vocational Institute in northern Ghana where she equips at-risk students with vocational skills and spiritual strength. 

Elizabeth is inspired by her daughter and grandchildren. In her free time, she likes to cook, take walks, learn new skills, and spend time with her grandchildren.

Angela graduated from Lipscomb University with a degree in Elementary Education and received a Master’s Degree from MTSU in Curriculum and Instruction. She has a passion for teaching children and enjoyed teaching kindergarten and first grade for many years. She is also passionate about helping and empowering others, which is why she feels so blessed to be a part of the work and mission of HHI. Angela and her husband Derek live in Nashville with their two children.

Grace joined the HHI team in 2022. She graduated from Lipscomb University in 2021 with a degree in Social Work and again in 2022 with an MBA. During the MBA program, Grace interned with HHI in the marketing department. Now, she serves as the Donor and Community Coordinator for Women of Hope planning the Women of Hope Weekend, running the Women of Hope Store, and engaging with the community. Grace is a Nashville local and loves live music, spending time with family and friends, and all things watersports.

Linda joined the HHI team in August 2022. After graduating from Lipscomb with a business management degree in 1982, she worked in the publishing industry for many years. She has also worked in financial administration. She has four daughters and ten beautiful grandchildren! Linda is so happy to be a member of the HHI family.

Carl became HHI’s Director of Agriculture in December 2011. He is working to expand the network of people and financial supporters interested in teaching hungry people how to increase their food production and preservation. Carl has 32 years of experience as a high school agriculture and shop teacher. He has served as vocational director and co-authored two agricultural mechanics textbooks. In addition to several mission trips within the U.S., he has helped build a children’s home in Honduras and served the last 20 years as the Director of HHI’s sister organization, Caring for Kenya. Carl serves as an elder of his congregation and has been married to Ruth Ann for 50 years. They have three children and five grandchildren.

Taryn joined the Healing Hands International team in 2019. She is a graduate of Harding University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in advertising. A Little Rock, AR native, Taryn has served on mission trips to the Dominican Republic and Haiti and wants to be a part of demonstrating the love of Christ across the world. She is passionate about music, travel, exercise, Italian food and being with those she loves.

Chris started working for Healing Hands International in 2017. He manages our warehouse and is in charge of international shipping. In addition to his warehouse responsibilities, he shoots and produces videos for HHI. He is licensed as a pilot, forklift certified, and a Nashville Predators hockey fan. He and his wife Emily, along with their 2 boys live in Lascassas, TN.

Cristen joined the HHI team in 2021. She graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2016 with a degree in Communication Studies. She enjoys running, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family. Cristen and her husband, Dylan, live in Franklin, TN with their son.

Mark joined the HHI team in 2022. After retiring from the Army, he and his wife Jane discovered Healing Hands and fell in love with the MAGI Project and have been volunteering since 2016.  Mark enjoys showing the face of Jesus to so many children in Honduras.  He lives with his wife and three children in PA where he shares the ministry of HHI.

Mark joined the HHI family in 2020. He has a B.S. in business management and an M.B.A. with a concentration in nonprofit management from Lipscomb University. He spent 14 years working with Lipscomb Missions mobilizing students to serve globally through short-term missions. Most recently he grew mission programs for faith-based schools through his company 2×2 Global, as well as connecting people who love sports with another venture, Simply A Fan. He enjoys hiking and chasing waterfalls with his family, reading baseball history and is an avid Dodgers fan. He and his wife Beth live in Nashville with their three kids.

A graduate of Harding University, Sean has been working at HHI since 2007. He is passionate about connecting churches and individuals with ministry opportunities. Sean and his wife Kristin live in Nashville, TN with their two children.

Gillian joined the Healing Hands team in 2019. She coordinated the Walk4Water event in Tuscaloosa while attending the University of Alabama and obtaining degrees in public relations and law. Gillian and her husband, Jaron, live in Gurley, AL, where Jaron is a physical therapist and Gillian is also a practicing attorney. She loves Red Sox baseball, bluegrass music, and worshipping with the Lord’s church around the world.

Jessica Markwood joined the HHI team in 2020. She’s a Nashville native who graduated from Harding University in 2016 after studying Bible and Global Economic Development. She spent the next two years supporting agriculture initiatives and launching a small business with marginalized groups in northern Mozambique while getting an MA in Intercultural Studies. She’s passionate about drinking coffee, sharing meals, and finding abundant life in unexpected places.

Nancy joined the Healing Hands team in 2019. She is a graduate of Tennessee Technological University with a degree in Marketing and Business Management. Nancy has a passion for service and brings her energy and enthusiasm for God’s work to her work supporting our staff, donors and volunteers. She is also very involved with the Inner City Ministry in Nashville. Nancy lives with her husband Mike in Old Hickory. They have a daughter who is also on the HHI Team!

James Rucker joined our team in 2019 as the Field Coordinator for our water projects in Haiti. Originally from Paso Robles, Ca., James is a Harding University graduate with degrees in vocational ministry and electronic media production. After four years managing HUT, Harding’s 100-acre missions training campus, James and his wife, Abigail, moved to Gonaives, Haiti to serve as development missionaries. Six years later, they have relocated to Nashville with their two boys. When he’s not working alongside partners around the world, James loves to spend time with his family hiking, camping, and exploring new places.

Scott began his work as a Development Officer with Healing Hands International in 2011. Following a 7 year career in the insurance industry, he began his work in 1985 as a Development Officer with Lipscomb University. He became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER in 1990 and utilizes this knowledge to help donors with their estate and charitable planning. Scott has been married to his wife Susan since 1978 and they have three children and six grandchildren.

Colton Scott began working in Community Relations for Healing Hands International in 2017. He has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of North Alabama (UNA), and an MBA with a concentration in Finance. Colton and his wife, Chelsea, have two children.