Board of Directors
Bill Merry
Bill serves as our Chairman of the Board and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2000. He is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University with a Bachelors degree in Marketing. He and his wife, Julia, have two children, Kensley and Connor. An active member of Crieve Hall church of Christ, he is currently serving as a deacon and is on the missions committee. Bill has traveled to Cuba, Mexico, and the Ivory Coast on mission and relief trips.
Eric Bearly
Eric and Carrie Bearly have been faithful Healing Hands International supporters for many years. Their children Nolan (7), Elena (5) and Rhett (3) are also heavily involved in fundraising for building wells through their neighborhood lemonade stand along with a family campaign on their website.
Since graduating from Pepperdine University in 2000, Eric has worked for Bobit Business Media where he currently serves as Chief Digital Officer. He was involved in marketing, event management and sales for the past 18 years before moving into his current role aimed at advancing digital growth company-wide. Eric and Carrie both grew up in southern California and moved to Colorado around six years ago. Eric serves as Deacon of the Connections ministry at his church, facilitating deeper relationships and involvement in members of the church family.
Bruce Beck
Bruce A Beck is a Shareholder in the LBMC tax practice. He has over thirty years of diversified experience including individual/tax planning, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, printing and publishing. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Personal Financial Specialist. Bruce's previous experience includes practicing with the Nashville office of a National accounting firm from 1984-1995. He is a graduate of Lipscomb University. He is active in his community and continues to support many professional and civic organizations. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross-Nashville Chapter. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Bruce resides in Brentwood and his wife and two children and are members at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ.
Dr. Bennie Harris
Bennie Harris, Ph.D. is the Senior Vice President and leads Institutional Advancement/Marketing and Communications for the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He is responsible for providing executive leadership to the offices of institutional advancement, marketing and communications and external affairs there.
Burt Nowers
Burt has been involved with Healing Hands International since 2005 when he began serving on our Board of Directors, serving as both Board Treasurer and Chairman of the Audit Committee. He served as the President from 2012-2016. A graduate of Lipscomb University, Burt is a CPA and one of the founders of AIM Healthcare Services in Franklin where he spent 14 years as Chief Financial Officer. He and his wife Lisa have been married for more than 30 years and they have three grown children. Burt serves as an elder of the church and is also on the Board of Directors for the Central European Christian Education Foundation.
Dr. Margaret Perry
Dr. Perry is Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Tennessee at Martin. She served as Chancellor for almost 12 years, having served for more than 30 years in university work in Tennessee. Her PhD is from UTK in Nutrition and Food Science. Interest in international work has been a priority in her education work throughout her career and interest in international missions programs and programs related to women have occupied much of her volunteer work since retirement. She has a special interest in nutrition and health, especially as it relates to women and children. She serves on several philanthropic and volunteer organization boards throughout Tennessee. She and her husband, Dr. Randy Perry, attend Brentwood Hills church of Christ where he serves as an elder.
Sandy Perry
Sandy graduated from Lipscomb University in 1982 with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. That same year, she married professional golfer, Kenny Perry, and they have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. They own and operate Kenny Perry's Country Creek Golf course. She served 1 term on the Lipscomb Board of Trustees. Sandy enjoys traveling to tournaments with Kenny where she coordinates the weekly devotionals for the PGA Tour Champions' players.
In her hometown of Franklin, KY, she has served on the Tourism board, Project Graduation and Ambassadors. Being active at the Franklin Church of Christ and helping over 30 teens from their county to attend LU through their scholarships are very fulfilling for the Perry family. Sandy's favorite program within Healing Hands International is the M.A.G.I. Project.
Dr. Doug Peters
Dr. Doug Peters joined our Board of Directors in the summer of 2012. He has served as Senior Minister at the North Davis church of Christ in Arlington, TX since 2001. Doug received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Bible and Ministry from Abilene Christian University. He completed the ACU Doctor of Ministry degree in 2006. He has served on ACU's Alumni Advisory Board as the past President and was the past Chair of the Visiting Committee for the ACU Department of Bible Missions and Ministry. Doug and his wife Sheryl have been married for almost 30 years and they have two daughters, Alani and Lauren.
Barry Pickering
Barry was born and raised in North Nashville, and graduated from Tennessee Tech with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1978). In 2011, he retired as a Senior Project Engineer after 33 years combined service with Colgate Palmolive and Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. Barry and his wife, Camille, live in Cross Plains, Tenn. and are members at Greenwood Park Church of Christ in Bowling Green, Ky. They have three sons and four grandchildren.
Camille has been active in packing MAGI boxes for the past 25 years. She made her first mission trip to Honduras in 2009 and encouraged Barry to join the next one in 2010. Since then, they have both made multiple trips to Honduras and Haiti with HHI and Mission Lazarus. Since 2008, Barry and Camille have been active with the ministry to Nashville's homeless community at Green Street Church of Christ. Barry enjoys woodworking as a pasttime and made the HHI logo in our newly refurbished lobby area.
Dr. Lon Raby
Dr. Lon and Rebecca Raby have been loyal donors and supporters of Healing Hands International for more than 15 years. As an active volunteer, Lon makes medical mission trips annually and more frequently when possible. In addition to work in Belize, he has worked closely with Mission Lazarus since 2007 and made trips to Baja Missions since 2015.
Lon is a Nashville native and a graduate of Lipscomb University and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (M.D.). He has been a practicing dermatologist for 22 years and is a partner at Dermatology Associates in Huntsville, Alabama. Lon and his wife Rebecca, who is also a physician, attend the Mayfair Church of Christ where they have also been active as children and youth teachers over the years. Lon has also served as Deacon for the youth and missions. The Rabys have three adult children, Caitlin, Samantha and Franklin.
Dr. Randy Steger
Randy is a retired professor of business administration at Lipscomb University where he was a member of the faculty since 1983. He has more than 30 years of experience in the business world. As a former top executive in a successful small business, he has made the classroom a real-life experience for students. He is the Founder of Healing Hands International and served as its President for more than 20 years. He currently serves on our Board and is on the Board of Directors for several other organizations. His family includes his wife Chris who is a Medical Doctor and his three children, Brandy (foster daughter), Daniel and Lydia.
Our Staff
Art Woods
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 three grandsons.
Chris Gingles
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
Jana joined the Healing Hands International team in 2013, but also served as a volunteer on the Women of Hope conference committee from the beginning and continues to lead the conference worship each year. She now serves as our Vice President of Operations and manages our MAGI project, volunteers, data and administrative support team. Jana graduated from Abilene Christian University and has a background in Project Management, Event Planning and Organizational Communication. In her free time, she loves to sing, speak at women’s retreats and has traveled with Come before Winter (CbW), a non-profit organization focused on supporting women in ministry around the world. Jana, her husband Kevin, and their three boys live in Lebanon where Kevin serves as a preaching minister.
Joseph Smith
Joseph began working for Healing Hands International in 1999. He is a graduate of Lipscomb University and volunteered at HHI during college. As our Vice President of Operations, he coordinates our international shipping of cargo to mission points, Potable Water Projects and our response to international disasters. He and his wife Ruth have one daughter.
Angela Bell
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 have been married for 13 years. They live in Nashville and have two children.
Carl Burkybile
Carl became Healing Hands International'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 Foster
Taryn joined the Healing Hands International team in 2019. She is a 2019 graduate of Harding University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in advertising. A Little Rock, Ark. 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 Gannon
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 Lebanon, TN.
Cindy Herring, R.N.
Cindy began her work with Healing Hands International in 2000. Our own "Warehouse Nurse," Cindy is our Medical Supplies Specialist and Volunteer Coordinator. Her many years of experience in home health have helped to prepare her for many trips around the world working through our Medical Relief programs. She also heads up the M.A.G.I. Project that delivers thousands of Christmas presents every year. Cindy has been married to Greg Herring for more than 40 years and they have two married children and four grandchildren. Cindy enjoys spending time with friends, cross stitching, and encouraging youth in service to God.
Sean Judge
A graduate of Harding University, Sean has been working at HHI since 2007. He is our director of Walk4Water, which is fitting since Sean and his wife Kristin actually met at a Walk4Water event in 2014. They live in Nashville, TN with their dog, Ollie.
Gillian Kelley
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, Ala., 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.
Emily Lansdell
Emily joined HHI in 2019 as the Director of Marketing. She brings more than 20 years experience in marketing and public relations with an extensive background in Christian education. She is an Alabama native, a 1993 graduate of Freed-Hardeman University, and has an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Memphis. Emily lives in Columbia, Tenn. with her two sons, two cats and husband Charlie, who coaches football at Columbia Academy. In churches from west and middle Tennessee, Emily has been involved in leading women’s ministries and teaching, and regularly participates in the MAGI Project.
Caleb McCurry
Caleb joined the Healing Hands team in 2017 and now serves as a Coordinator for the Walk4Water program. Caleb is a 2015 graduate of Harding University and is from the Branson, Missouri area. He brings a lot to our team with his outgoing, genuine, and passionate spirit.
Brandon Post
Brandon started working at Healing Hands International in 2005. He graduated from Freed-Hardeman in 2003 with a Bible major and a minor in Computer Science and previously worked as an Involvement Minister. Outside of his work at HHI, he is very involved in outreach to inner-city youth in Nashville.
Maeva Ralafiarindaza
Maeva started working at Healing Hands International in 2012. He graduated from Lipscomb University with a Bachelors degree in Information Technology Management and a Masters of Science in Information Security. He is from Madagascar. He is passionate about technology, data science, music and enjoys mentoring and sharing the wisdom of God.
James Rucker
James Rucker is our Water Project Coordinator in Haiti. Along with his wife Abigail and their one-year son, Micaiah Adventure, James has already been very fruitful in the area serving from the HHI field base in Titanyen. Originally from Paso Robles, Ca., James is a Harding University graduate with degrees in vocational ministry and electronic media production. He has managed HUT, Harding’s 100-acre missions training campus, and has served in children’s ministries as a camp director. In 2016, James and Abigail moved to Gonaives, Haiti to serve as development missionaries. He has also been on video mission trips to Haiti and Kenya, creating local Christian educational films, as well as documenting well sites for GWAM (Ghana West Africa Missions).
Scott Saunders
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 PLANNERTM 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
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.
Linda Smith
Linda joined the Healing Hands family in September 2013 as an Administrative Assistant after retiring from a 34-year public school teaching career. A lifelong love for mission work led her to volunteer at Healing Hands International in January 2010. Linda continues to be blessed to work with the missions at Healing Hands and is honored to help promote empowerment and sustainability in other countries. Linda is married to Wayland and has four sons and six grandchildren. She loves to fellowship with family and friends, enjoys traveling and delights in a hearty laugh.
Ebenezer Udofia
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 Van Dyke
Alisa rejoined the Healing Hands team in 2017 after taking off a few years to stay at home with her children. She graduated from Freed-Hardeman University in 2006 with a degree in marketing and has more than 10 years of non-profit marketing experience. 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.