Board Members

Board Member Biographies

Dr. Ron Brown: Executive Director of Teen Challenge Southern California

As Executive Director, Ron Brown oversees the ministry of Teen Challenge of Southern California and its ten ministry locations, including the areas in and around Kern County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County to include Antelope Valley, Orange County, Riverside County, San Diego County and Fresno County/Central Valley. 

He has served for more than 20 years, leading multiple residential sectors and various evangelism outreach and prevention efforts to stem the tide of addiction in Southern California communities. 

In addition to his duties as Executive Director, Ron is passionate about leadership development and encourages pastors and Christian leaders through conferences, seminars and church leadership forums nationally and internationally. 

Ron has been involved in ministry for more than 38 years. He served 8 years with the Los Angeles Rescue Mission, working with the homeless and addicted living on the streets of Los Angeles. 

More than anything, Ron is a worshipper of God and simply believes that the love of Jesus is stronger than the bondage of sin and addiction and through the power of God’s grace, no one is beyond Christ’s redemption. 

He and his wife, Demetra, have two married daughters, and nine amazing grandchildren. 

Dr. Gary Munson, CEO Fire Over Africa

Dr. Gary Munson has conducted leadership seminars, conferences and crusades in the Philippines, Mexico, China, Japan, India, Russia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, as well as other nations. Dr. Gary has received the post-graduate degrees of Master of Theology with emphasis in Biblical Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, and Doctor of Education from the University of San Francisco, and a ThD in Missiology from the University of South Africa. He and his wife Felecia served as missionaries to Ethiopia. Dr. Gary founded Fire Over Africa in 2000 to support leadership and missionary training along with educational and commmunity health project in Africa.

Pastor Brad Neuschwander, Lead Pastor of Life Bible Church in Harrisburg Oregon

Pastor Brad was raised in the Mennonite church, and his family, like many in the Willamette Valley, owned a grass seed farm. At the age of 19, his family transitioned to a Spirit-filled church, where the Word of the Lord and the call to the ministry were released over his life shortly after. Likewise, Jennifer grew up in a Spirit-filled home. She gave her heart to Jesus at four years old and has been passionately involved in church ministry ever since. Brad and Jennifer pioneered Life Bible Church in the summer of 2001. Their journey began with five families in his parent's living room and has grown over the last 20 years to over 300 families, located on a beautiful bend of the Willamette River in Harrisburg, Oregon.

Together, Brad and Jennifer oversee the Southern Oregon Region of MFI and are a part of MFI's Apostolic Leadership Team. They both operate in a five-fold ministry. Brad and Jennifer regularly minister nationally and internationally. They have two daughters, Jacquelyn and Jessikah, who are both highly involved in church ministry and are passionate about God.

Rev. Michael Uadiale, CPA

Rev. Michael is a Certified Public Accountant and an ordained minister. He is Managing Partner of Smeed, CPA, a global accounting firm. Michael is originally from Nigeria and continues to do business and minister in Africa.

Dr. Stephen Stells

Steve Stells D Min., founded and pastored The House of Prayer Church, now, (Hope Point Church) in Chesterfield, Virginia for 38 years. Today the church is a vibrant multi-campus church pastored by their oldest son. Steve and his wife Sharon live in Chesterfield and actively serve in the church they founded.

 Steve has served as an Apostolic Leader with Ministers Fellowship International providing oversight to the South East Region of the United States for MFI.  He has served as a speaker for MFI conferences internationally for many years. Steve has also taught theology at Asia Theology College, in Singapore, and SUM Bible College, California, and River City School of Leadership  in Richmond Va. when his schedule permits. Steve also serves churches he helped plant along the East Coast of the USA, and many that they partnered with foreign nationals to plant in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Caribbean.

With 40+ years of ministry Steve is often called upon to advise, consult and coach ministry leaders. He is a partner with Dr. Jerry David and Rev. Mike Servello in the Seira Group LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to assisting church leaders with transition and succession planning.

Dr, Ambaye Ogato Anata

Ambaye Ogato received his MA in Social Anthropology from Addis Ababa University and worked as a lecturer in the department of Sociology and Social Anthropology.

He studied at and received his Ph.D. from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. He worked at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Halle and Rostock, respectively. After finishing his Ph.D. Magna Cum Laude, Ambaye Ogato did his postdoctoral studies with the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in the MaxNet Aging Program in Germany in Halle and Rostock, respectively. In another spell, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in the department of conflict and integration.

He has been a visiting Scholar at the Frobenius-Institut for Cultural Anthropology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. He was also a visiting Scholar briefly at Sewanee University in Tennessee, U.S.A, under Professor John Hamer who did a pioneering research on Sidama. He was also a Research visitor at St Andrew University under the auspices of Professor Mario Augiliar who was the Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion & Politics. Ambaye has also been a visiting Scholar at University of Vermont in the USA.

He has written and published in reputable academic journals on Conflict, identity and identity politics, patriarchy and women, and displacement. Moreover, he has co-produced films entitled “Die Beisetzung Von Kaiser Haile Selassie” “Emperor Haile Selassie I and his ‘Burial’ – Perspectives of the Rastafarians in Shashamane, Ethiopia” at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology together with Professor Guenther Schlee and Dr. Verena Boel.

Ambaye Ogato has been heavily engaged in most of the peace processes in Ethiopia notably the peace initiatives that has been carried out by elders between Amhara and Tigray people; Somali and Afar people; the Central government and the Tigray People Liberation Front; the Oromo peace initiative sometimes dubbed as Ambo Peace Accord and so many others.

Moreover, Ambaye Ogato was one of the founding members of the Multi-Stakeholders Initiative for National Dialogue (MIND-Ethiopia) which was at the forefront of setting a groundwork for the birth of Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission by proclamation.

He is currently a commissioner in the Ministerial Portfolio of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission. By bringing his wealth of experience in peace and conflict to the country, he has been a strategic senior peace and dialogue advisor for Justice for All – Prison Fellowship –Ethiopia (JFA-PFE). His Interest lies in the areas of conflict (ethnic, religious etc.), identity politics, tradition, pluralism, and population aging in developing world, peacebuilding and restorative justice.