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LEADERSHIP

ASJ-US Staff

Hannah Applebach – Partnership Coordinator

Based in Michigan

Hannah works to build relationships and steward connections across the country to raise awareness and support for the mission of ASJ. Hannah studied Sustainable Food Systems and Economics at Grand Valley State University. She started working at ASJ in 2021, previously having worked in the non-profit sector on economic development, anti-racism strategy, and addressing the root causes of poverty. She is passionate about systems and working on everything from policy reform to grassroots organizing for the flourishing of every community. Above all, Hannah is passionate about belonging and ensuring everyone has a seat at the table. She loves cooking, hosting, traveling, and sharing a meal with anyone who is able to pull up a seat.

Omar Hernández – Finance and Administration Assistant

Based in Honduras

Omar works with our directors, managing finances and administrative functions for our organization. He joined the ASJ-US team in 2021 after spending two years teaching English at Abundant Life Christian School in Gracias, Lempira. Omar was raised in the small town of La Union in the mountains of Lempira, Honduras, where he grew up learning English as a second language. He went abroad for his Bachelor’s degree, studying Business Administration and Accounting at Nyack College in New York. Omar believes that his country can build a progressive future if we all strive to be intentional, just, and loving in the job we have been entrusted with. In his free time, Omar loves spending quality time with family and friends, as well as traveling and adventuring to new places.

Elizabeth Hickel – Program Coordinator

Based in Michigan

Elizabeth maintains ASJ-US's website and advertising, develops communications and social media, and assists with fundraising event logistics. She was born and raised in Honduras, where she studied Dentistry at the National University of Honduras. In 2019, she moved to the United States and pursued a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus on project management at Cornerstone University. Since finishing her master’s, she has worked in the non-profit sector. Elizabeth is passionate about serving others and loves traveling, the outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.

Anna Johnson – Office Manager

Based in Michigan

Anna works part-time as ASJ-US’s office manager, executing administrative tasks and assisting with event planning, donor receipts, and print mailing logistics. Anna graduated from Calvin University in 2008 with a degree in Art, Recreation, and Communications. She is passionate about seeking justice in the community she lives in, where she also works as a parent school liaison. She first learned of ASJ in 2006 and her family has stayed connected to the organization ever since. Anna is eager to contribute to the important work of seeking justice in Honduras and beyond. Anna resides in Grand Rapids, MI with her husband, AJ, and two daughters; together they enjoy the outdoors, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Kyle Meyaard-Schaap – Executive Director

Based in Michigan

Kyle leads our ASJ-US team and gets to connect people from around the world to ASJ’s groundbreaking work for justice. Kyle brings to ASJ-US over a decade of experience in faith-rooted advocacy, education, and mobilization toward justice, especially environmental and climate justice. He is a Yale Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis, and his advocacy work has been featured in national and international news outlets such as PBS, NPR, CNN, NBC News, New York Times, Reuters, and U.S. News and World Report. His book, Following Jesus in a Warming World: A Christian Call to Climate Action, was published by InterVarsity Press in February 2023. Kyle holds an undergraduate degree in religious studies from Calvin University (B.A. '12), a Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary (M.Div. '16), and is ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). Kyle, his wife, and their two young sons live in Grand Rapids, and can often be found cooking, reading, and exploring the natural beauty of Michigan.

Sara Pineda – Communications Coordinator

Based in Honduras

Sara is responsible for developing comprehensive communications strategies to connect with our ASJ constituents in the US and worldwide. Sara graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies focused on writing, sociology, and psychology. She has worked in various fields, including publishing, mental health, education, and research. Sara is passionate about the power of storytelling to bring about individual and systemic change. She was born and raised in Honduras, and she believes that sharing the stories of her people is crucial to the pursuit of justice in her country. Sara and her spouse are currently based in Tegucigalpa and have made it their personal mission to find the best baleadas spot in town. 

Jo Ann Van Engen – Co-Founder and Creative Development Lead

Based in Honduras

Jo Ann co-founded ASJ with her husband Kurt and four Honduran friends in 1998 after realizing that many of the needs of the poor were the result of broken government systems. Since ASJ's founding, Jo Ann has helped create partnerships across Honduras and North America to work together towards justice, and she serves on the board of ASJ-Honduras. She served as co-director and instructor for Calvin University’s Justice Studies semester abroad in Honduras for 20 years with her husband Kurt. Jo Ann has both a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Calvin University and Master’s in Sociology from Azusa Pacific University. Jo Ann’s family has called Honduras home for over 30 years now, and she loves getting to be part of the community in their neighborhood of Nueva Suyapa.

Kurt Ver Beek – Co-Founder and Strategic Development Officer

Based in Honduras

Kurt co-founded ASJ with his wife Jo Ann and four Honduran friends with the dream of transforming Honduran systems to serve the poor and vulnerable. He currently serves as the President of ASJ-Honduras and collaborates with experts in Honduras to develop innovative solutions to strengthen public systems. Despite the challenges that Honduras has faced, Kurt believes that justice is possible for Honduras. Kurt taught as a professor of Sociology for Calvin University, where he directed the Honduras Justice Studies semester with his wife Jo Ann for 20 years. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Calvin, a Master’s in Human Resource Development from Azusa Pacific University, and a Doctorate in Development Sociology from Cornell University. He is the author of Call for Justice, co-written with Christian philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff about the theory and practice of justice. Kurt and his family have lived in Honduras for over 30 years.

Alison Wabeke – Deputy Executive Director

Based in Michigan

Alison leads our programs in the U.S., connecting North American supporters to ASJ’s work in Honduras and helping them learn how to do justice in their own contexts. After spending a semester abroad in Honduras, Alison wanted to be a part of building a brighter future in Honduras, and she has worked with ASJ since 2012. Alison received her B.A. in Spanish and Recreational Therapy from Calvin University and her Master’s in Business Administration from Central Michigan University. Alison is also an artist, focused on drawing and painting, and she believes that art is a platform to challenge everyday thinking and effect change. She and her husband manage Blue House Home Inspections in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

ASJ-US Board of Directors

Russ Jacobs, JD – Board President; Member, Finance Committee

Russ Jacobs works as General Counsel, Chief Legal Affairs Officer of the National CASA Association, which, together with state and local member programs and volunteer advocates, supports abused and neglected children in their dependency proceedings. In this role he serves on the executive leadership team, manages the legal function, and oversees membership change policies. Prior to National CASA he worked in private practice and then in-house at Starbucks Corporation.

Dr. Mark Veenstra, MD – Vice President; Member, Development Committee

Dr. Mark Veenstra retired in 2014 after 27 years as an orthopedic surgeon, though he continues to perform surgery several months per year with medical brigades to Honduras. Dr. Veenstra studied at Calvin University before earning his MD from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He and his wife live in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and they regularly travel to Gracias, Honduras to work in a medical clinic they founded together with the Luke Society.

Dr. Kim Lodewyk – Secretary; Member, Development Committee

Dr. Kim Lodewyk is a licensed clinical psychologist who works as a managing partner and clinician at Heritage Professional Associates with multiple offices in the Chicagoland area. She works with a variety of problem types and ages and specializes in working with trauma. Dr. Lodewyk and her husband have three adult children and live in the western suburbs of Chicago. She also serves on the board of Sunshine Gospel Ministries.

Chelsea Lernihan – Treasurer; Member, Finance Committee 

Chelsea Lernihan serves as the Executive Director for the MIGMIR fund, which supports Christ-centered ministries that meet the spiritual and physical needs of individuals in under-resourced communities in Chicago, East Africa, Central America, and Southeast Asia. Chelsea received her MBA from the University of Southern Indiana, and she is passionate about promoting faith, justice, and empowerment. Chelsea and her husband Tom live in Carmel, Indiana with their four kids.

Erica Boonstra – Member, Program Committee

Erica Boonstra is strategist, design thinker, and nonprofit advisor, passionate about spurring innovation and impact in the nonprofit sector. She currently works on the Nonprofit Success team at Salesforce, one of the largest and most innovative software companies in the world, after spending 15+ years working in international nonprofits, mostly recently at International Justice Mission. She has an Masters in Nonprofit Management from American University. Erica, her partner (Jonathan), and her son (Asher) live in Washington, DC.


Sharon Baker – Member, Program Committee

Sharon has been on the ASJ-US board of directors since the beginning of ASJ. She received her bachelor’s degree from Calvin University in Special Education. She has taught special education and early childhood education for 35 years and currently teachers at a Christian School in Byron Center, Michigan, where she lives with her husband.

Paul DeBoer, CPA – Member, Finance Committee

Paul DeBoer is a member of the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is one of the original partners of the local public accounting firm DeBoer, Goodyke, Kahler & Tuttle in Grand Rapids, MI. He has worked as the CFO at Extol, Inc., an engineering and manufacturing company in Zeeland, Michigan, before returning to the public accounting practice he helped to found.

Stephen DeHaan, JD – Chair, Governance Committee

Steve DeHaan has more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer focusing on personal injury cases. He has a Master’s degree in physiology from the University of Wisconsin, and has done research into cardiovascular physiology. Mr. DeHaan attended law school at Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana. He graduated with honors in 1983 and became a member of the State Bar of Michigan that same year.

Jodi de La Pena-Vanderpol – Member, Program Committee

Jodi is a licensed clinical social worker with 28 years of direct social work and managerial experience, focusing mainly on supporting refugees/immigrants/asylees and children and youth. Jodi holds a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis and spent 5 years in Latin America (Colombia, Venezuela, and Costa Rica) working with youth living on the streets and supporting the development of a foster care system. Jodi currently manages a federal human trafficking prevention grant for Oakland Unified School District and volunteers her time supporting her previous non-profit which provides refugee resettlement services. She and her husband live in Berkeley, CA with their almost-grown teens!

Luis Flores – Member, Executive Committee; Development Committee

Luis grew up in a small town in Guatemala and just before entering high school he immigrated to Grand Rapids, Michigan with his family. In 2013, Luis obtained a Bachelor’s degree in business from Calvin University and currently serves as a Sales Development Manager with Service Express. Luis and his wife have actively supported ASJ since 2012, and they are also passionate about serving youth and families involved in the foster care system. Luis knows firsthand the prevalence of injustice in Central America, and he has remained deeply connected and committed to serving the Central American people in any way possible.

Dr. Scott Johnson – Member, Finance Committee

Scott Johnson began his career in the 1990s working for the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (now World Renew) in the Philippines and Grand Rapids. He joined the board of ASJ-US in 2006, after finishing his Ph.D. in Strategic Management at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Johnson currently teaches Strategy and Business Ethics at Iowa State University in the Ivy College of Business.

James Nealon – Member, Program Committee

Jim Nealon has more than 30 years of experience in international affairs. His work in the U.S. Foreign Service has taken him to Spain, Hungary, the Philippines, and other countries around the world. Ambassador Nealon has served in public affairs, strategic communications, and human rights, including as the Civilian Deputy to the Commander of U.S. Southern Command. From 2014 to 2017, Nealon served as the U.S. Ambassador to Honduras, where he led U.S. diplomacy, and connected with civil society organizations such as ASJ to promote U.S. interests in reducing crime and violence in the country.

Maureen O’Keefe Hodge – Member, Development Committee

Maureen has lived and worked in urban poor communities in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Los Angeles. Maureen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has helped start nonprofits and community programs that bring change and justice to the suffering. Maureen and her husband Chris lived in Honduras and have three children with a large extended Honduran family.

Dr. Kelli Schutte – Chair, Program Committee

Kelli Schutte serves as department chair and professor of business at William Jewell College in Kansas City, Missouri. She holds an economics degree from Calvin University, a Master’s Degree in Finance from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in Labor Relations from Michigan State University. Dr. Schutte and her family are active in foster care both working with foster youth and volunteering with local organizations.

ASJ-Honduras Staff

Our U.S.-based team works in tandem with a large Honduras-based team to pursue justice in Honduras. Our Honduras team (ASJ-Honduras) is comprised nearly entirely of Hondurans and also has its own leadership. The work of ASJ in Honduras has received international recognition for its effectiveness and creativity, and our US staff work to share the lessons of this work with others outside of Honduras encouraging others to heed the call to do justice. Visit our Honduran partner's website.

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