The Executive Team
The Executive Team is responsible for bringing the JV’s longterm strategy and vision to life. It is formed by both national and international staff.
The JV Council
The JV Council consists of all the JV country leaders. This is invaluable in forming a longterm strategy and focus of our ministry as it is informed by the needs of the countries in which Josiah Venture serves.
Executive Team
Like the rest of our staff, our executive team members are support-raising missionaries. They also live and work on the ground in Central and Eastern Europe.
Our Leadership
JV Council
These passionate full-time missionaries have devoted their lives to equipping young leaders in Central and Eastern Europe through the local church.
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JV USA Board Members
Director and Chairman H. Philip Vierling serves as a Director and the Chairman of the Josiah Venture US board. He is President of Plumb Line Vision, Inc., which performs management and consulting services to the medical device industry. Philip has over 40 years of management experience in the medical device industry, having served as the CEO/President for both Kalypto Medical and Empi Inc, and interim CEO for SubioMed Inc, BioMedix, and Liver Cell Technologies, Inc. From 2016-2018, Philip served as Department chair and Assistant Professor at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for SubioMed Inc, and as a Trustee for the University of Northwestern St. Paul. His initial involvement with Josiah Venture was as a participant in English camps in Poland in 1998, and Philip has served on the Board of Josiah Venture since 2002. He is a graduate of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee and holds an M.B.A. from the University of South Florida. Philip and his wife, Becky, have three children, four grandchildren, and live on a hobby farm in Minnesota.
Director and President Dave Patty is one of the founders of Josiah Venture. He and his wife, Connie, became missionaries to U.S. servicemen and their families in the 1980’s, and through mission outreaches into former Communist bloc countries, became convinced that young people were ready and eager to hear the Gospel, put their faith in Christ, be discipled and trained up as young Christian leaders. Born to missionary parents (his parents founded Cadence International), Dave has been on the mission field for over 30 years. He is a graduate of Multnomah School of Bible in Portland, Oregon and holds a master’s degree in Educational Ministry from Wheaton College. He and his wife, Connie, live in the Czech Republic and have three children.
Director and Treasurer Frank Fernandes has been a private asset manager since 1993. Prior to this, from 1980-1993, Frank was a commodities and options trader at the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. He is involved in several boards and committees, including Josiah Venture, English Language Institute China, and Grace Foundation. Frank is a graduate of Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Illinois. He is married and has two children.
Director Don Christensen is the Executive Vice President of the Professional Athlete Division of Ronald Blue Trust, providing expertise in financial planning and investment management for professional athletes. Along with being active in various ministries, speaking engagements, and mission projects, Don serves on the boards of Endurance and Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO). He earned his BS in Accounting from Arizona State University and received his Master’s degree in Christian Leadership from Western Seminary. He and his wife reside in Arizona.
Director and Vice-Chairman Jack Webster serves as a Director of the Josiah Venture US board. He recently transitioned from his role as a Lead Team Pastor at Southeast Christian Church, where he served as a Deacon and Elder of the church before joining the staff. Prior to his role at Southeast, he served 30 years in the Farm Credit System, the last seven as President and CEO of Farm Credit Services of America. Jack’s wife, Linda, also serves full-time in ministry as Executive Director of mPower. Jack is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. He and Linda have two married children and eight grandchildren. Click here to learn more about Jack.
Director Dr. Dann Spader is Founder of Concentric Global, an alliance of organizations committed to mobilizing indigenous movements of multiplying disciples around the globe. Concentric is presently in 130 countries around the world. Dann also serves as Founder of Sonlife Ministries, a designated to train church leadership in discipling as seen in the Life of Christ. Dann is married to Char and they have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and eight grandchildren. All three of their daughters are involved in ministry and Dann and Char currently live in San Diego, helping their two son-in-laws who are planting a church there. Dann is a graduate of Moody and Trinity Seminary. He has written numerous training manuals and several books. Over 1,000,000 leaders globally have been through live training with these materials. Dann’s two latest works are Live Like Jesus and 4 Chair Discipling. Dann’s passion is taking people to Israel and teaching the life of Christ while in the Land. Dann has led over 60 tours to Israel.
Director Dave Jamerson is a former professional basketball player who was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round of the 1990 NBA Draft. After a record-breaking collegiate career, Jamerson played for the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, and New Jersey Nets in his 3+ NBA seasons. Dave is now the Lead Pastor of Renovate Church in Austin, Texas. Before launching Renovate, Dave served as the outreach pastor for seven years at the 8,000 member Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dave became a Christian while playing in the NBA, and therefore, brings a unique perspective to outreach and how to strategically connect the gospel to culture. Prior to coming on staff at TPCC, Dave served as the President and International Director of Champions for Christ, was the founder and President of Champions Academy–a world-class basketball training academy that uses sport to reach and influence the next generation of basketball leaders, and served on the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) ministry team in charge of all outreach activities at the NCAA Final Four and Convention. Dave, who was a first team Academic All-American while getting his Communications Degree from Ohio University in 1990, has helped to plant churches and lead ministry in over 30 countries. He resides with his wife of 25 years, April, and their 4 children in Leander, Texas.
Director John Deedrick is an experienced senior executive, as well as a company founder and board director/advisor. In addition to Josiah Venture, John serves on the Athletes in Action board for the Uncommon Award presented by Tony Dungy and the NFL Coaches Fellowship. John is President of CHIP Solutions, a business consulting firm that serves the Defense Industry and the Medical Technology Industry. He is Co-founder and Executive Chairman of ActivOrtho, Inc., and Co-Founder and Director of Endogenex, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University of St. Paul and an MBA from St. Thomas University. John and his wife, Kelly, have been married for 40 years. They live in Minnesota and have 2 sons and 5 grandsons. The Deedrick family loves serving others by shining the light of Christ!
Flaviu Coman serves as a Director and the Team Leader and President of Vital 10/10, Josiah Venture’s partner organization in Romania. In 1999 he moved from SW part of Romania (Petroșani), to the SE city of Medgidia to plant churches. Working with his church, Bethlehem, they have planted 14 churches in the last 20 years. In 2000, he graduated from the Pentecostal Theological University in Bucharest and in 2016 graduated with a MA in Biblical Theology from the University of Bucharest. He is also the vice president of the Romanian Center of Transcultural Studies in Constanța City. In 2001, Flaviu married Lidia, who is the Administrative Director of Vital 10/10 and together they have four children: Aida, Alicia, Elias, and Evie.
Director Russ Schultz is the Chief Operating Officer for New Life Ranch, a Christian camp and retreat center in Oklahoma where he has been part of the leadership team for 20+ years. Prior to his full-time ministry role in Christian camping, Russ spent 18 years in technology and business. He is a graduate of the University of Tulsa. Russ is active with other NPO boards and enjoys time with his wife, Deedra, their six children and two grandkids.
Director Kevin Wilson was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of Heska Corporation (NASDQ: HSKA) (2013-2023), a business focused on veterinary healthcare, with locations in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, and elsewhere, until its sale to Mars Petcare Inc. in June of 2023. He resides in Colorado with his wife of 30+ years and is blessed with a wonderful family, including three sons, a daughter, two cats, and two border collies. He is chairman of the board of Vail Christian High School (VCHS); while he didn’t complete college, he encourages his children and all VCHS students to do so. Kevin began to follow Jesus at the age of 15. At the age of 20, he began founding and operating start-up businesses in medical diagnostics, image detection, telemedicine, software, and related services, several of which resulted in positive mergers and integrations. He skis (alpine and cross-country) and cycles (road and mountain) and sails – each more slowly every year.
Director David Swain is cofounder of two healthcare companies: OB Hospitalist Group and Proactive-MD. He enjoys mentoring business leaders and young men and advising/investing in startup organizations. He received a degree in Math and Computer Science from The Citadel and a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Carolina. David has been married to his beloved wife, Mary, for 40 years. Both are enthusiastic supporters of Josiah Venture. They live in Greenville, SC and have 6 children and 8 grandchildren; 7 of which live next-door!
JV UK Board Members
James Courtis-Pond serves as the Josiah Venture UK board Chairman. He is part of a church planting team at St. Peter’s Brighton. James has led many Alpha courses and Christian Men’s Groups—even having had the privilege to speak to the South African rugby team about Jesus during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. James has a law degree, practiced law with two Magic Circle law firms, and was General Counsel of a US energy company. He is currently CEO of AnyData Solutions, providing business intelligence and contract management software and services to global companies. James is married with 3 children and lives near Brighton.
Paul Bowman serves as a Trustee of the Josiah Venture UK board and has over 20 years of experience in full-time youth ministry in the local church. He has served in a variety of settings throughout Ireland—both urban and rural—working with churched and unchurched young people. He is passionate about developing youth ministries that are rooted in the life and ministry model of Christ. For many years he led teams of young people on short-term mission trips to the Czech Republic to serve in the Josiah Venture Camp ministry. He is committed to training and equipping the next generation of youth leaders and seeing young people mobilised to make disciples throughout the world. He holds a BSc Hons in Community Youth Work and has a Masters in Transformational Leadership. He lives with his wife Val and their three children in Saintfield, Northern Ireland.
Mel Ellenwood serves as the Executive Vice President of Josiah Venture (JV). Prior to joining JV, Mel served as a youth pastor for churches in Peoria, IL and Three Lakes, WI for 10 years. Mel, along with his wife Amy and their three children, moved to the Czech Republic and became missionaries with Josiah Venture in 1998. Since then, Mel has worked in various roles throughout JV, developing a model youth ministry in Czech, leading the camp ministry, and shepherding national teams across the organization.
JV Canada Board Members
Jay Sandiford serves as a Director of the Josiah Venture CA board and the Lead Pastor at Willow Creek Baptist Church in Midhurst, Ontario—where he serves with his wife Mandy and his two children Hayden and Parker. Before moving to Midhurst in May 2012, Jay served as the Youth and Associate Pastor at Springvale Baptist Church in Stouffville, Ontario, for 13 years. He is a graduate of Lexington Baptist College (now Boyce College of Louisville, Kentucky) and Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, Ontario. Jay was first introduced to Josiah Venture when taking a team from Springvale to Poland in 2009 to lead an English camp. It was here that he felt an instant connection with the vision, mission, and people of JV.
Gord Jackson serves as a Director of the Josiah Venture CA board and has served as both a volunteer and a staff member of various organizations and ministries in Ontario’s Region of Waterloo, since 2004. Prior to that, Gord, along with Liz and their children, served with Josiah Venture in Poland in the early days of JV’s ministry. Gord currently serves as the Coordinator of Volunteer Engagement for a local non-profit charity, as well as being very involved as an elder and ministry leader in his local church in Kitchener, ON. The Jackson’s eldest daughter, a JV Kids alumnus, currently serves on the JV/Fala team in Poland, continuing the Jackson’s commitment to supporting the cause of equipping young leaders to fulfill Christ’s commission through the local church.
Mel Ellenwood serves as the Executive Vice President of Josiah Venture (JV). Prior to joining JV, Mel served as a youth pastor for churches in Peoria, IL and Three Lakes, WI for 10 years. Mel, along with his wife Amy and their three children, moved to the Czech Republic and became missionaries with Josiah Venture in 1998. Since then, Mel has worked in various roles throughout JV, developing a model youth ministry in Czech, leading the camp ministry, and shepherding national teams across the organization.