Leadership Is Made For Service

​The US Board works in coordination with the Haitian leadership team and the HTC Foundation Board acknowledging that our role is not about how we're going to fix Haiti, but how we are going to walk together with our Haitian brothers and sisters, establishing trust, supporting their leadership, helping them to recognize their resources, building leadership capacity and developing strategy to achieve deep and lasting change.

The HTC Board ensures adherence to mission and accountability by creating a strong strategic plan, communicating strategic direction, monitoring financials, program outcomes and key performance indicators and ensuring that every board decision and goal is to make HTC Haitian owned, Haitian led, Haitian supported, and Haitian driven.  

US Board of Directors

VICKI JEFFERIS, Board Chair

Vicki Jefferis – Vice President / Development Chair
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Vicki has been with Haiti Teen Challenge since the beginning. While serving on the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Board she was part of the initial team that went to Port-au-Prince, Haiti at the request of the Haitian government and businesses, to explore launching a Teen Challenge in Haiti.  Previously she served as President of the Board of Directors for Antwerp International School in Belgium, on the School Board in Orchard Park, New York, and for a period of time was a small business owner. She has a B.A. in Business from Bethel University.

MARC SWIONTKOWSKI, Secretary

Marc Swiontkowski, M.D. – Health 
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​Marc is the past president of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and the American Orthopaedic Association. He has worked at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Tanzania, as Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University and University of Washington and as Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.  Since then he held the position of Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota and is the CEO emeritus of TRIA Orthopaedic Center in Bloomington, MN, Editor in Chief of the Bone and Joint Surgery Journal, and a Professor at the University of Minnesota. Marc is actively involved in training Haitian surgeons at the two Haitian national university teaching hospitals in Port-au-Prince (HUEH) and Delmas (LaPaix).

JOHN BERMEL

​John Bermel– Governance
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​John serves as the Director of Security and Emergency Management at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. Before Carleton, John served 33 years as a police officer in Apple Valley, Minnesota retiring as a captain. John is the President/Founder of Influence International™, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that equips law enforcement and other public service professionals and organizations, focusing on developing leaders of virtue, cultures of trust, and systems of integrity. John has a Master of Divinity Degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and a Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Management and Communication from Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. John and his wife Kris have two adult children and two dogs. John enjoys spending time with Kris and their kids, umpiring baseball, and remote wilderness camping.​

Chuck Beske, Treasurer

Chuck Beske - Governance Chair
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Chuck is the former Chairman and current board member of Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge.  He is also co-founder and Chairman of non-profits Clean Challenge and Haiti Clean Challenge, which focuses on improving waste systems, environmental health, food security and youth leadership in developing countries.  Chuck is a retired businessman and has a degree in Marketing and Finance from Minnesota State University of Mankato. ​

Robert Stevenson, Vice Chair

Rob Stevenson – Leadership Capacity & Human Resource Development 
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Mr. Stevenson has been a management consultant in executive search, executive coaching, job fit consulting and succession planning. For 35 years, he has worked closely with not for profits, ministries, healthcare systems and colleges, conducting over 250 executive level searches and selections. He has also managed CEO succession planning for organizations such as World Vision International, Premier Health, and many large churches. From 1979 to 1983, he served as Special Assistant to Minnesota Governor Albert Quie, responsible for selection, development and coaching of staff and senior management, constituent and political relations for the administration as a member of the Senior Policy Team. He utilizes SIMA®, the System to Identify Motivated Abilities® identifying gifts and building leadership capacity.

Christian Gustafson 

Christian Gustafson - Technology
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As Chief Technology Director of slashBlue, Christian gratefully serves Purpose Driven organizations in the AEC, Healthcare, Education, and Services industries by leading them through the process of Digital Transformation to achieve their Mission and Purpose.
Prior to joining slashBlue in May 2014, Christian had the joy and privilege to serve many diverse organizations in designing and delivering their Technology Roadmap for Digital Transformation. As a technology leader, Christian brings technology and business teams together to deliver greater business results. Christian has been blessed to serve notable organizations such as Best Buy, Target, Dow Jones, UnitedHealth Group, Volunteers of America MN, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and AvMed Health Plans (to name a few).
He has a passion for serving and equipping people in both his business and personal relationships.
​Christian previously served the ministry of A.C.T. Worldwide, providing strategy and technology guidance to enable the development of future leaders in the country of Haiti and around the world.

KEith terhaar

​Keith Ter Haar – Program Chair
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Keith attended Denver Seminary for his graduate studies in counseling and began his work in college ministry before spending 16 years in the Christian counseling field. His experience also includes coaching soccer and basketball, where he enjoys teaching and developing character in young men wanting to be Disciples of Christ. Over the last few years, Keith and his wife Lisa have developed their own business in the field of health and wellness, where Keith has served as a life and health coach, and continues to specialize in the spiritual growth and development of young men.

Dave Kell

Dave Kell – People and Program
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​Dave has a degree in Human Resources from the University of Kansas.  In his professional career he worked for 35 years with various corporations as Human Resources Director, Director of Materials, Director of Manufacturing, and Vice President of Operations.
In his personal life he has volunteered in leadership roles with Navigators, Crusade for Christ, Young Life, and Teens Encounter Christ. His church affiliations has him involved in men's ministry, prison ministry, mentoring men, leading small group Bible studies for couples and men, serving on church council and on the youth elder board, working on mission trips throughout the United States, Honduras, and Haiti. In retirement, he and his wife, Claudia, are involved in an inner city outreach food distribution program and premarital guidance and support to couples.
They have 3 children and 6 grandchildren which keeps them busy playing hard and living life to the fullest.