​John Bermel

Vice President of US Operations

John Bermel is the Vice President of U.S. Operations for Haiti Teen Challenge (HTC), overseeing financial, human, and technology resources, as well as compliance, for the Minnesota-based nonprofit corporation. He has been involved with HTC as a volunteer, Board Director, and Board Chair before joining the organization as a staff member in 2025. He is deeply committed to the Haitian people and their nation. He has visited Haiti multiple times. 

Previously, John served as a Captain with the Apple Valley Police Department and currently serves as a police chaplain there. He has also served as Director of Security and Emergency Management at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and as the Chaplain at The Fountains at Hosanna, an elder care facility in Lakeville, Minnesota. John also serves as an elected official on the Lakeville City Council and as a Board Director of the Lakeville Faith Community. 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 holds 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 also holds an Associate of Arts Degree in Law Enforcement from Alexandria Technical College, and he has completed the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the Harvard Kennedy School Crisis Management in Higher Education course. 

John and his wife Kris live in Lakeville, Minnesota, and have two adult children and two dogs. John enjoys spending time with Kris and their kids, umpiring baseball and softball, and remote wilderness camping.​