Passionate People. Proven Experience.
Called to Serve.
Our Founders
What began as simple friendships and shared passions for serving, grew into family bonds and hearts for seeing entire communities transformed.
Mark Oakley
Founder / Board Member
Mark has been going to Ethiopia since 2012. He was the first to see the full potential of HOPE Missions. Now, he brings a wealth of business and executive leadership experience to the board. He has a passion for serving both in Ethiopia and on the board.
Alicia McGlone
Founder / Board Member
Alicia has been serving in Ethiopia since 2014. Her strong faith has been a guiding influence for HOPE since day one. She is a gifted leader and hopes to one day have the opportunity to serve and live in Ethiopia long term.
Abraham Bezabeh
Founder / Director of Operations
Born and raised in Ethiopia, Abraham is a natural entrepreneur. He started numerous small businesses, but gave them all up in order to help his fellow country people have access to clean water.
Our Board
Coming from wide and diverse backgrounds, our board members bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to our work. They all share a passion for their faith, our work, and seeing Hope be as effective as possible
Alek Sergek
President
Alek is a natural leader and brings a wealth of experience to leading HOPE Missions. He is a licensed environmental engineer and has years of work experience in managing international construction.
Samantha Allen
Secretary
Sam has been going to Ethiopia since 2018 and has led teams since 2019. She brings an abundance of passion to the board. Sam is both a gifted recruiter of new team members and builder of partnerships in the community.
Lindsey Roehner
Vice President
Lindsey is not only a wonderful mission team leader but great leader for HOPE Mission’s work in the US. Lindsey has skills in building partnerships with local business and developing a donor base.
Wendy Batcsics
Board Member at Large
Wendy has been leading teams since 2019. Besides having a real heart for our work and the people involved, Wendy brings a wealth of organizational experience to HOPE Missions. She makes sure the work being done is constantly improving.
Beth Vickers
Treasurer
Beth has known Abraham for over 15 years, and she and her husband have an adopted son from Ethiopia. Beth serves as the accountant for her family’s business and uses her financial skills on the board.
Steven L.
Board Member at Large
Steven brings a ton of experience in building international partnerships as well as developing strong non-profit organizations. Steven and his family have been huge supporters of HOPE Missions and Abraham’s work.
Our Staff
Serving under the board’s leadership and vision, our staff along with an incredible team of volunteers make Hope happen on a daily basis.
Benson McGlone
Founder/Executive Director
Benson has had a passion for not only seeing HOPE grow but also developing new leaders within the organization. He works with Abraham to not only oversee the work being done in Ethiopia but also see the board’s vision become a reality.
Taylor Murray
Intern
Taylor heard a call to full time service on his first trip to Ethiopia. He is now a team leader and works closely with those on the board to develop skills and experience as he discerns full time non-profit work.
Tabitha Roberts
Event Coordinator
Tabitha is one of D.C.’s top event planners. She freely gives of her time to HOPE Missions here in the States helping organize and execute fundraising events that allow the organization to run. Without her service and passion for the cause we simply couldn’t do what we do.