Board of Directors
Shawna Gooding
Shawna has spent more than 15 years of her career as a media and entertainment researcher. She has led teams that deliver impactful consumer and audience insights that drive marketing campaigns, inspire creative development and influence viewership and consumption. In her current role as head of Consulting and Workshops at Collage Group, she works with brands by demonstrating the growth, impact, and nuanced characteristics of Multicultural consumers.
Shawna became familiar with Operation One through Grace Community Church, and the many members she’d spoken to who went to Uganda and fell in love with the Ugandan children and people. Driven by her passion for underrepresented people, it only made sense for her to move toward serving the people in Uganda and helping to make a positive impact on the future of the children and their communities.
Having lived in Italy as a pre-teen, Shawna developed a curiosity for people and diverse cultures at an early age. A lover of the outdoors, she enjoys connecting with others through hiking (and she’s also actively checking off the very long list of National Parks). She has lived in Maryland for most of her life and has a 12-year-old Dachshund named Dappie who thinks he’s a human and she doesn’t tell him any different.
Becky Ramsing
Becky works with the Center for a Livable Future (CLF) at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in the area of sustainable food systems and public health. She is primarily responsible for managing the Center’s science advisory role with the Meatless Monday Campaign, and she oversees research, communication, evaluation, and programming that facilitate a shift toward sustainable, healthy diets. Becky is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s of Public Health.
Prior to joining CLF, Becky worked with the University of Maryland as a Technical Advisor for Nutrition and Food Security for projects in Afghanistan and Ethiopia, helping women produce and utilize food for family consumption and income generation. She also worked as a nutrition consultant for community, worksite, and school-based programs developing and implementing health and nutrition curricula with clients such as Head Start, Howard County Public School System, and other business and community partners.
Becky and her husband Nick were a part of the team at their home church that began a partnership with AOET-Uganda in 2007. They lived in Jinja, Uganda in 2008/09 with their family and worked with Operation One‘s leadership team. They have continued to work with their church’s East Africa focus group since their return, including several trips back to Uganda between them. Supporting a local organization that helps vulnerable children and families access education and resources to live to their full potential is a privilege for them.
Originally from California, Becky and Nick have lived in Boston, Tanzania, Uganda, and now Maryland. They have 3 children – ages 17-23.
Charles Ross
Charles Ross is the Senior Director, Human Resources for the Harford County Public Library which provides information and resources to the citizens of Harford County and surrounding areas. A native Baltimorean, Charles attended Cardinal Gibbons High School and completed his undergraduate studies in economics and government & politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. While an undergraduate, he spent a semester abroad attending the Cooperative Japanese Business and Society Program at Oberlin University in Tokyo, Japan. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Baltimore. Previously, Charles served as the Director, Human Resources at World Relief, an international relief and development organization serving more than 5 million vulnerable people each year. He has travelled extensively internationally throughout his career and values the many cross-cultural relationships that he has developed. Charles resides in Maryland and has one son. He is an avid outdoors man and is active in a number of professional, civic and community organizations.
Pam Purcell
Pam Purcell is a retired business executive and co-founder of a Christian school. She has a heart for children and has been involved in non-profit board leadership for 30 years. Pam graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in computer science. Pam grew up in Nebraska and since then has lived in six states. She has two daughters who are in college.
Pam was introduced to Operation One through a national music tour AOET-Uganda took across America. They made a stop in Pam’s neighborhood in Billings, Montana and she was hooked. In 2018, Pam was able to go on an Operation One service trip to Uganda and meet her sponsored child as well as the rest of the Ugandan staff. This trip brought to life the needs and possibilities for the Ugandans. She desires to help Operation One realize its mission and vision for helping the Ugandan people.
Pam is a lifelong learner, enjoys spending time in Montana, and spending time with family and friends.
Lauryn Reade
Lauryn is an elementary reading interventionist, currently on leave at home with her son. She studied Elementary Education at Elizabethtown College and received her Master’s Degree in Reading Education from Towson University. Lauryn worked as a general education teacher and reading interventionist for eight years teaching Kindergarten to 5th grade at a Title 1 school in Columbia, MD.
Lauryn was introduced to Operation One through a service trip to Uganda with Grace Community Church. She fell in love with the Ugandan people, leading her to return multiple years and serve on the church’s East Africa focus team. Loving children and supporting their future is a passion of Lauryn’s so she is honored to serve the vulnerable with Operation One.
Lauryn and her husband Matt met during undergrad and married in 2016. They enjoy exploring the world together, eating sushi, and binge-watching tv shows. They welcomed their first child, Oliver, in March 2020 and feel extremely blessed to be parents.
Paul Wides
Paul serves as Pastor of Global Outreach and Care at Christ Community Chapel in Hudson, Ohio. He developed a heart for the world while serving on short-term mission trips, which led him to leave a career in business and join his home church staff twenty years ago. Paul studied at Bowling Green State University, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia International University. Paul’s passion is taking the gospel to where it has never been heard, establishing the church, and working toward real transformation both spiritually and physically.
Paul first learned about Operation One when Sam Tushabe made a fundraising stop at the church. It seemed clear from that first meeting that they shared a common vision for ministry which led to the current partnership. Paul was especially interested in the power that education combined with the gospel has to break the cycle of poverty for families in Africa.
Paul has traveled extensively abroad and loves to work cross-culturally. He has experience working with missionaries, agencies, churches, and orphanages. Paul enjoys training pastors and helping equip them for ministry. Paul is privileged to serve Operation One and looks forward to seeing children educated as well as equipped to serve God for their lifetime.
Paul and his wife, Deb, are lifelong Ohio residents. They have been married for 37 years and have three adult children and one grandchild.
Holly Soliman
Holly graduated from Chapman University Fowler School of Law in May 2020. She is currently studying for the California Bar exam and is set to take the exam in September 2020 after which she’ll join the law firm of Lynberg and Watkins as an Associate Attorney.
During law school, Holly was heavily involved with various organizations that sharpened her practical skills as an attorney and as an advocate. She participated in several competitions across the United States where she defended her cases in appellate style oral arguments. She was also the President of the Health Law Society, an active member of the Student Bar Association, and a Student Ambassador for the law school.
Prior to law school, Holly worked as a High School teacher for four years, teaching 9th-12th grade Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. She earned her Master of Science degree in Global Medicine at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, and two undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Religion at USC as well. During her years at USC, Holly participated in a program where she traveled to do public health and education work in Joyas, Honduras. She also worked for the non-profit, Share and Care, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for 4 years, an organization dealing with mental health and socioeconomic factors in inner-city Los Angeles schools.
Holly first visited Uganda at the end of her Master’s program in 2011. She had such a rewarding experience that she became a sponsor. She returned for a second visit in 2017 where her love for Operation One and the country of Uganda was reignited. Since then, she has continued to sponsor a child with the organization and has advocated her friends, family, and community for different initiatives for Operation One. She has always wanted to “do more” for Operation One and the people of Uganda and is thrilled to have this opportunity to do so.
Holly is an Egyptian-American and an active member of the Coptic Orthodox Christian Church. She lives in Orange County, California with her husband, Michael, and her Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Lola. She loves traveling the world and embracing new cultures and perspectives – evidenced by her tally of 29 countries in 6 years of marriage.
Stephanie Baynes
Stephanie Baynes is a Computer Scientist from Baltimore, Maryland. She studied Mathematics at the University of Maryland and received her MS in Operations Research from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Stephanie was introduced to Operation One through child sponsorship and has traveled to Uganda with Operation One. She is passionate about showing the love of Christ through missions and is honored to serve on the Board to help strengthen the Operation One mission.
Stephanie enjoys flying as a private pilot, volunteering/community service, and playing sports.
Vincenzo Leone
Vincenzo has been involved in the nonprofit world for the last 25 years. He started his involvement in Italy, at young age, helping refugee families from Sri Lanka. His college thesis, published in Italian, also contributed to the discussion of “The social responsibility of the Church before the world”, trying to find a biblical balance between “word and deed”. His passion is to empower and support the vulnerable, in the light of the gospel. He came to the United States to study and graduated with a Master’s in Divinity from Columbia International University and an MBA from Loyola University Maryland. He was the Director of Operations at World Relief for 9 years, where they resettled refugees across the U.S. and is currently the Director of Operations at Grace Community Church in Fulton, Maryland.
Vincenzo married Alice, from Paraguay, and they have lived and worked together in Italy, Switzerland, Paraguay, and the U.S. They have two children that are attending college, and if you visit their home it’s not uncommon to hear interactions in Italian, Spanish, and English, or hear them talking with someone across the globe. Vincenzo was introduced to AOET-USA/Operation One by the work and support of Grace Community Church, and Becky and Nick Ramsing.
Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith is a Maryland attorney. He was granted early admission to, and graduated magna cum laude from, the University of Baltimore School of Law. He served as a prosecuting attorney before entering private practice, where he is the managing member of Smith Law Firm, LLC, located in Columbia, MD.
Mr. Smith also has been involved in real estate and business ventures, accumulating “hands on” knowledge and experience in business formation and management, finances, taxes, marketing, etc.
He first became acquainted with Operation One when it was formerly known as the African Orphans Education Trust (“AOET”) and made a presentation at Grace Community Church. Mr. Smith was invited to attend the church by a friend almost 30 years ago and he never stopped attending. He was baptized at the church in 1996. Mr. Smith and his son began sponsoring a child in 2008 and the sponsorship has continued ever since. He believed in Operation One’s mission so much that he asked to join its Board of Directors.
Mr. Smith has a son (who is in graduate school after serving in the United States Marine Corps) and a daughter (who attends middle school and excels at music and sports). He enjoys alpine skiing, fitness, outdoor adventures, and a long overdue return to ballroom dancing.
Board Member Opportunities
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee is responsible for assisting the board in ensuring the organization is financially viable and meeting its fiduciary and compliance responsibilities. The Committee works closely with staff to create and implement the financial resource plan that will guide the staff and board’s activities in seeking out and securing funding from diverse sources.
Marketing/Fundraising Committee
The Marketing/Fundraising committee develops strategies to communicate Operation One’s message to potential donors and generate interest in the causes it represents.
Email [email protected] for additional information.
US Staff
Molly Kline
Molly has lived in Portland for much of her life. She has diverse interests, and remains involved with the PCPO (Parent Child Preschools Organization), serves on the board of the Cedar Hills Kindergarten and Preschool, and enjoys blogging about the Portland Trail Blazers. She likes to work hard and play hard, and can also be found playing basketball with her husband Derek and their four children, coaching youth soccer, or organizing a neighborhood game of glow in the dark tag. She loves all the good food that the NW offers (especially oysters!), road tripping with her kids, and karaoke!
Three things you should know about Molly is that she is always down for a fun adventure (one that involves laughter is the best!), she is a die-hard basketball fan, and her idea of a perfect evening is a group of friends gathered by a fire with lots of delicious food and conversation.
Email: [email protected]
Tony Huynh
Tony joined AOET~USA/Operation One in 2023 and serves as the organization’s Donor Care Coordinator and Executive Assistant. Tony has over a decade of pastoral experience as a youth pastor and preacher in the local church. Currently, Tony’s ministry focus is on assisting second-generation Vietnamese American communities contextualize their faith.
In his free time, you can find Tony and his fiance at a local coffee shop in Portland, enjoying third-wave brewings and pouring over a book. Tony is also an avid Blazers fan and wishes nothing more than to see Damian Lillard win a championship ring.
He is grateful to be a part of the work that AOET does in Uganda.
Geri Ponce Rickards
A few things to know about Geri – she is a Filipina-American, born in Hawaii, and has lived in Oregon for over 20 years; she dances everyday, and she and her husband love to meet up with their adult children at their favorite Asian restaurants around Portland.
Madeline Chudy
Madeline has been a dedicated member of Operation One since 2021, beginning as a volunteer on her first service trip and returning annually to Bugembe ever since. As a trip co-leader, she collaborates with the Bugembe community to identify impactful projects, organize service teams, and secure funding. Madeline serves on the Child Advocacy and Health Center committees within Operation One, and actively fundraises and promotes child sponsorship in the United States. As the Boston Advocate for Operation One, she works to ignite local engagement, including fundraising and child sponsorship initiatives.
Madeline holds a dual bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Computer Science. Professionally, she contributes as a Mechanical Engineer at Medica Corporation, where she designs and manufactures blood analyzers used in hospitals and clinics worldwide.
Outside of work, Madeline enjoys staying active through sports, exploring new destinations, and spending time with friends and family while appreciating the charm of Boston.
