Brenda Holland, Executive Director of ILAD, spent 12 years in Togo, Africa where she worked with various development projects including women’s empowerment and literacy. Adding to her international experience, Ms. Holland received her master’s degree in International Community Development from Eastern University and a life-coaching certification from CoachNet International. Her education and extensive cross-cultural experience gives Ms. Holland a balanced approach to economic development among under-resourced language communities. Ms. Holland has served in this role since 2014.
Mandy Chankin is the Director of Communications for ILAD. She holds a BA in Human Resources from Harding University, an MS in Secondary Education, and an MS in Missions from Abilene Christian University. Mandy lived and worked in Burkina Faso for 8 years during which time she became acutely aware of the devastating impact of poverty.
In 2015, Mandy joined ILAD as a part-time grant writer and over time became Director of Communications. Her cross-cultural experience, dedication to poverty alleviation, and desire to see all people flourish enables her to effectively communicate the vision of ILAD across sectors.
Abel Ortiz, JD, MSW; Mr. Ortiz has extensive expertise in public agency program development, implementation, budgeting, and organizational change management. Mr. Ortiz served in Utah’s Human Service system and as Senior Policy Advisor for Governor Perdue of Georgia. After leaving public service, he joined the Annie E. Casey Foundation as Evidence-Based Practice Group Director. In 2012, Mr. Ortiz relocated to Moscow, Russia, where he developed and implemented small business incubation projects in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Mr. Ortiz join ILAD in 2022, where he leads new project development planning.
Dr. Kelsey Daniels is an educator turned evaluator who holds a BA in English, Spanish, and TESOL, an MA in linguistics, and an EdD in educational program evaluation. Her work has taken her from rural villages in Papua New Guinea to college classrooms in Australia and back. She currently helps ILAD teams develop and implement monitoring and evaluation systems that prove and improve program progress and impact.
Howard Freeman has more than 25 years of fundraising experience in the nonprofit space, most of it with faith-based organizations working both domestically and overseas (primarily Southeast Asia). He also is co-founder of a climate tech hardware company based in Boulder, Colorado, and during his time in the private sector has helped more than a dozen startups in various sectors find early-stage capital. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from North Carolina State University and has received the CFRE certification in 2004.
“Mr. Kotlan is a Professional Engineer and former city manager of Montgomery, Texas. He has over 20 years of experience in the planning, design, and construction of public works and development projects ranging up to $15M in construction cost. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he has a Bachelors in Civil Engineering.”
Ms. Cleveland is a practicing attorney who operates her own firm in Ft. Worth, TX. She is also a Certified Public Accountant. She obtained her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and her LLM in Taxation from Southern Methodist University. She is a member of a number of bar associations and CPA chapters and brings extensive legal and accounting expertise to the organization.
Mr. Bross is a project development manager for a major resource production company. He has worked in numerous areas around the world and managed significant projects for both his present and prior employer. He now manages the early framing and assessment of development opportunities for major projects company wide. He has a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Charles is a successful businessman with experience in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. He has spent nearly two decades involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and has filled a variety of roles for them. Charles has also worked as the President of Frog Street Press, an early childhood curriculum provider. He has a love for serving people and for helping them reach their potential.
Dr. Jason Butler is a certified specialist in cross-cultural communication and cultural intelligence. He holds doctorates in intercultural studies and non-profit leadership, with additional degrees and specializations in sociology, entrepreneurship and human resource management. He is an entrepreneur at heart and loves to start and lead transformational ventures whose bottom lines are economic, humanitarian, social and environmental. He has co-founded and co-leads several global networks dedicated to identifying and training entrepreneurs and business leaders to start businesses that have positive community impact.
Mr. Caraway is a Professional Engineer who has been actively involved for over 35 years in the electric power generation, delivery, and marketing business, serving in a wide variety of technical, commercial, and executive roles. He holds an associate’s degree in automotive and diesel technology from Universal Technical Institute in Houston and a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering with a focus in power engineering and an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Dr. Johnson has an extensive and unique background as an educator, attorney, banker, business consultant, and entrepreneur, both domestically and internationally. His work includes the dynamic use of business and banking to holistically transform communities economically. He has an array of academic credentials including masters and PhD degrees in public administration, bank management and economic development which allow him to bring both a practical and academic perspective to his work, writing, consulting and teaching
