OUR TEAM
John Samara
Founder
Executive Director
Silva Sherman
Interim Associate
Executive Director
Dr. Barbara Neumann
Director of
Women’s Leadership Training
Pepper Lendennie
Operations Manager
Jamal Zakhary
Donor Relations Coordinator
Shelli Alaniz
Associate Director of
Women’s Ministry
Haley Wilson
Field Project Manager
Mary Ling
Financial Administrator
EXECUTIVE BOARD
John Samara
Executive Director
John, a graduate of Mount Vernon Nazarene University, earned his Master’s at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. In 2009, as he was pursuing a successful career in engineering, God called him to redirect his energies into supporting the rapidly expanding Church in the Middle East.
David Roth
Chairman Exec. of the Board
David received his Bachelor’s degree at Baylor University and earned a graduate degree from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. Now the owner of Roth Financial, a corporate financial consulting practice, David was an organizer and director of Icon Bank of Texas before its sale in 2018.
Brandon Allen
Vice Chairman
Brandon graduated from the University of Texas School of Law after serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Law Review. Upon graduating, Brandon clerked for Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and became a founding partner of Reynolds Frizzell LLP.
Silva Sherman
Board Member
After immigrating to the U.S. from the MENA region at age 18, Silva became a graduate of Malone University in Ohio. She later worked with Open Doors, directing and managing their work in the Middle East. Silva loves teaching, helping build ministry work, and leading mission trips.
Ron Thompson
Board Member
Ron graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served on nuclear submarines and naval destroyers. He is now a partner for a $13B IT and consulting organization. Ron has a passion for Muslim-background believers who are bravely enduring suffering and living on mission for Jesus Christ.
Larry Womack
Board Member
Larry is a graduate of Houston Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1991, he founded Copperfield Church, where he was blessed to serve as Lead Pastor until his 2019 retirement. Prior to leading Copperfield Church, Larry served for 19 years as a Student and Associate Pastor.
