American Board

American Board



Bill Baker


board member photo
Bill Baker is a retired nuclear pharmacist and lives in Riverton, Utah. Bill attended the University of New Mexico, University of Southern California, and Utah University. He joined the Zambia Mission Fund board when his friend and fellow board member, Ken Hobby, asked him to join. Baker and Hobby have traveled extensively in Zambia to follow up on graduates of George Benson Christian College who are working as self-supporting missionaries. He has also served on the boards for the National Association of Nuclear Pharmacies – Rocky Mountain Chapter and the Society of Nuclear Medicine. Bill enjoys fishing, skiing and sleeping. His family includes two adult children and one grandson.



Klay Bartee


board member photo
Dr. Klay Bartee serves as Chairman of the Zambia Mission Fund Board. Bartee had his first African experience as a member of the Zambia Medical Mission team in 1998, and he has been part of many ZMM teams since then. Bartee is a professor and counselor in the Marriage and Family Therapy department at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, and previously was an assistant coach for the Harding Bison football team. Bartee’s passions include riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, traveling, hunting, and anything that has to do with Zambia Mission Fund. Bartee and his wife Lisa have three adult children and three grandchildren.



Marylou Behnke


board member photo
Dr. Marylou Behnke is a physician and a retired professor emeritus at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Marylou has been on the Zambia Medical Mission for many years and has been serving on the ZMF board for thirteen years. She enjoys reading, traveling, working with the Church Recovery Ministry and anything that has to do with Zambia. Her family includes her brother and his family and her large extended church family.



Curt Buchholz


board member photo
Dr. Curt Buchholz is a South Dakota native but now lives in Soldotna, Alaska, where he works as a pathologist. Curt has served on the board for six years and first got involved with Zambia when his wife Carol went on the Zambia Medical Mission. When Curt is not at work he enjoys ranching in South Dakota. His family includes his wife, Dr. Carol Buchholz, and a son and daughter who are both physicians. He also has two grandchildren.



James Crowder


board member photo
James Crowder has served on the Zambia Mission Fund board for 22 years. A retired historian for the Air Force, Crowder has also taught political science at Oklahoma Christian University. Crowder is active in his community in Edmond, Oklahoma, where he serves on the Edmond Historical Preservation Trust and the Downtown Medicine Mound Preservation Group. Crowder earned his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas and then completed his masters and doctoral programs at Oklahoma University. He enjoys politics and watching college football. He and his wife Jean have two adult children.



Larry Davenport


board member photo
Larry Davenport is retired from the US Navy and now works as Senior Logistics Analyst for Pynetics Corporation. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Challenge Youth Conference and is an elder for the Tuscumbia Church of Christ in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Larry joined the Zambia Mission Fund Board in 2016 and serves on the ZMF education committee. He and his wife Jennifer have two daughters. Larry enjoys playing his guitar, singing, and fishing.



Richard Duke


board member photo


John Estes


board member photo
Dr. John Estes has served on the Zambia Mission Fund Board for three years. An alumnus of Abilene Christian University and the University of Texas School of Dentistry, John is part of a multi-generational dental practice in Abilene, Texas. Estes’s father established the office and practiced there well into his 80s, and now Estes’s daughter Gwen Huey is also part of the dental practice. Estes first traveled to Zambia with his father and mother, Dr. John Estes, Jr. and June Estes, as part of the Zambia Medical Mission team in 1998. He has been returning along with his wife Angela and one or more of his children ever since. In addition to his work with ZMF, Estes has also served on the boards for Abilene Christian School, the West Texas Rehabilitation Center, and the Texas Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Estes has three grown children and two grandchildren.



Ray Ferguson


board member photo


Jonathan Frye


board member photo


Linda Gregersen


board member photo
Linda Gregersen was introduced to the work in Zambia through Zambia Medical Mission (ZMM). She led the children’s ministry for ZMM for several years before she and her husband David moved to Namwiaga Mission in 2005. From 2005-2010 they taught at George Benson Christian College. During that time Linda also became the coordinator for the student sponsorship program, a role she still holds. Linda and David now live in Mount Vernon, Missouri, and Linda works as a reading specialist in nearby Carthage. She has degrees from Harding University and Texas State University. Linda and David have two adult children and five grandsons.



Eleanor Hamby


board member photo
Eleanor Hamby serves as the Zambia Mission Fund Board’s administrative liaison. She and her late husband Kelly lived at Namwianga Mission in the 1980s, and Ellie returns to Namwianga every year for at least two months. Ellie serves as co-director of Zambia Medical Mission. Ellie has combined her passions for photography and travel, and she has done several photography exhibits showcasing her many travels. Ellie has a daughter and two sons, and she has seven grandchildren.



Mike Hill


board member photo


Kenneth Hobby


board member photo
Kenneth Hobby grew up at Namwianga Mission as the son of missionaries Alvin and Georgia Hobby. After attending Harding University, Ken went on to earn his Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University and became a licensed psychologist. He recently retired after teaching at Harding University for many years. Ken has served on the Zambia Mission Fund Board for 12 years and has worked with the College Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas, to support students at George Benson Christian College who are training to become self-supporting evangelists. Ken has served in Harding’s Center for World Missions and the Let Foundation in Szolnok, Hungary. Ken loves to travel, ride his bike, and take part in Kuntao Kung Fu. Ken and his wife Ann have three adult children and several grandchildren.



Marjorie Kagels


board member photo
Marjorie Kagels had her first experience in Zambia as a member of the Zambia Medical Mission team in 2002, and she has returned every year since then. She currently lives in Rugby, Tennessee, where she runs a shop that sells Zambian curios and crafts. Kagel enjoys sewing, knitting, crocheting, singing, and playing several instruments. Her family includes five living children and one who has passed away, as well as ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.



Dennis Mitchell


board member photo
Dennis Mitchell served as a missionary at Namwianga Mission and Kabanga Mission in Zambia in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. His wife Anita grew up in Zambia, the daughter of missionaries Alvin and Georgia Hobby. Mitchell has served on the Zambia Mission Fund Board for seven years. He is an elder at the Central Church of Christ in Little Rock, Arkansas. He enjoys gardening and visiting members of the church. The Mitchells have three adult children and several grandchildren.



Wil Pippin


board member photo
Wil Pippin teaches math at Midland Christian School in Midland, Texas. Wil met his wife Jenny on Zambia Medical Mission in 1998, and they married a year later. Wil and Jenny spend every summer in Zambia and also bring a group of students from Midland Christian School to Namwianga on spring break mission trips. A graduate of Oklahoma University, Will serves on the Teen Quest Board. When he is not teaching, Wil enjoys reading, traveling, and sports. Wil and Jenny have two school-age children.



Richard Prather


board member photo
Dr. Richard Prather is the Zambia Mission Fund Executive Director/Stateside Superintendent. Prather lives in Shatttuck, Oklahoma, where he and his wife Angie are veterinarians. The Prathers first got involved with Zambia Mission Fund in 1994 when then-superintendent Kelly Hamby asked Richard to assist with the Namwianga Farm and help with the first medical mission. Prather has a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, both from Oklahoma State University (OSU). He has served on many other boards, including Bayer Pharmaceutical Food Animal Advisory Council, Shattuck School Board, Oklahoma Board of Veterinary Medical Association, and the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Selection Committee. Prather serves as an elder for the Shattuck Church of Christ. He enjoys horseback riding, fishing, golfing, and Oklahoma State University football. The Prathers have twin daughters, three granddaughters, and one grandson.



Charles Small


board member photo


Jay Starkey


board member photo
Jay Starkey lives in Brownfield, Texas, and works as a sales territory manager for a trucking company. A graduate of Sul Ross State University and the Sunset School of Preaching, Jay has served on the Zambia Mission Fund board for five years. Jay and his wife Shelli have been part of Zambia Medical Mission teams since 2000, with their son and daughter joining them on several of those trips. When Jay is not at work, he enjoys golf and anything having to do with Zambia.



Benita Thomas


board member photo
Benita Thomas is a Colorado native and currently lives in Peyton, Colorado. A graduate of Oklahoma Christian University, Thomas spent many years working as a medical laboratory scientist before retiring. Thomas had her first experience in Zambia as part of Zambia Medical Mission. During her five years on the ZMF board, Thomas has been actively involved on the hospital and education committees and in promoting Bana Bags, a project that supports Zambian women who are raising orphans by giving them opportunities to make fabric bags that are sold in the U.S. She enjoys hiking, biking, gardening, and serving foster families. Thomas is married to Allen and they have three adult sons and one grandchild.