Officers:

• Susan Paiement, Chair of the Board
• Brent Hample, President/CEO
• Susan Cannon, Vice Chair
• Maryanne Obersinner, Secretary
• John Kalita, Treasurer

Directors:

• Steve G. Stirling, Director
• Kiersten Ramirez, Director
• Bryan Stevens, Director
• John Kalita, Director

Susan Paiement

Chair of the Board

Susan was born and raised in Seattle, WA. She is currently the Winter Jam Volunteer Coordinator for Holt International, Inc. Previously, Sue served as the Campaign Director for Catholic Community Services of Lane County. She graduated from the University of Oregon School of Journalism in Eugene, OR, and made Eugene her home. Susan has a background in public relations and event planning and most recently worked at India Partners from 2004-05 as the Development Director. Since 1989, Susan has served on an Oregon Citizens Review Board, which reviews cases of children in foster care. She is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Eugene and an active member of her church.

Susan and her husband, Ray, live in Eugene, OR and have four children. As a family they enjoy snow- and water-skiing, boating and rafting, and attending the Oregon Ducks sporting events.

Brent Hample

President/CEO

To view Brent's biography, please click here to visit our staff page.

Susan Cannon

Vice Chair

Susan's early years were spent on a cattle ranch in Nevada. She is a graduate from California State University, Chico, and is a Software Engineering Manager with over 20 years of experience in the computer field. She has worked for well-known companies such as SanDisk and Sun Microsystems, as well as start-ups such as Liquid Audio, General Magic and ParcPlace. Currently, Susan is a Security Architect at Gridata. Gridata develops software for Home Energy Management Systems leveraging SmartGrid technology.

Susan is on the Board of Directors of Mateo Lodge, which provides services to persons with serious mental illness. She is also a session member for Bonny Doon Presbyterian Church.

Susan recently traveled to India on an India Partners volunteer team. She loves to explore the outdoors and experiment with cooking. Susan and her husband, David, live in Santa Cruz, CA.

Steve G. Stirling

Director

Steve is Executive V.P. of Administration at ChildFund International. Steve previously served as V.P. of Marketing at Heifer International, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing an end to world hunger. For two years, Stirling served as Sr. Vice President of Marketing & Resource Development for Childhelp, a non-profit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse, and for five years Stirling served as the Vice President of Marketing Operations and Executive Director, Major Donor Fund-raising for World Vision U.S., a Christian relief and development organization.

Stirling earned his bachelor's degree in agricultural economics at Cornell University and his MBA in Marketing and Finance at Northwestern University (Kellogg Graduate School of Management), during which time he also studied international business in Paris, France.

He worked as Vice President of Marketing and Sales for ConAgra Functional Foods, overseeing marketing, sales, logistics, productions, product development and customer service, and as Vice President of Marketing and Acquisition/Customer Marketing for Ameritrade, Inc. He also worked for pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, American Home Products, Bristol-Myers-Squibb and Mead Johnson.
He and his wife, Sook Hee, live in Little Rock, Arkansas and have two children, Richard and Rachael.

Kiersten Ramirez

Director

Kiersten is currently working as a Registered Nurse in Denver, CO. She grew up in Bend, OR and received her undergraduate degree from Whitworth College. She earned a Master's in Public Health Nursing from the University of Colorado and has a passion for medical missions and international healthcare.

Kiersten had the privilege of joining an India Partners volunteer team that traveled throughout India in 2003 and then lived an additional three months with Dr. Iris Paul while serving Reaching Hand Society. She also enjoys being involved in her church's weekly Bible Study and Women’s Ministry.

 Kiersten and her husband, Jason, have been married since 2007 and reside in Denver, CO. They love traveling both locally and internationally, as well as camping, hiking and biking in the Colorado mountains.

Bryan Stevens

Director

Bryan has worked as an Investment Manager and Financial Planner for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management since 1974. His strong commitment to financial integrity has projected his career in financial stewardship for more than three decades.

Prior to his career with Merrill Lynch, Bryan worked for two years in management at Union Pacific Railroad, one of America’s leading transportation companies. Bryan also served in the U.S. Military for four and a half years as a Commander in Germany, Senior Advisor in Vietnam and a Ranger Instructor in the U.S. Army Ranger School.    

In 1966, Bryan earned his B.S. in Arts, Sciences, and Literature from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York. In 1972, Bryan earned his M.B.A in Finance from the University of South Dakota.

Bryan currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army in Portland, OR and the Board of Directors for the Veterans and Family Center (formerly Harbor Light) in Beaverton, OR. Bryan has also served on the Board for WolfTree, which assists underserved schools and children by providing educational programs in science and math in the outdoors settings. Bryan is a current member of the New Song Community Church Worship Team.

Raised as a farm boy in South Dakota, Bryan still enjoys playing in the great outdoors. In his free time Bryan enjoys fishing salmon, steelhead, and walleye. He also enjoys watching college sports and traveling.

Bryan lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Tami. They have four children ages 34 to 44 and eight grandchildren.

John Kalita

Director

John is a retired business owner and computer programmer.  He and his wife have a small family farm where they raise cows, pigs, chickens and hay.  John also enjoys playing the stock market using a trading program he developed.

From 1984–1999, John was a partner of a long-distance phone company based in Medford, Oregon, where he oversaw technical operations and billing.  Previously he ran a real estate business in Chiloquin, Oregon and was its principle broker for 12 years.

John has served as an elder and youth group leader for two churches in Eugene, Oregon – New Hope Christian Fellowship and DaySpring Fellowship.  While living in Chiloquin, John was a volunteer EMT for several years.   He also served as the chairman for the ambulance board, a land use development committee and the city budget committee.

John attended Oregon State University for four years, working toward a degree in mathematics and computer science.  In 1972, John joined the Air National Guard to be a medic.  Over the years John dabbled in construction, helping build two of his family’s homes, along with several other projects.

John enjoys serving within a team environment and developing innovative ways to achieve objectives.

John lives near Junction City, Oregon with his wife, Arlene. They have five adult children and six grandchildren.