directors

Richard E. Mitchell

Richard Mitchell (Rick) was born and raised in Ensley, Alabama. He graduated from Ensley High School in 1974 and attended Jefferson State Community College for a short time before transferring to Toccoa Falls Bible College in northeast Georgia. On November 6, 1977, the Kelly Barnes Dam collapsed and the 40-acre lake it held crashed through much of the Toccoa campus, killing 39 people, as well as destroying everything he owned. As a starting-over process, Rick returned to Birmingham and began a career in printing and publishing, which led to management and culminated with 20 years at Reynolds and Reynolds in the automotive industry. God has given Rick a servant’s heart for the Nations, which has been displayed in preaching, teaching student ministry, serving the homeless, being a father to the fatherless and short-term missions locally and in many third-world countries. Rick is married to his wife, Lisa and they are members of Christ Fellowship Church in Homewood, Alabama.

J. Wesley Mitchell

Wesley Mitchell is a life-long resident of Birmingham, Alabama. He is a 2002 graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and a 2008 graduate of the University of Alabama with a Masters in Accounting.  Wesley has many years of experience in the accounting and finance industry, generated by employment in auditing at Ernst and Young, cash management and purchasing at JS Printing, Inc., asset accounting at Alagasco and financial analysis at Southern Nuclear Operating Company. He served as a Corporate Governance Analyst before becoming a Marketing and Events Coordinator for Alabama Power Company. Wesley has been actively involved in local missions in Choctaw County, Alabama and has lived in a global household with students from inner-city Birmingham, South Sudan and Ethiopia. Wesley’s kind and giving heart longs to serve the less fortunate and share Christ with those around him. Wesley and his wife, Ashley, have one daughter Carley Quinn and they attend Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover, Alabama.

Spencer E. Mitchell

Spencer has been a lifelong resident of Birmingham, AL. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS Degree in Sports Medicine / Athletic Training and is working as a regional product manager for the Instrument Management Services division of Steris Corporation. Over the past two years, Spencer and Lizzy have assisted with launching a new church plant, Grace Church Birmingham. They continue to attend Grace Church where Spencer is a member of the Leadership team. Spencer has been active in short term missions since 2004. Many trips have included ministering to and training local pastors, providing supplies and care to orphanages, sharing and serving Christ in countries such as Brazil, Guatemala, and locally in Alabama’s black belt. Currently, he and his wife Lizzy reside in Mountain Brook, AL with their daughter, Annie. 

Staci L. Caldwell

Staci Caldwell was born in Chicago, Illinois, but was raised in Glencoe, Alabama. She graduated from Samford University with a degree in Elementary Education and married her college sweetheart. Staci continued her education by getting a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She spent 3 months as a summer missionary in Australia working through the International Mission Board. Staci has traveled to Venezuela, Guatemala, New York, Uganda, New Orleans and Haiti, sharing and serving to glorify God. She has worked locally in inner city Birmingham and the Black Belt of Alabama. Staci is currently on staff with Radical, who exists to serve the church for the cause of Christ - to glorify God by making disciples and multiplying churches among all nations. Staci and her husband, Josh, married in 2004, adopted a precious son, Moses, from Uganda in 2011 and have a 2016 blessing, Richardson, from Haiti. Staci and Josh are members at The Church at Brookhills in Birmingham, Alabama.

Ronn Q. Patterson

Ronn Patterson was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama in an area of town called Wylam. When he was 16, his family moved to Pleasant Grove which is less than five miles from where he grew up. Ronn graduated from Ensley High School in 1975. While a freshman in high school, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Ronn graduated from the University of Alabama in 1978 with a BS in Accounting and began working at Alabama Power Company. His career in accounting and years of service afforded him the position of VP and assistant treasurer with Alabama Power. In 2019, Ronn retired from Alabama Power and moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but remains a member and attends Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

Dana N. Plott

Dana Plott was born and raised in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama. She attended the University of Alabama and graduated in 2011 with a double major in Marketing / Management and in Computer Technology / Applications. After graduation, Dana moved to Birmingham, Alabama and worked for J. Edwards Interiors as an Interior Design Assistant. In 2013, she became a Corporate Sales Representative for Integrated Medical Systems traveling the United States and was promoted to Director of Corporate Sales several years later. Dana currently is the Regional Sales Manager for Steris / IMS. She has a strong heartfelt passion to help others and share Christ in all walks of life. Dana and her husband, Bill David, live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and have one child, Olivia Jane.

Horace A. Hackney

Horace Hackney grew up in Temple Terrace, Florida. He is a 2007 Graduate of Jesuit High School in Tampa. Horace attended Florida State University and graduated with a BS in Family and Child Sciences. Horace’s passion for family wellness took him to the University of Montevallo where he earned an MEd in Couples and Family Counseling. He works to strengthen and heal families as a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice. He resides in Helena, AL with his wife Aimee, and their three children, Hailey, Olivia Grace, and Logan Adam. The Hackneys are members of Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover, AL where they are teachers in Special Connections, a ministry for children with special needs.

Marianne M. Strong

Marianne Strong, a native of Nashville,Tennessee, has resided in Birmingham, Alabama for the last 20 years. She holds a BA degree from the University of Mississippi and has worked as a Marketing Account Manager for a building supplier and an Interior Design Assistant prior to starting her own Interior Design Firm in 2007. Marianne is the owner and nationally recognized designer for Marianne Strong Interiors and leads a team who work with clients across the United States with a regional client base in the Southeast. She has been involved in local missions in the Black Belt of Alabama and is a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church. Marianne is a wife to Patrick and the mother of three sons, Henry, Samuel and Miller.

Matthew Johnson

Matthew Johnson grew up in Lanett, AL and moved to Tuscaloosa, AL after graduating high school. He served as a youth minister at Gordo First Baptist Church for several years which served the local and surrounding communities. Additionally, the youth group had opportunities to travel to Jackson, MS and Nashville, TN to share the love of Christ through community projects and local camps. He currently works as a Bank Secrecy Act - Anti-Money Laundering investigator with Regions Bank. He resides in Hoover, AL with his wife Jessica and their daughter, Abigail. The Johnsons are members of Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover, AL.

Fran C. Frost

Fran Frost was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She attended Family Christian Academy and graduated from UAB Occupational Therapy school in 1994. Fran has worked for Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Child’s Play and currently works for United Ability. Fran has traveled to China with Lifeline Children Services to serve orphans and use her occupational therapy skills. Fran is married to Michael and has two sons, Parker and Reece. They are members at The Church at Brookhills.