Deon Arnold
President of the Board of Directors
I have served on the ABRO board since 2001 and served as President since 2004.
My family hosted several children from 1997 to 2007 and I was also a group coordinator from 1998 to 2007. I have visited Belarus over 20 times .
Currently I am the owner of a HVAC company in Fayetteville, N.C.
You can contact me at: deonarnoldhac@gmail.com
Carsie Denning
Vice President of the Board of Directors
My wife and I have been involved in ABRO since 1995 and became a board member in 1996. After we hosted our first child in 1995, we could not help but want to do more to help the ABRO Program. I have very much enjoyed seeing the program grow and watching and staying in touch with the children that were brought over through ABRO. Being able to see the bonds built through the ABRO program have been a huge blessing to both my wife and I.
Prior to retirement, I owned a software development company that dealt primarily with facility management for the education market.
You can contact me at carsie@carsie.com
Bill Bangham
Founding Member of the Board of Directors
I am a photojournalist, writer and editor living Memphis, Tennessee. My articles on children exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster led to the founding of ABRO. Later articles helped establish it as a charitable organization. I received a humanitarian award for those efforts. I served as editor for three national and international magazines, and I am the founding editor of a fourth. For my work in photography, writing and design I have been recognized with major secular and religious awards. They include Pictures of the Year international and the National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism awards.
I have worked in more than 70 countries and I am currently teaching, speaking, taking occasional assignments, and working on personal projects.
You can contact me at wahokia@gmail.com
Jan Westbury
Board Member
I am a retired ESL teacher with a heart for internationals and an interest in lending a hand to needy children worldwide. I was Literacy Missions Coordinator for the California Southern Baptist Convention where I trained volunteers to teach English and start ESL ministries in their churches. After moving to Georgia, I continued to be involved in church based programs for internationals.
Currently I am a mentor for our public school system’s Hispanic Mentoring Program. In 1997 and again in 2000, my husband Joe and I traveled to China to adopt our two now grown daughters. I learned of ABRO’s work through conversations with our friend Bill Bangham (board member) many years ago, and by reading articles he wrote about it. I’ve always thought it was a worthy ministry and I’m glad to be a part of it now as a board member.
You can contact me at janwestbury@gmail.com
Deborah Griffin
Board Member
I am a writer and photographer living in eastern North Carolina. Over the years, I have held photography and writing positions with Greenville businesses such as East Carolina University, Vidant Health Medical System and The Daily Reflector newspaper. In 1995, my husband and I took a two-year hiatus and lived and worked in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
Currently, I am a free-lance writer/photographer for several area publications such as Eastern Living and Greenville Magazine. I have recently begun ghostwriting and am member of the newly formed Carolina Ghost Writers. I have been married for 31 years to Jimmy and we have two boys, ages 20 and 17. We are all members of Piney Grove Baptist Church in Williamston, where I teach Sunday School and serve on the Missions Team. I also volunteer for Royal Family Kids, a branch of For the Children, a non-government agency providing programs and advocacy for child victims of family induced trauma. I heard about ABRO when Bill Bangham, an editor whom I had free-lanced for, asked me if I was interested in being on the board. Having never served in such a capacity, I was honored and a bit nervous. I’m so grateful for the opportunity. It combines two things I love: telling stories that make a difference, and serving children whose circumstances put them at a disadvantage.
You can contact me at deborah@deborahgriffinphotography.com
George Fleshman
Board Member
George retired from Branch Banking & Trust in Richmond as a Regional Mortgage Processing Manager several years ago. His banking career extended over 30 years. Prior to that he was in the heavy industrial construction business for about 27 years. These years were spent with the shipyard in Newport News and at Virginia Power.
In addition to this, he worked 10 years teaching adult education in night school. His real estate license in on inactive status and he holds a CMI (Certified Mortgage Investor) designation. He is a member of Cambridge Baptist Church and has been there for more than 20 years. While at Cambridge, he served as Group Cordinator for one year and have been actively involved in ABRO for 10 years.
Serving as owner’s representative at our church during the renovation and addition to the church plant was very enjoyable to him. This was about a two year project. He was invited on the ABRO Board in spring 2001 and served until family issues required he step down in 2015. He rejoined the board in Spring 2020. Serving the needs of others is what he does best. He was married for 58 years until the passing of his wife in Jan. 2020. He accepted Christ in 1951. On a more personal note, he collects crystal dinner bells.
Emeritus Members of the Board of Directors
Victor Birchmeier
Pello Duncan*
Donald Dawson
Dan Edwards
Robert Hane
Kristen Hinchman
John Hudgins
Joe Nicholay
Denise Perry
Sam Petteway
Ellen Ross
Les Ruhol
Yasmin Teter
Ken Touchton
Pam White
Alta Witt
*deceased
Emeritus Executive Directors
John Hudgins
Joe Strong
Kristen Hinchman