Larry Cheng is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Volition Capital, a private equity firm that invests in high-growth, founder-owned technology companies, and he has a particular interest in internet and consumer companies. Previously he worked with Fidelity Ventures, Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and Corporate Decisions, Inc.

Larry earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Harvard College. He currently serves on the boards of Burst Oral Care, GameStop, Grove Collaborative, Levanta, Rounds, Recycle Track Systems, Screenverse, Sensible Care, Super73, US Mobile and The Winsor School. 

Larry considers it a privilege to serve on Wycliffe’s board of directors. “If you took the Bible out of my life, I would be a completely different person, doing completely different things in completely different ways. The thought of not having the Bible in the language I understand is unfathomable,” he said. “The fullness of the expression of Christ, the church and the fellowship of believers is enabled when the Word of God is translated for a community.”

Larry lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, with his wife and three daughters.

Florence Wamae has been involved in Bible translation ministry since 2004 when she joined Bible Translation & Literacy East Africa (BTL) as Communications Officer. She later served with Wycliffe Global Alliance as Communications Coordinator for Africa and is currently serving as Director for Partnerships for SIL Global. Her heart’s desire is to see the global Church serving God’s Kingdom in unity for His glory. 

Florence earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Daystar University and is pursuing a Master of Arts in leadership at Pan Africa Christian University. She previously served on the boards of By Grace Children’s Home and Schools and the Kambui Girls High School. She was also a member of the School Support Committee for Logos Christian School, the Ridgeways Baptist Church Governing Council and the Tunzwa Advisory Council. 

Florence is from Kenya and lives in New Jersey with her husband, Victor, and their three children. 

Jaime Ayala has been involved in Bible translation for more than 30 years. He currently serves as Director for SIL Americas South. Prior to that, he and his wife, Maria, served in human resources leadership. 

Jaime and Maria first began their service with Wycliffe USA and SIL Global as Literacy and Scripture Promotion Specialists with the Wanca Quechua speakers in the Central Highlands of Peru. For 13 years, they worked closely with key leaders in those communities who were determined to not only provide the Scriptures in the language of their people but also demonstrate that they are deeply valued by God and don’t need to shed their language and cultural identity to be in relationship with Him. These goals became the foundation for the Ayalas’ years of service. 

Born in New York City to immigrant Spanish-speaking parents, the Lord gave Jaime the desire to grow in his understanding of Latin America and used it to direct him to service in His mission. In addition to his time in Peru, Jaime worked in leader development with Wycliffe Global Alliance, serving leaders throughout Latin America and equipping and encouraging them to live out what God has called them to do. Jaime is thrilled to see the growth in the Latin American church’s commitment to the ministry of Bible translation and to have the opportunity to work closely with the churches, organizations and leaders who partner in this ministry. 

Jaime earned his bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies from Cornell University and his Master of Arts in international development from William Carey International University. 

Jaime and Maria live in eastern New York state and have three adult children and two grandchildren.

David Bowden is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Spoken Gospel, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people encounter the gospel in every corner of Scripture. 

Before starting Spoken Gospel, David received a bachelor’s degree in Bible and biblical languages from Oklahoma Christian University and a master’s degree in theological studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spent the first decade of his post-academic career preaching and performing spoken word poetry for churches and conferences around the world. 

David has authored books such as “Rewire Your Heart” and “Learning to Be Loved.” He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, Meagan, and two sons.

James Covey is a Wycliffe USA member and currently serves with SIL Eurasia as a Counselor and Care Services Coordinator and as a counselor with Sentwell.org. Throughout his career, he has had unique opportunities across four continents to use his passion for mental health to support cross-cultural workers. He has been actively involved in facilitating “Healing the Wounds of Trauma” training, crisis debriefing training and leading workshops around the world.

James is the author of “Trauma-Informed Staff Care” in the edited work “The Essentials for People Care and Development” by Geoff Whiteman and Heather Pubols, and he is co-author of “Healing Teens’ Wounds of Trauma” and “Unstuck: A Teen Guide to Living in Uncertain Times.” He also hosts a podcast for cross-cultural workers called “Shop Talk With Brandi and James.” 

He holds a Master of Arts in marriage and family counseling from Southwestern Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Austin College. Currently James is earning his doctorate in psychological studies at Regent University and plans to finish in the fall of 2025. 

While working in Kenya, James met his wife, Ellie, who also serves with Wycliffe USA. They live in Spain and enjoy traveling, exploring new places and doing outdoor activities together.

Dr. Julian Dangerfield resigned from a career in software engineering to serve the ministry of Shalom Outreach as its Executive Director. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management and a Master of Arts in leadership, evangelism and mobilization from Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina. He has also completed his doctoral studies at Virginia Union University with a focus on cross-cultural ministry.

After receiving a vision to establish Shalom Outreach, Julian successfully trained and equipped pastors, medical doctors, teachers, social workers and young people for missionary travel to Africa and South America. He has devised strategies with ambassadors to the United Nations from African countries to confront social issues and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

In the United States, Julian has also organized mission efforts for over 25 churches, ministries and nonprofit organizations.

Julian’s perspective is informed by more than two dozen years of ministry experience, during which he’s traveled to over 40 countries and executed strategies that expand God’s Kingdom. He’s a sought-after preacher and facilitator who is passionate about knowing God and making God’s name known.

He currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Heritage Fellowship Church in Reston, Virginia. This dynamic ministry endeavors to love God, the community and the world.

Dr. Teryl Gonzalez has served with Wycliffe USA for 35 years, though her connection to the organization goes back even further. She and her siblings spent their childhood in Mexico, the children of missionary parents who worked for Mission Aviation Fellowship. They grew up bilingual, surrounded by friends from Wycliffe and SIL Global. 

Upon joining the Bible translation movement, Teryl and her husband, Ray, served as exegetical advisers for SIL Global in a Bible translation project in Eurasia. She later transitioned to Seed Company, working as a Bible translation consultant primarily in Nigeria and holding various leadership roles. Currently Teryl serves as a Quality Assurance Coordinator with both Global Partnerships and Every Tribe Every Nation’s Innovation Lab, while continuing to provide translation consultation.

Having served with many of Wycliffe’s strategic partners, Teryl is passionate about the broad-scale collaboration taking place in the work of Bible translation. “What a joy to see centuries of prayers for ‘laborers for the harvest’ answered in our time,” she said. “The Spirit of the Lord is at work among the nations, and His Kingdom is advancing!” 

Teryl earned a Doctor of Ministry from Kairos University and a Master of Arts in linguistics from The University of Texas at Arlington. She and her husband, Ray, live in Colorado and have three adult sons. She enjoys gardening, reading, drinking coffee and spending time with her grandchildren.

Dr. Pramod John is the  Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at VIVIO, a public benefit corporation whose mission is to ensure every individual receives the right therapy tailored specifically to their unique needs at a fair cost.

Prior to that, he founded Oration PBC, which changed the way consumers purchase prescription medicine. He served as Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at McKesson, where he helped develop solutions that leveraged advanced technologies to optimize healthcare delivery systems, infrastructure and supply chains. Pramod also founded and served as CEO of PacketMotion, a venture-funded startup in network space that was acquired by VMWare.

Pramod holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also an adviser to Folia Water and a mentor at StartX.

Pramod has recently served on the boards of Folia Water, Mission Aviation Fellowship and 3Crosses Church in Castro Valley, California. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and is married with three adult children.

Felix Lee, a securities enforcement and litigation partner at the law firm Fenwick & West, focuses on the defense of securities class actions, derivative suits, merger litigation and government investigations. Felix also regularly conducts internal investigations for corporate boards and their audit or special litigation committees and provides advice and analysis of corporate governance and compliance issues.

Felix earned his bachelor’s degree at Stanford University and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He has chaired Fenwick’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee for over 14 years and also serves on the advisory board of the Asian Law Alliance, a legal nonprofit that has helped tens of thousands of people obtain decent housing, justice in the immigration process and access to basic human and legal rights.

Although Felix was raised as a Mormon, his family fell away from the faith around the time he left for Stanford. There, he read the Bible and believed in God, but it wasn’t until he lived in the dorms at Harvard Law School that he began attending church and was truly introduced to the gospel. After he graduated, Felix’s strong belief in the Lord led him to attend Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he learned more about the basics of the Christian faith. Felix now serves as an elder at his church and is active in leading Bible studies, community groups and various other ministries.

Abel Lopez is Lead Pastor of The LEAD Church in Dallas, Texas. He is also President and Founder of CLAY Student Leadership, a dynamic leadership program focused on reaching students and their parents in public schools both in the U.S. and abroad. Recently, he served as Awana’s U.S. Latino Director, where in three and a half years he was instrumental in developing both a discipleship structure for the Latino church and a team to lead it, as well as securing the largest grant in Awana’s 70-year history.  

Previously, he served as Youth and Associate Pastor for 18 years at Mundo de Fe church in Dallas. He also worked in corporate America, where he was instrumental in working with over 450 employees and millions of dollars’ worth of inventories. His experience with the corporate world mixed with his ministry knowledge has allowed him to impact this generation.

Abel holds a master’s degree in leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is also a graduate from Rehma Bible Training College and attended Dallas Christian College from 2002-2005. He is the author of “12 Fundamental Keys to Developing an Effective Youth Ministry” and “The Leadership Bible,” and he is co-author of “Somos Padres... ¿Y Ahora Quién Podrá Ayudarnos?”  

Abel and his wife, Mary, reside in Dallas with their kids and grandkids.

Kevin Nicholas has spent 30 years supporting Bible translation efforts around the world with Wycliffe USA and SIL Global. Currently, he serves as a translation adviser and provides computer support for Bible translation projects. 

In 2009, Kevin and his wife, Gertrude, joined the translation team for the Notsi New Testament. It was their great joy to dedicate the Scriptures with the Nosti community of Papua New Guinea in 2025.

Kevin has a Master of Arts in cross-cultural ministries and another Master of Arts in biblical studies, both from Dallas Theological Seminary. He also has a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Kevin and Gertrude have recently returned to Texas from Papua New Guinea and are seeking the Lord’s direction for what is next. He enjoys playing the piano, singing, leading worship and playing chess.

Dr. Julie Shimer retired in 2012 as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Innovation Officer of Welch Allyn, a global manufacturer of medical equipment with $700 million in annual revenue. Prior to that, from 2001-2007, she was the CEO of Vocera Communications, a wireless communications company headquartered in San Jose, California. Julie has also served in leadership roles at 3Com Corporation, Motorola, Inc., AT&T Bell Laboratories (once the research and development arm of AT&T) and Bethlehem Steel Company.

Julie loves the Word of God, and it is through the Word of God that she first came to know Jesus Christ. As a board director, she is passionate about ensuring every person has the same opportunity to meet God through His Word. 

In addition to Wycliffe USA’s board of directors, Julie serves on the boards of Avanos and Derivation LLC. Her previous board experience includes Mission Aviation Fellowship, Apollo Endosurgery, Earthlink, Masimo, Netgear, Welch Allyn, Windstream, the Engineering Information Foundation, the Institute for Global Engagement and others. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Julie has been married to her husband, Jary, since 1973, and they are enjoying retirement in their home state of New Mexico.

Estella Trostle grew up in the Bible belt on a farm in Mississippi and was a regular churchgoer, but she didn’t become a Christian until she was 21. This was when her passion for reading and studying God’s Word began.

At a banquet seven years later, Estella was shocked to learn there were people groups who were unable to experience what she daily took for granted — having God’s Word in their language. She also learned of the urgent need in Bible translation for people with administrative skillsets and realized how God had uniquely prepared her “for such a time as this.”

Over the past 35 years, Estella has served the global Church, working in various administrative roles at International Linguistics Center in Dallas, organizing and leading short-term trips for college students in Huntington Beach and serving under Papua New Guinean leadership for 10 years to meet various needs, including church engagement and staff care. Estella has also contributed in valuable ways to our intercultural initiatives, helping bridge cultural gaps. Advocating for diverse voices at home and abroad is a high value for her.

Currently Estella and her husband, Mark, serve as Pacific Field Coordinators, overseeing language projects in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Estella also serves in various roles to help strengthen intercultural initiatives. They have two adult sons — one a commercial pilot and the other a gifted photographer/videographer — and divide their time between Texas, Pennsylvania, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Daniel Watters grew up in Asia, where he witnessed the impact of his parents’ work in bringing Scripture to an isolated language community. At an early age, he decided to follow in their footsteps and joined Wycliffe USA in 1992 immediately after getting his Bachelor of Arts in linguistics at the University of Washington. In 2000, Daniel earned a Master of Arts in linguistics and exegesis at Trinity Western University.

From 1994-2019, Daniel worked in Asia with Wycliffe USA and a partner organization in a variety of administrative and leadership roles, including as a linguist in a non-formal education project. From 2015-2019, he served as Country Director for a language development agency.

He currently serves with SIL Global  in Global Marketing and Communications. Daniel’s wife, Debbie, who also serves with SIL Global, teaches English as a Foreign Language. Daniel and Debbie were married in 2012 and live in California. Together they have five adult children.

Alan Wells recently retired as a partner with Financial Advisory Partners. He has over 30 years of experience in financial, operational and strategic matters, including as the Chief Executive Officer of a publicly traded company and as Chief Financial Officer of another. While serving with one of the nation’s largest consulting firms, he advised clients in a variety of industries on strategic matters. Alan has led turnaround operations, startups, public offerings, and merger and acquisition transactions.

Alan previously served on several boards, including Cline Tool, Iowa Telecom, Windstream Holdings and the Lutheran Church of Hope missions board. Currently he serves as Chairman of the Board of Higher Trek, an organization devoted to helping young men own their faith and follow Jesus for a lifetime. He received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Illinois State University and is a certified public accountant. 

Alan and his wife, Cindy, reside in Urbandale, Iowa, and have two adult children.