Our US Board

Celestin Musekura

Celestin Musekura

President and Founder

Dr. Celestin Musekura, is the President and Founder of the African Leadership And Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM, Inc.), a growing ministry with 47 African national staff training church leaders and community leaders in Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia in areas of leadership development, biblical and theological studies, conflict resolution, communal forgiveness, and tribal reconciliation. He is an ordained Baptist minister who was born and raised in Rwanda. He received a Bachelor of Theology at Kenya Highlands Bible College in Kenya, a Master of Divinity at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) in Kenya, a Master of Sacred Theology and a Ph.D. in theological studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. His doctoral research is on Contemporary Models of Forgiveness and he specializes in communal forgiveness.
In addition to his theological studies, Celestin has done more studies in Conflict Resolution, Mediation, and Reconciliation at the Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia (USA) and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas (USA). His pastoral and Christian leadership ministries include six years of pasturing in Rwanda and serving in administration with the Association des Eglises Baptistes du Rwanda (AEBR). He served on the international and continental level as the Africa Regional Director for MAP International (Nairobi, Kenya), the Director for MAP-Reconciliation Ministries, and the Associate Director for SIM-Urban Ministries Support Group (Nairobi, Kenya). He co-founded the Sudan Evangelical Alliance (SEA) to help the persecuted churches in the southern Sudan to be united in their suffering and in their outreach to their nation. Celestin has served as an Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary and Criswell College in Dallas, Texas.
Celestin is married to Bernadette and they have four children. They make their temporal home in Dallas, Texas where they serve in the ALARM US office. Celestin spends 30% of his time in the United States developing partners and speaking to Churches, Mission Conferences, Seminars and Universities. He is the author of the newly published book Assessment of Contemporary Models of Forgiveness and together with Dr. Gregory Jones, Dean of Duke Divinity School, co-authored Forgiving As We’ve Been Forgiven (to be published in October 2010).

Greg Gilkerson, Chairman of the Board of Directors

Founder and President, Professional Datasolutions, Inc.

Greg Gilkerson is the founder and president of a software company, Professional Datasolutions, Inc. Greg and his wife, Pam, have been married 34 years and have three grown children, Anna, Ellen, and Graham. They have five grandchildren. Greg and Pam are actively involved in a variety of ministries. At Temple Bible Church, they have jointly served on the Missions Committee and have assisted with small group leadership. Greg served an elder at TBC and was the elder chairman in 2008. Greg serves on the Kiev Theological Seminary board and has served on other ministry boards in the past. Greg speaks frequently on Christian leadership principles in business. Pam has served as a teaching leader in the TBC women’s ministry and currently teaches a Bible study at a local rehabilitation center. Greg and Pam feel called to supporting missions, ministries that support pastors, and ministries that promote Christian family values.

Ruth Calver

Pastor of Women, Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, CT

Ruth Calver was born in the UK where she lived until 1997 when God called her and her husband to serve with World Relief – Clive became its President.

Whilst teaching in Lebanon with the British equivalent of the Peace Corps, Ruth’s eyes were opened to the paramount importance of developing indigenous leadership.

On her return to the UK, Ruth attended the London School of Theology with the intention of serving God overseas. Instead she met Clive Calver, who she later married. For the next 25 years they served God in the UK through Youth for Christ, Mission England with Dr. Billy Graham and lastly the Evangelical Alliance.

Much to their surprise, God called them to the US in 1997. For the next 8 years, Ruth travelled to many countries in the Third World. She fell in love particularly with the continent of Africa and was just overwhelmed by the incredible effects of the church from the nations being the hands and feet of Jesus to their world. Altogether Ruth has been to over 70 countries.

Now she and her husband are serving at Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, Connecticut where Clive is senior pastor and Ruth is Pastor of Women. She still is very involved with international ministries and loves seeing women particularly getting a heart for their world.

Clive and Ruth have four children, all of whom are in Christian ministry.

Joe Hanson

Former (now retired) CFO, The Feld Group, Inc.

Joe Hanson is retired from Frito-Lay. He and Betty have been married for 49 years and have two children and two grandchildren. He currently serves as an elder at Trinity Bible Church in Richardson, Texas as well as chair of the missions committee and as a trustee on the Board of Incorporate Members of Dallas Theological Seminary. Another ministry is teaching adult Sunday school and conducting financial seminars from a Biblical perspective. He is a past chairman of the board of the Texas Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce and has also served as a commissioner on the Texas Workers Compensation Commission. He is a 1960 graduate of the University of Texas school of business and has completed the graduate certificate program for laymen at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Steve Roese

Catalyst, Irving Bible Church

Steve Roese is married to the best lady in America and father to three children Hunter, Hampton, and Madison. Steve is a graduate of New York University (NYU) and Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), has an eye for the entire world developed through his service at RREACH International. Currently he serves at Irving Bible Church as their Executive Pastor where he is responsible for creating and developing vision.

The Roeses love adventure, challenge, and change.

Karen Smith

Karen comes from an extensive background working as a senior executive in commercial real estate for international organizations for over 20 years. In her most recent role, Karen was responsible for running the Philadelphia region for the Trammell Crow Company. Karen has a tremendous background in finance, team building, sales training and marketing and has demonstrated strong leadership skills.

Karen is currently an independent business coach working with businesses in the areas of sales; systems & team development. Her focus also includes skills in financial and time management as well as cultural assessments and alignments.

Karen received her Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Maryland in Business Administration and is currently concluding her Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership in December, 2009 from Philadelphia Biblical University.

Karen is very active in her church community. She serves as the treasurer and on the Elder Administration Board at Calvary Church in Souderton, PA and has provided many volunteer hours in working with the Center for Ministry Advancement in helping various Christian organizations. She is also involved with the Resource Development Team, Starting Point and New Believers.

Karen is an active outdoor person who loves to run, bike and exercise her golden retriever puppy Bo in the parks and on the trails with her husband, Frank. She loves to cook and entertain and when not studying for her master’s she enjoys reading and catching up with her family.

Joseph D. Storey

Mr. Storey is a 24-year health-care industry executive with experience in managed care, hospital software systems (financial and health record) and outsourced medical transcription management. Over the past 19 years, he has been involved in three start-up ventures. The first – QMT (transcription) grew into a successful enterprise and was sold to MedQuist in 1997. The second – AirRX (Home Health Care) was purchased by TLC Medical in early 2007. The third – TransHealth (transcription and hospital electronic medical records) was acquired by Webmedx in late 2007. He is currently planning for the next business opportunity. Mr. Storey is also involved in Siloam Family Health Clinic (a local Christian health clinic), Trevecca (President’s Advisory Council) and The Locker Room (a local ministry encouraging men/women who are thinking through midlife issues). Joe and his wife Pam are also excited about a recent start-up, “LIFT – World Marketplace”, focusing on creating distribution and retail opportunities in the US for fair trade products made by micro- entrepreneurs through partners including Opportunity International and ALARM.

He and Pam have been married for 22 years, having met and graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University. They have 2 children. Their son Joseph attends Belmont University and their daughter Anna attends high school in Brentwood, Tennessee, where the family resides.

They enjoy international travel, with mission experiences including several trips to Peru, Nicaragua and a family trip to Rwanda. Their primary focus has been micro-finance, orphanages and encouraging the poor. They are very excited about the opportunity to work with Celestin, the board and staff members of ALARM to partner in sharing the gospel of Christ in Africa.