Alpha USA Board of Directors

Heather W. Grizzle, Board Chair, is a founding partner of Causeway Strategies, a boutique consulting firm that helps individuals, organizations and corporations to communicate, connect and advance their objectives more effectively. She is the co-author, with Jon Tyson, of A Creative Minority: Influencing Culture Through Redemptive Participation. Heather is also a member of the Boards of Innovations for Poverty Action and Charityvest. She is the Chair of Stewardship USA and Treasurer of KidsMatter.

Andrzej Skiba is the Head of US Fixed Income at RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.). He holds a BSc (Hons) in Management and International Business Economics from UMIST and is a CFA charter holder. Andrzej and his wife, Karolina, have two children.

Mark Emery is the Senior Operating Partner and Head of the Operations Management Group at The Jordan Company. Prior to this role, Mark was President and CEO, of Northstar Aerospace Inc. He has over 20 years of experience in leadership with companies in Europe, North America and Asia.

John Mackay is a founding principal of the Strand Real Estate Organization based in Vancouver, Canada. He serves on the board of Alpha International, Alpha USA, and Alpha Canada. John and his wife, Rebecca, have three children.

Cliff Barber has over two decades of experience in management consulting and fund management. He is currently partner at Chicago Rises, a private equity impact investing fund. Before Chicago Rises, Cliff decided to give his God-given skills back to the Church by serving as Chief Strategy Officer for the Archdiocese of Chicago and Director of the Black Catholic Initiative. He lives in Evanston, IL with his wife Claire. Together they have five children. Before arriving in Evanston, Cliff lived and worked in London where he held various positions in management consulting and finance. Cliff has a BSc degree in economics from Grinnell College, a general course degree from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Harvard University.

Jody Jonsson is a Partner with The Capital Group Companies in Los Angeles, having worked in Capital’s San Francisco, Geneva and London offices. She received an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Princeton University. Jody serves on the board of Alpha USA and the Stanford Business School Advisory Council. She is married with three adult children.

David Thomas worked in investment banking and corporate finance before becoming an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, serving congregations of varied sizes in Kentucky. Educated at Vanderbilt (BA) and Emory University (MDiv), David earned an MA in theology, both from the University of Bristol, England. David is now part of the leadership team of Seedbed, a new division of Asbury Theological Seminary. David and his wife, Karen, have three children.

Markus Hottenrott is an investment professional with a private markets platform that invests globally in infrastructure. He holds a doctoral degree in German law from Humboldt University, Berlin. He and his wife, Monica, have four children.

Fr. Peter Wojcik is the Director of the Department of Parish Vitality and Mission in the Archdiocese of Chicago. In his role Fr. Wojcik oversees all pastoral offices and agencies of the Archdiocese as well as the formation, parish support and pastoral training of ministers and volunteers serving 2.4 million Chicago Catholics. Prior to his appointment as the Department Director Fr. Wojcik served as the Chief Strategy Officer at the Office of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Chaplain at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Associate Pastor at St. Francis Xavier Church in Wilmette, Il. Fr. Wojcik served also a principal consultant with the Third Angle Consulting.

Kevin Palau is President and CEO of the Luis Palau Association. Kevin joined LPA in 1985 and began directing the day-to-day operation of the ministry in the late 1990s. Under his leadership, LPA has united tens of thousands of churches in hundreds of cities to love and serve their communities and clearly share the Good News of Jesus. During Kevin’s time at LPA he has also helped develop a global network of hundreds of partner evangelists. Kevin helps lead TogetherPDX, a sustainable, united movement of churches in Portland, Oregon. His book, Unlikely: Setting Aside Our Differences to Live Out the Gospel describes the ongoing impact of the movement. Kevin lives in Beaverton, Oregon with his wife, Michelle, and enjoys serving on the boards of Alpha USA, Christians Against Poverty, and Transforming the Bay with Christ.

Mike Shintani has seen Alpha change lives for 12 years and counting. He’s been a Host, Helper, and ran over 20 Alpha courses at Willow Creek Community Church. Prior to joining the Alpha USA board, Mike was part of a strategic volunteer team that focused on expanding Alpha’s footprint in the Chicagoland area – namely in communities of color, at churches focused on the next generations, and the Chicago Archdiocese. Most of Mike’s life is centered around his family, wife Trinity and little girls Sunny and Kedzie. They bring him the most joy and purpose in life. Vocationally, Mike has had several varying careers in computer science engineering, management consulting, as an entrepreneur, and as an executive pastor. Today Mike leads a national, Chicago-based, industrial construction firm and sits on a several governance boards.

Nick Perryman is Global CEO of Alpha International, leading a team of 685 people in 53 countries responsible for Alpha, The Marriage Course and the Bible with Nicky and Pippa around the world. He is also an Anglican minister, serving at Holy Trinity Brompton in London. Before joining Alpha, Nick had a career in financial services and was a managing director at UBS. He holds master’s degrees in business administration, organizational psychology and theology. Over the years, Nick has served on many boards – latterly as vice-chair of the governing body at Royal Holloway, University of London.

John Wentz has served as CEO of Alpha USA since May 2022. Previously, John served seven
years as Alpha USA (Executive Vice President of Ministry) and Alpha International (Church Engagement and Training Strategy) where he led the expansion of Alpha’s engagement nationally and helped to design the core of Alpha’s engagement strategy, now being implemented globally. With over 25 years of pastoral experience, John has impacted many churches, ministry leaders, and college students across the world. He is a gifted communicator, trainer and coach, and has a heart for university students and people from different cultures.