Board of Directors
James Krueger, Chair of the Board
Jim was born and raised in Springfield, Minnesota and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a degree in Business Administration. Over the next 30 years he was employed by the Gillette Company and was located in St. Paul, Chicago and Boston. The last 10 years of his career were spent with Corning Glass in Corning, New York. Over the span of his working life he had responsibilities in manufacturing, transportation and procurement.
In 1999 Jim retired and he and his wife Ellen moved to Eugene, Oregon to be near their son and his family. Jim and Ellen have two sons and four grandchildren. Jim joined the Board of India Partners in September of 2006. He is an active member of his church and involved in a number of volunteer activities in the Willamette Valley area.
Brent Hample, President/CEO
Brent is a native of Eugene, Oregon. In 1981, while attending the University of Oregon, Brent was called in a dream one night to serve the poor of India. He visited India the first time in 1987, his first of many visits. He has been involved with India Partners since its formation, and has served as its CEO since 1994. He earned a B.A. in Psychology from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and was a graduate student at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Since 1981, Brent has served in leadership and Board positions for Christian and secular nonprofits in Oregon, Washington, California, and Minnesota. Brent is a member of the World Affairs Council of Oregon and the Eugene Rotary Club.
Brent loves to camp and fish, and plays the guitar and volleyball with a passion. He and his wife, Monica, live in Eugene with their three children.
Dr. Milton Watson, M.D., Vice President
Milt was born and raised in Walla Walla, Washington, graduating from Whitman College with a BA in Biology. He attended the University of Washington School of Medicine for his MD degree and the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for internship as well as a four year general surgery residency under the Stanford program. He completed a year's fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Peripheral Vascular Surgery. Milt was chief of surgery and professional services at US army hospital in Bremerhaven, Germany for three years. He returned to Walla Walla where he practiced surgery at a multispecialty clinic for 23 years. He then became surgeon for the Silverton Oregon Community Hospital for the last five years of active practice.
During practice and retirement Milt has been active in a number of short-term mission assignments at hospitals in a number of third world countries. Milt and his wife moved to Eugene for retirement, living as an extended family with their son and family. All are active members of their church and have led short-term mission teams to Guatamala and Jamaica. Milt serves at Synod level as a member of his church's Candidacy Committee, interviewing and supporting prospective seminary students. He is also a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in the Eugene area. A daughter lives in California and works at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Dean Rees, Treasurer
Dean Rees joined the India Partners Board in 2006. He is the Financal Manager at Holt International Children's Services. For the past 13 years, Dean has worked with international programs in 19 countries both from the fiscal/program management side and in collaboration with fundraising for these programs.
Dean is a graduate of the University of Oregon whose hobbies include cheering for the Ducks, tinkering with cars, and autocrossing. Dean is a family man, enjoying life with his wife and three children in Springfield, Oregon. He is active in his church and community, and enjoys camping, snow skiing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Susan Paiement, Secretary
Sue was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from the University of Oregon School of Journalism in Eugene, Oregon and made Eugene her home. She has a background in Public Relations and Event Planning and most recently worked at India Partners from 2004-05 as Development Director. Currently a homemaker and community volunteer, Sue is also on the board of Catholic Community Services of Lane County and has served since 1989 on an Oregon Citizens Review Board which reviews cases of children in foster care. She is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Eugene and an active member of her church.
Sue and her husband, Ray, have four children. As a family, they enjoy snow- and water-skiing, boating and rafting, and attending the Oregon Ducks sporting events.
Michael Gerlicher, C.P.A., Director
Mike is the Director of Finance & Business for the Assemblies of God, Oregon Ministry Network. He is a Certified Public Accountant and brings extensive training and experience in Not-For-Profit Industry issues and business consulting.
Mike has loved India since living in the Mumbai region in 1978 while studying at Pune University. He has travelled to the four corners of the country of India and has studied to read, write and speak the Marathi language. Each year Mike travels to Mumbai and Pune as a guest lecturer to MBA students.
Mike and Carol have been married since 1981 and live in Keizer, Oregon with two of their three children in a neighborhood surrounded with O.S.U. Beaver fans. Mike's interests are in music, business and leadership development and in discovering new places.
Steven G. Stirling, Director
Steve is VP of Marketing of Univera Life Sciences. For two years, Stirling served as Sr. Vice President of Marketing & Resource Development for Childhelp, a non-profit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse, and for five years, Stirling served as the Vice President of Marketing Operations and Executive Director, Major Donor Fund-raising for World Vision U.S., a Christian Relief and Development Organization.
Stirling earned his Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics at Cornell University and his MBA in Marketing and Finance at Northwestern University (Kellogg Graduate School of Management), during which time he also studied international business in Paris, France.
He worked as vice president of marketing and sales for ConAgra Functional Foods, overseeing marketing, sales, logistics, productions, product development and customer service, and as vice president of marketing and acquisition/customer marketing for Ameritrade, Inc. There, he was responsible for all areas of marketing including advertising, direct response, Internet and promotions, and customer marketing.
He also worked for pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, American Home Products, Bristol-Myers-Squibb and Mead Johnson.
He and his wife Sook Hee have two children, Richard, 21 and Rachael, 19.
