Foundation for Peace is a volunteer-run organization with paid in-country staff. Approximately 98% of our donations goes directly to the communities we work in—not to administrative overhead. FFP is blessed with many qualified, passionate and dedicated men and women who volunteer their time, talents and care of others.
Dr. Kenneth W. Culver, M.D. | President and Executive Director
Ken is a founding director of the Foundation for Peace. He is a physician trained in pediatrics and allergy-immunology. For the past 20 years he has been working in oncology clinical research. Prior to that he worked at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland on genetic research. Since 1989 Ken has led more than 60 trips to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya. Many of the trips have included one or more of his three children, Ryan, Ian and Kathryn.
Wendy Patchin | Director of Global Missions
Wendy is a lifelong teacher who spent her career teaching, engaging and inspiring youth of all ages, including middle school math students and special education students. She retired in 2014 to work full-time with FFP as Director of Global Missions. She went on her first mission trip with FFP in 2004 has led trips to the DR, Haiti and Kenya and chairs the Board of Missions.
Pastor Kristin Hamner | Dominican Republic National Director
As a servant leader, Kristin brings her compassion, intelligence, commitment and passion as head of FFP’s ministry in the Dominican Republic. She oversees all aspects of the ministry—building community relationships, overseeing projects, managing short-term missions and staff, and a million other things! She’s been with FFP since 2005, when after participating in two FFP summer mission trips with her church, she felt God call her deeper into missions. Since then her tireless spirit, fierce faith and compassionate heart have touched the lives of thousands and grown FFP’s outreach exponentially.
In 2014 Kristin graduated from Dubuque Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree and was officially ordained by her home church, Central Nebraska Presbytery. Kristin loves serving with mission teams and feels blessed to have her sons, Nicolás and Michael, serving by her side.
“What a privilege it is to see lives change as we build bridges between churches in the States and churches in the Dominican Republic.”
Pastor Michel Valentin | Haiti National Director
Pastor Michel Valentin leads FFP’s Haiti ministry. We first met Valentin at a field hospital in the Dominican Republic after the 2010 earthquake. Blessed with intelligence, compassion, education and faith Valentin quickly became a valued resource at the hospital where he used his Creole, French, Spanish and English skills to translate for patients and doctors. In 2010 Valentin officially joined the FFP team as National Director in Haiti. He oversees all FFP’s work in Haiti, especially the Complexe Educatif Men Nan Men school in Ganthier. In all he does, Valentin freely shares his passionate faith, compassionate spirit and endless enthusiasm.
Valentin is also pastor of the Eglise Sanctuaire de la Grace de Croix-Coq, which he and his wife started in 2011. He lives in Croix-des-Bouquets with his wife Nadege and their daughters, Marceline, Stellecy, Michnaelle.
Executive Committee of the Board of Directors
Kenneth W. Culver, M.D. | President and Executive Director
See above
Rosalina Cardona Martinez, Vice President
Rosalina, pictured with her husband Alberto who recently died, are two of the founding directors of Foundation for Peace. They are both medical doctors and pastors in the Pentecostal Church (Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal M.I.). Alberto and Rosalina, emigrated from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic in 1962 and among their many achievements they founded the Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal M.I. denomination in the Dominican Republic. The denomination now has more than 200 congregations.
In August 1989, they first worked with Ken Culver during Ken’s first mission trip to the Dominican Republic. This was the genesis for the founding of the Foundation for Peace.
Joy Fowler Spragens | Vice President
Joy is one of the founding directors of FFP. She spent 29 years as a Senior Vice President and Wealth Manager at Merrill Lynch before leaving to become a full time Constitutional activist. Joy served on the Boards of the Washington National Cathedral and Miami’s Trinity Cathedral. She currently serves on the Board of the Washington Bach Consort and the Board of Turning Point, USA. Joy is on the Vestry of Christ the King Anglican Church in Washington, DC. She actively supports the Hogar Gosen Orphanage’ in San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic where she works with children in arts, education, spiritual development and “mothering.”
Jeff Spragens | Treasurer
Jeff is a founding director of FFP and is an attorney and business entrepreneur specializing in apartment, hotel and shopping center development and management. Jeff was a founding board member of a publicly traded pharmaceutical company producing children’s vaccines and the CEO of a publicly traded company manufacturing medical devices. Jeff has served on the boards of the Levine School of Music and the development Board of Samaritan Inns and the board of ETOC Corporation. Jeff presently sits on the Board of Hernia Help and on the Vestry of St. Stephen in Oakville, California.
Dominican Republic Staff
- Dr. Cici Lugo
- Celenia Perez
- Fania Duralus
Haiti Staff
- Wesley Francois
- Josonn Pierre
- Marie Roseline Valentin
US Volunteer Staff
- Jamie Hughes | Grant Manager
- Maggie Nelson | Special Projects
- Nicole Profetto | Social Media Coordinator
Board of Missions
- Frank Speranza, Chair
- Wendy Patchin Co-chair
- Betty Jean
- Bob Broeze
- Bruce Jones
- Judy Jones
- Kelli Regan
- Scott Coapman
