Staff & Board

Jena Lee Nardella, Founder and President
At the age of 22, Jena founded Blood:Water Mission alongside the band, Jars of Clay. Jena has been featured in Sojourners Magazine, Christianity Today, Relevant Magazine, and the documentary film, Sons of Lwala. Her collaborative writing includes Hope in the Dark, Zealous Love, and The Revolution: A Field Manual for Changing Your World. She serves on the board for the Center for Nonprofit Management and the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health. Jena is a graduate of Whitworth University with a degree in Political Studies. She and her husband live in Nashville and travel often to Africa. 

Chris Bolton, CEO
Chris Bolton joined our team in 2011. After returning to the states from spending three years in Peru working in economic development, Chris joined the staff at Blood:Water Mission to serve as CEO. Chris has used his skills to serve as the Executive Director of Peru Mission as well as COO of R&S Logistics and Schmid & Rhodes Construction. His heart is to use the business skills God has given him to serve those in need. Chris and his wife, Marti, have four children, and are happily settling in here in Nashville.

Mike Hamilton, President of Engagement - Email Mike
Mike Hamilton joins the Blood:Water Mission team as President of Engagement after nearly 20 years at the University of Tennessee, where he spent the past 8 years as Athletic Director. During his tenure, he more than tripled the fundraising revenue as well as created one of only 14 self-sustaining athletic departments in the country, providing an additional nearly $10 million annually in direct cash support for the university. Prior to taking on this position, Mike served on the Blood:Water Mission board for two years. He and his wife, Beth, have five children, and three were adopted from Ethiopia. The youngest daughter Kalu, meaning "get the word out," is HIV positive, and since 2009, that is exactly what Mike has been trying to do. 

Carrie Horton, Executive Team Assistant - Email Carrie
Originally from the mountains of northern California, Carrie spent three years in Washington, DC as a Capital Fellow and staff member at the Trinity Forum before making the move to Nashville. Carrie developed a passion for community empowerment and addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis while at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. She has been invested in Blood:Water Mission since college and is excited to be supporting the Executive Team. 

Mike Lenda, Director of Engagement Partnerships - Email Mike
After over 15 years of marketing and PR experience in consumer, retail and entertainment industries, Mike returned to Nashville to lead the strategic development and implementation of our Parntership Program to enable the growth of the organization in the US, thus increasing the desired impact in Africa. His passion to join the team was motivated by his desire to use his experience to see lives changed locally and globally and be encouragement to his own children to make an impact in the world around them.

Katherine Andrews, Director of Engagement, Monthly Giving - Email Katherine
After working in Washington, DC at International Justice Mission for nearly four years, Katherine joyfully joined the Blood:Water Mission team to advance the fundraising and event initiatives on behalf of the poor in Africa. She holds a BA in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, is passionate about seeing hope and transformation in a hurting world, and is thankful to be living true to her southern roots here in Nashville, TN.

Jake Smith, Director of Engagement, Major Gifts - Email Jake
A native Nashvillian, Jake is thrilled to be working for an organization in his hometown that is empowering people for change here and abroad. Jake comes to Blood:Water Mission after spending the last 8 years as a fundraiser in the non-profit sector and with The University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University. Jake looks forward to sharing with others about the work Blood:Water is doing and how donors can join us in being a part of this transformational work. 

Nadia Kist, Regional Partner Manager - HIV

Matt Clark, Web Engagement Coordinator
Originally from Holland, MI, the land of windmills and wooden shoes, Matt graduated from Hope College with a degree in Political Science and from Belmont University with Master's of Education in Nonprofit Leadership. His passion for clean water and international development is what originally brought Matt to the Blood:Water Mission team. 

Victor Huckabee, Lead Creative
Victor fell in love with visual communications at a young age and has always strived to use his talents as a catalyst for change. Victor joined Youth With a Mission's University of the Nations in 2001 and was able to see the world from a wider perspective. Ever since that time, Victor has strived to use graphic design and art to make an impact on the world. His creative, artistic eye has developed the Blood:Water brand into what it is now.

Beth Mathews, Designer

Jon Reno, Video Production

Taylor Mobley, Office & Volunteer Manager
Taylor became passionate about the work of Blood:Water Mission during her time as an office intern in the summer of 2010.  She is a recent graduate from Lee University with a degree in Public Relations and has experience working with several international aid organizations such as World Vision and Samaritan's Purse. Taylor has a heart for social justice and a desire to see change in the world through sustainable development and advocacy.

Jennie Nunnery, Accounting

Michelle Conn, Secretary, serves as a director of development for International Justice Mission (IJM). 

Lon Cherry, Treasurer, served as Chief Financial Officer for The Lampo Group, Inc. in Brentwood, TN, better known as Dave Ramsey's for the last five years. He is currently pursuing a new technology venture.  

Anne Taylor Cregger currently serves as Senior Program Director in a consulting firm in Alexandria, Virginia and is the founding Director of the Falls Church Fellows Program.

Cosma Gatere currently coordinates policy communication for the Africa region of the World Bank, working out of Washington DC.

Brad Gibson co-founded ProVest Management Group, Inc. and established Ascend Advisory Group.

Ashleigh Harb Roberts serves on the administration of Governor Bill Haslam as his Deputy Legal Counsel.  

Dan Haseltine is the lead singer of the multi-platinum, multi-Grammy winning music group, Jars of Clay. Dan is also the founder of Blood:Water Mission.

Rich Hoops, Board Chair, founded, and served as CEO of Outdoor Intelligence, and serves on the board of Social Venture Partners.

Chris Lanning currently serves as Senior Vice President & General Manager of DSW Inc.  

Stuart McWhorter is Co-Founder and President of Brentwood, TN-based Clayton Associates.  

Dan Raines is the founder and CEO of Creative Trust, Inc, and also serves as Senior Partner for Creative Trust Media, a media content and development company.  

Caitlin Reiner Glover currently works as a Global Program Manager for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV with the Clinton Health Access Initiative.  

J. Todd Wahrenberger is a Family Practice physician who currently works in Pittsburgh, PA. as the medical director for primary care at the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System. 

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Senior Advisor to the Board 

Steven Garber is the Director of The Washington Institute and has been an advisor to Jars of Clay and Blood:Water Mission from the genesis of the organization.