Staff

Meet the STEM Staff

Roger Peterson — CEO / Founder

Roger co-founded STEM in 1984 to mobilize Christians in missions. He has traveled to more than 30 nations and has organized, trained, led, and/or administered more than 400 short-term mission teams, representing more than 8,000 short-term volunteers. He is also an accomplished musician, talented writer, gifted teacher, and powerful preacher. See Roger’s bio.
Jim Levin — Vice President, STEM Team Operations

Jim (and his wife Cherie) trains and leads more STEM teams to more countries than any other staff member. Jim facilitates partnerships with our Field Facilitator hosts, oversees the development of new fields for STEM teams, and heads up STEM Team Operations for STEM Ministries and STEM Share.
Steve Miller — Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Steve and his Hungarian wife Elizabeth are graduates of Bethany College of Missions. He has been on short-term outreaches to Romania, Ukraine, Mexico, Guatemala, and Northern Ontario, Canada. Steve’s heart is to glorify God using his business management skills and to advance the kingdom of God in other nations of the world through cross-cultural mission opportunities.
Alison Goldhor — Interim Team Operations Director

Alison grew up in England and came to know the Lord as a volunteer teacher in Kenya. As a former missionary to the Philippines, she appreciates working in short-term missions where ordinary Christians can get their first experience of crossing cultures.
- Rachel Norman — Team Operations Volunteer
  
  Rachel has served with STEM since 1991. She first caught a vision for short-term mission while on STEM Team #4 to Haiti in 1984. Rachel and her husband, Buntin, along with their 3 children, have a passion to see people from every tribe & tongue & people & nation serving and praising the Almighty God.
Ryan Schlangen —Team Operations Associate
Ryan recently graduated from North Central University with a Pastoral
Degree. During his time at North Central he helped direct and develop a
completely student-led short-term mission program that has sent out more
than 250 college students in the past three years. Ryan has a heart for
missions and a passion for equipping and mobilizing mission teams and
leaders.
John P. — President, STEM Share

John embarked on the Eternal Rescue Mission in 1981 with his wife Kathie. After serving in Venezuela for 12 years he has sought to mobilize others to bring the light and hope of Christ to a dark and hurting world. John has recruited, trained, and led teams for STEM since 2000. His passion is networking and involving others in the “task remaining” of bringing the Good News of Jesus to the Unreached Peoples in the 10/40 Window.
Adam C. — Vice President of Team & Field Operations, STEM Share

Adam is motivated by the biblical promise of a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne. As he oversees the development of STEM Share fields in the 10/40 Window, training and leading teams to unreached people groups, he delights to be a part of calling the nations to worship the King of Kings.
Kathie P. — Chief Operating Officer, STEM Share

Kathie helps guide the STEM Share staff in day-to-day decisions, policies, strategies, and long-range planning to stay on target with the STEM Share vision to impact unreached people groups in restricted-access nations. The URBANA missions conference in 1979 was the beginning of her journey in missions. Kathie’s evangelistic heart is always looking for creative ways such as mime or drama to communicate the timeless message of Jesus to the nations.
Vicky C. — Team Operations Specialist, STEM Share

Vicky is living proof that STEM short-term missions produce long-term results. Her first exposure to the concept of “unreached people groups” occurred on a STEM team to Haiti in 1986. At STEM's invitation, she and her husband Adam helped launched STEM Share, and she now thrives as a Team Operations Specialist managing the multitudes of logistics needed to train and lead short-term teams to unreached people groups.
Bernt Eidsmoe — Art Director / IT wannabe

Bernt is typically busy troubleshooting people's computers but since we have an all Mac office, it doesn't take long to fix. When he's not troubleshooting, he's designing various pieces including Mission Maker Magazine. Bernt has been blessed with a beautiful wife named Erin and is the proud rookie dad of Brevin Isaac. To see what's currently happening in their lives, click here to visit their personal blog.
Mary Lou White — Executive Administrative Assistant to the CEO

Mary Lou assists Roger with administrative work for STEM and for the SOE. Her lifelong interest in missions began as a very young child. While working with other mission organizations she developed a workshop on how to teach missions to children and created multi-cultural finger puppets with stories for children. She is involved in her husband’s choral group, loves to read, and to pray for missionaries.
Ron Ranzau — Accounting Volunteer

Ron and his wife Carol have long had a desire to serve in short term missions. That desire led Ron to STEM after his retirement from a business career in accounting and finance. Ron asists with accounting and administrative tasks including preparation for STEM’s annual audit and STEM’s Form 990 filing with the Internal Revenue Service.
Luis & Cathy Carrion — Honduras Base Directors

Luis and Cathy have been working with STEM for many years, and are now serving as missionaries to Honduras. They have a desire to see that “none should perish,” but that all would come to know Christ as Lord.
Arika Selvig — Account Executive, Mission Maker Magazine

Arika graduated from Bethany College of Missions with a degree in Cross-Cultural Communications and a passion to reach the unreached. With God’s passion for mission and great communication skills, Arika leads the advertising team for Mission Maker Magazine. She is excited about equipping the mission world to fulfill the Great Commission through her work on Mission Maker Magazine.
Dena (Baluczynski) Swenson — Graphic Designer

Dena is a full-time graphic designer for STEM Press. She is a graduate from Northwestern College (Minnesota), where she earned her degree in Graphic Design. She is overjoyed at the opportunity to work behind the scenes designing for a greater purpose. When she’s not busy at the computer, Dena enjoys scrapbooking, decorating, sewing, and photographing her friends and family. Dena and Doug were married in October 2006.
Janet Richels —Administrative Assistant / Bookkeeper

Janet’s life dream was to be a career missionary. As a graduate of Bethany College of Missions, she spent two years as a short-term missionary in Puerto Rico. She and her husband Larry then served sixteen years as Home Staff for Bethany Fellowship. Through their service at Bethany, they helped train, send, and support many missionaries. Janet is excited to be part of the STEM team, where she uses her office and organization skills to help evangelize through team sending.