The 12 member Board of Directors serve without pay or compensation. There is no set time limit for general Board membership. Executive members of the Board, serve for a three year period. The Hope Haven Board meets on a monthly basis except for the month of December. Meetings are on the third Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m . The usual meeting place is in the conference room of the Mississippi Power Company, Hwy 90 Bay St. Louis; Ms. All Board minutes are available to the public upon request as prescribed by Federal/State law.
Membership to the Board is based upon interest and a desire to serve children. Interested parties are asked to serve one year on our Advisory Board and then they may request to fill a Board seat if there is an opening. The general public is welcome at all scheduled Board meetings and an “open to the floor time” is scheduled at each meeting for public participation.
We are proud to list our Board Members who are committed to serving the needs of abused and neglected children and give of themselves to do so:
PRESIDENT: Margie Christison, Bay St. Louis. Margie has been a Hancock County resident for over 18 years after crossing the Bay Bridge from Harrison County and falling in love with the small town feel and sense of community she found here. For 13 years prior to Hurricane Katrina she co-published "The Hancock Reporter, a monthly journal of county news and affairs. Since the storm she has been employed by the Silver Slipper as the head seamstress...more commonly called "the wardrobe lady." She is the mother of three grown sons and has three beautiful granddaughters.
Margie is a charter member of Hope Haven, having worked alongside the organization's founders to make the first shelter home in 1995 a reality. She has been a key member of the Board as Hope Haven grew, the loss of our Waveland shelter, rebuilding the home, the purchase of our new home inland out of the flood zone and as Hope Haven expanded its role in the community. Margie has served as Board Secretary and as Vice President.
VICE PRESIDENT: Judy Thompson has been with the Board for 7 years. Judy is an administrative assistant at the construction firm of Innovative Builders which is currently rebuilding the Gulfport Harbor.
TREASURER: Greg Kothmann recently retired from employment with the Diamondhead Country Club and is enjoying a well earned retirement.
SECRETARY: Leslie Delsied has been a Board member for eight years. She is a child's rights activist and has experience with child abuse and neglect. She is employed with one of our local casino resorts.
BOARD MEMBER: Laura Elliot has been with Hope Haven for six years. She is the head teller with People's Bank and a dedicated member of the community.
BOARD MEMBER: Jane Anderson has been a Board member for five years. Jane and her family lost their home in Waveland due to Katrina. She relocated to Austin Texas after Katrina but has stayed active with us via the phone and internet. Jane is a child's author and activist.
BOARD MEMBER: Pat Peterson has been a contributing member of the Board for six years. She is knowledgeable on issues involving handicapped children and is a homemaker.
BOARD MEMBER: Angela Strickler, Staff member, Habitat for Humanity. Angela has been an active supporter of Hope Haven for over 5 years now. She has worked tirelessly with the “Cabbage Ball” committee and on other community events to raise funds for Hope Haven and we are so pleased she has become a “formal” member of the Hope Haven Board.
BOARD MEMBER: Geoffrey Eastin - Building Contractor. Geoffrey, like Angela, has supported Hope Haven for several years by helping raise funds via our local fundraisers. He is one of those quiet in the background type of people who actually get the work done. We are fortunate to have him join us on our Board.
BOARD MEMBER: Rhonda Sherwin
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - TERRY LATHAM
Terry's involvement with Hope Haven was a “happy accident”. He was working with the University of Mississippi as a case worker with the “Agent Orange” Program. This was a program that assisted Vietnam Veterans, who had been exposed to the chemical defoliant while serving in Vietnam. He helped the vets access services for their children who were born with birth defects caused by the service member's exposure to the chemical. His wife, Ann, was active in the initial efforts to start the shelter and Terry was merely driving her to the meetings. The first board members were discouraged as the pace of fundraising was very slow and their dream of opening a shelter within 3 years was fading fast.
Terry volunteered to write grant request and soon the Board was overjoyed to learn that the initial grant he wrote for $258,000 was approved! This joy was tempered by the fact that they had to find a home that met State standards, hire and train staff and obtain all of the inspections and licenses required to open…within 90 days. They approached Terry and asked him to become the first Director of Hope Haven and the rest…as they say…is history. He has steered the organization through the difficult first years and worked tirelessly to promote awareness of the evils of child abuse and neglect within the community. Using AmeriCorps volunteers, he oversaw the construction of a larger 3,500 square foot home which opened in 2003.
When Hurricane Katrina hit, Terry was at the shelter the very next day dragging furniture out of the house. As a retired Navy Chief, he was able to attract the attention of the Navy C.B.s and with their help and assistance from other churches and organizations, he had the home repaired and in use again within 60 days. Now, Hope Haven has opened another home inland from the coast that will not flood. With nine acres, a small fishing pond, a barn and a seven bedroom house and a four bedroom “guest cottage” onsite…Hope Haven's new “Angel Ranch” will enable the organization to care for up to ten more children. Future plans call for building one or two more homes on the country site which will provide an additional 20 beds for children who need a safe refuge.
Terry's background is diverse. He joined the U.S. Navy upon graduation from high school in 1964 in Crystal Lake Ill. and served in the Navy for 28 years. Although his primary job was as a weather forecaster, he also spent several years flying as an aerial ice observer in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, and was heavily involved in many of the Navy's “people programs” and community support activities. While in the Navy, he completed a degree in Psychology. Terry married his wife Ann, in England and they have three grown children. His daughter, Valerie, served as his primary assistant in opening up the shelter and helped run it until Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. His son Jay is a Hurricane Hunter with the U.S. Air Force at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Ms. Both children live near them and they have blessed Terry and Ann with 7 grandchildren. Their oldest daughter has one child and has moved back to England. Terry plans to remain with Hope Haven for three more years and then hopes to become a board member…”if they will have me!”
Lorraine Werner: Administrative Assistant/Helping Hands Program
Ms. Lorraine is a country girl that was born and bred right here in Hancock County and a most welcome addition to the Hope Haven team. She knows all of the "old families" in the area so she is a tremendous resource for us when we need something or need to find someone to do something for us.
Lorraine keeps the accounts in order for us and other general administrative duties but where she shines is the Helping Hands Program. Lorraine is the main person that conducts intake interviews with the many needy families that seek help at Hope Haven. Her direct but understanding approach helps the person seeking help understand how the process works without embarrassing those who really need assistance. She can be tough on those who come in with their hand out and who are spending $60 a week on cigarettes or who run up a $500 dollar electric bill and come in the day before it is due to be cut off....but we must be good stewards of the funds donated to us...so she helps them sort out their bills and priorities and helps them so they can do better next month. We could not operate with out her!
Lorraine lives with her husband on a farm in Hancock County and has many relatives who reside in the area.
